Students pigeonholed based on race.

• Position: Education

Teacher referrals for special and gifted education testing are subjective and may be swayed by a students race, according to a study from New York University published in Social Science Research, which found that teachers are more likely to see academic challenges as disabilities when white boys exhibit them than when boys of color exhibit the same difficulties. Conversely, teachers are more likely to perceive behavioral challenges as disabilities among boys of color than when white boys have the same behavioral difficulties.

"Previous research tends to be polarized between the argument that students of color are overrepresented in special education due to racial bias in schools, and the argument that they are actually underrepresented in special education once you account for socioeconomic status and other related factors. This research finds racial bias, but it's more complicated, with both underrepresentation and overrepresentation of students of color," says study author Rachel Fish, assistant professor of special education at the School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

Teachers play an important role in identifying students who may benefit from special and gifted education. Earlier research found that 75% of referrals originate from teachers (as opposed to parents or medical professionals), and teachers' referrals generally are confirmed through additional testing.

Because students of color are overrepresented in special education and underrepresented in gifted education, it has been assumed that teachers...