DFE: The unequal representation of ethnic minorities for different types of special educational needs: Extent, causes and consequences

美国有代表性的研究表明，黑人学生比大多数白人学生更有可能被认定为有特殊教育需要（SEN）。在过去的25年里，英国唯一具有全国代表性的研究（Strand & Lindsay, 2009; 2012）报告了不同类型残疾的更细致的情况，例如，加勒比黑人学生被认定为行为、情感和社会困难的可能性是英国白人学生的两倍，但亚洲学生被认定为自闭症谱系障碍的可能性只有英国白人学生的一半。令人担忧的是，这种代表性过高反映了学校识别过程中的社会偏见，导致不适当的特殊教育提供，而代表性不足反映了获得服务的文化或经济障碍，导致需求未得到满足。这些结果对政府、地方当局和学校具有重要意义，因为《平等法》（2010年）规定所有公共机构都有消除非法歧视和促进机会平等的一般责任。然而，由于方法上的限制，对造成种族比例失调的因素所知相对较少。英国的研究通常规模小，不具代表性，而美国的研究通常规模大，但基于总体数据，无法进行只有学生水平数据才能进行的复杂分析，或者基于纵向调查，但样本相对于特殊教育的发生率较小。在方法上，该项目将提供三个创新。首先，它将使用超过600万名5-16岁学生的全国人口普查数据，为每一类SEN建立一个细致的画面，涵盖所有种族群体。其次，它将首次利用多层统计模型来估计学生、学校和地方当局（LA）因素对SEN识别的相对影响。第三，它将超越单一时间点的SEN识别静态模型，通过跟踪两个队列，每个队列有57.5万名学生，随着时间的推移，一个通过小学（从接待处到六年级），另一个通过中学（从六年级到十一年级），建立SEN发展的动态模型。从理论上讲，这项研究将允许评估关于不平等代表权可能原因的相互竞争的假设，例如，通过确定贫困和经济剥夺等社会经济因素是否可以解释不同类型sen的种族不成比例。将探索其他因素的影响，包括年龄，性别，早期教育程度，出勤和行为，以及学校和洛杉矶因素，如规模，类型和社会及民族构成。该项目解决了公布的DFE研究重点（2014年），围绕SEN的准确识别，ESRC战略重点，以促进一个充满活力和公平的社会，以及平等法案（2010年）消除非法歧视的责任。鉴于2014年9月出台了新的特殊教育条件和残疾行为守则，以及少数族裔学生目前占5-16岁学生总数的四分之一以上（28%），这是及时的。该项目将产生广泛的影响，其中包括一个由实践者和政策顾问以及教育、心理学和社会学领域的著名学者组成的强大咨询小组。将调整产出，以便通过以下方式最大限度地发挥影响：(i)通过易于获取的简短摘要和报告进行交流；通过从业人员和专业网络确定产出目标；（iii）制作一个全面的地方当局（LA）数据包，确定英格兰所有150个地方当局的不均衡水平，以便进行基准和比较分析；举办以用户为中心的全国传播活动。

Representative research in the US has established that Black students are substantially more likely to be identified with Special Educational Needs (SEN) than the majority White group. The only nationally representative studies in England in the last 25 years (Strand & Lindsay, 2009; 2012) report a more nuanced picture across different types of disability, with for example Black Caribbean pupils being twice as likely as White British pupils to be identified with Behavioural and Emotional and Social Difficulties, but Asian pupils being only half as likely as White British pupils to be identified with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. There are concerns this over-representation reflects social bias in school identification processes and results in inappropriate special education provision, while under-representation reflects cultural or economic barriers to accessing services and results in unmet need. These results have important implications for Government, Local Authorities and schools as the Equalities Act (2010) places a general duty on all public bodies to eliminate unlawful discrimination and advance equal opportunity.However relatively little is known about the factors which contribute to ethnic disproportionality, largely because of methodological limitations. Studies in the UK have often been small scale and unrepresentative while studies in the US are typically large but based on aggregate data that do not allow the sophisticated analyses possible only with student level data, or based on longitudinal surveys but with samples that are small relative to the incidence of special education. Methodologically, this project will provide three innovations. First it will use national census data on over 6 million students aged 5-16 years to build a nuanced picture across all ethnic groups for every category of SEN. Second it will be the first to utilise multilevel statistical models to estimate the relative influences of student, school and local authority (LA) factors on SEN identification. Third it will move beyond static models of SEN identification at a single point in time to build a dynamic model of the development of SEN by tracking two cohorts, each of 575,000 students, as they progress over time, one through primary school (from Reception to Y6) and the other through secondary school (from Y6 to Y11). Theoretically, the research will allow the evaluation of competing hypothesises about the possible causes of unequal representation, for example by determining whether socio-economic factors such as poverty and economic deprivation can account for the ethnic disproportionality in different types of SEN. The impact of other factors including age, gender, early educational attainment, attendance and behaviour will be explored, as well as school and LA factors such as size, type and social and ethnic composition. The project addresses published DFE research priorities (2014) around the accurate identification of SEN, the ESRC strategic priority to promote a Vibrant and Fair Society and the Equalities Act (2010) duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination. It is timely given the introduction of a new SEN and Disability Code of Practice in September 2014 and the fact that ethnic minority students now constitute over one-quarter (28%) of the age 5-16 school population.The project will have wide impact mediated by a strong advisory group comprising practitioners and policy advisers as well as notable academics in the fields of education, psychology and sociology. The outputs will be tailored to maximise impact by: (i) communicating through short accessible summaries and reports; (ii) targeting outputs through practitioner and professional networks; (iii) producing a comprehensive Local Authority (LA) data pack identifying levels of disproportionality for all 150 LAs in England allowing benchmarking and comparative analysis, and; (iv) holding a user-focussed national dissemination event.