The Lived Experiences of Black Males in Special Education: A Phenomenological Study of Parents and Students

Author

Ashonta Lashonda Wyatt, Xavier University of LouisianaFollow

Date of Award

6-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Division of Education and Counseling

First Advisor

Renèe Akbar

Second Advisor

Marva Lewis

Third Advisor

Esrom Pitre

Keywords

Black Males, Special Education, Phenomenology, Lived Experiences, Disproportionate, Achievement

Abstract

Black males rank highest among students who choose to leave school; are suspended, expelled, or kicked out of school; score poorly on tests; have low GPAs and high rates of referral and placement in special education; and are underrepresented in gifted education (e.g., NCES, 2005; Whiting, 2004) as cited in Whiting (2006a). The purpose of this study was to generate an understanding of the attitudes and beliefs related to special education referral and placement of Black males as perceived by six Black students and their parents. The focus of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of six Special Education high school students and their parents participating in the Special Education setting in a large urban district in Southeastern Louisiana. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the concept of Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Cole, 2017; Delgado & Stefancic, 2017; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 2016; Yosso, 2006). Key findings suggest that state and federally aligned evaluation procedures, parental involvement/advocacy, and culturally relevant pedagogical practices could serve as a starting point for reducing the number of Black males disproportionately placed in Special Education.

Recommended Citation

Wyatt, Ashonta Lashonda, "The Lived Experiences of Black Males in Special Education: A Phenomenological Study of Parents and Students" (2019). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation. 12.
https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/etd/12