Working Paper: NBER ID: w25829
Authors: Todd E. Elder; David N. Figlio; Scott A. Imberman; Claudia L. Persico
Abstract: We use linked birth and education records from Florida to investigate how the identification of childhood disabilities varies by race and school racial composition. Using a series of decompositions, we find that black and Hispanic students are identified with disabilities at lower rates than are observationally similar white students. Black and Hispanic students are over-identified in schools with relatively small shares of minorities and substantially under-identified in schools with large minority shares. Our results are consistent with a heightened awareness among school officials of disabilities in students who are racially and ethnically distinct from the majority race in the school.
Keywords: School segregation; Racial gaps; Special education identification
JEL Codes: I21; I24; J70
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| racial composition of schools (I24) | identification rates of disabilities (J14) |
| black and Hispanic students (I24) | identification rates of disabilities (J14) |
| school officials awareness (I29) | identification rates of disabilities (J14) |
| black students in schools with over 90% minority populations (I24) | identification rates of disabilities (J14) |
| Hispanic students (I24) | identification rates of disabilities (J14) |
| racial composition (J15) | identification process (F50) |