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Help! I Want My Child To Succeed! : Understanding The Referral Process Of Special Education For Children Of Color In New York City Public And Charter Schools, Jacob A. Dixon

Graduate Student Independent Studies

It is imperative for families and schools to create effective partnerships in Special Education, specifically since the referral process serves arguably as the primary crucial step that determines the likelihood of a child's educational path. Sociocultural and sociopolitical factors have impeded the opportunity for linking fan1ilies and schools together for success, including, but not limited to the following: lack of understanding of today's family structure and their rights, social capital and cultural deficits, subjective and/or discriminatory evaluations and barrier of language ­understanding within Special Education. This thesis serves a two-fold purpose of offering extensive research on family involvement in education …