Thursday, February 9, 2017
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Joukowsky Forum
Students with disabilities encounter many education challenges in the U.S. public school system, and the achievement gap between students with disabilities and students without disabilities persists. For racial and ethnic minority students with disabilities, equity and disproportionate placement into more restrictive special education settings are lingering concerns. Strassfeld will examine the impact of recent regulatory changes under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act on monitoring disproportionate representation of racial/ethnic minority students with disabilities.
Natasha Strassfeld is an assistant professor of special education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at NYU Steinhardt. Prior to joining the NYU Steinhardt faculty, Strassfeld was a postdoctoral fellow at NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Previously, she represented low-income children and families as a public interest attorney. Her recent work examines under- and over-representation of minority students in special education placements and policy implications for States and Local Educational Agencies.