Disproportionality in Special Education: A Synthesis of International Research and Trends

Access to schooling and special education services remains a challenge for many children with disabilities around the world. In the United States, much attention has focused on disproportionality—the over- and underrepresentation of student groups within special education. In this study, to contextualize and better understand the scope and factors associated with disproportionality in the United States and abroad, we synthesized literature on special education disproportionality in international contexts and identified trends across student groups and countries, including the ways in which scholars have examined this topic. Results show that studies focused mainly on the overrepresentation of ethnic minority, immigrant, and Indigenous populations in European or English-speaking nations. Nearly all studies emphasized structural inequalities in society over cultural barriers as mechanisms contributing to disproportionality. Policy recommendations, however, were more likely to focus on improving the special education identification process. The review has implications for research, practice, and policy to improve education for children with disabilities in the United States and abroad.