Overrepresented Minorities in Special Education in the United States and Romania: Comparison between African-American and Roma Populations in Disability Studies

Walker, Gabriela

doi:10.2304/rcie.2008.3.4.394

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Higher involvement of Roma parents can also represent another vital dynamic in the process of desegregation: Although Želinský, Gorard and Siddiqui (2021) confirmed that -in comparison to non-Romamany Roma parents express lower levels of educational aspirations for their children, a recent study by Moree (2019) shows that Roma parents are increasingly aware of the education system and that they want either to send their children to a mainstream school or have them in a segregated school, but one with a high quality of education. Walker (2008) also emphasizes that in order to overcome discrimination in education, ethnic minorities should set high expectations for themselves.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change Must Come From Below but Also From the Top': Strategies for Roma School Desegregation in the Czech Republic

Němec¹

2021

Education Support

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Roma children represent a discriminated minority in education in many European countries. Educational research shows that Roma students attending segregated schools have low educational achievement, but the strategies for reversing segregation -which have already been successfully used by some schools in practicehave not yet been sufficiently described. The article draws on qualitative research into Roma students' segregation in Czech elementary schools, aiming to identify good practice leading to desegregation. The interviews were conducted with six educational experts and with teaching staff from eight elementary schools, whether segregated or successfully dealing with the risk of segregation. The data was processed via thematic analysis. The results indicate two main areas of intervention: 1) supporting the transition of Roma students to nonsegregated mainstream schools via changing catchment areas, "bussing" and even closure of segregated schools; 2) making segregated schools more attractive to non-Roma parents and children via introducing alternatives into educational programs, increasing cooperation with out-of-school partners and improving the schools' reputation. In conclusion, desegregation is achievable with the cooperation of all relevant actors. The remaining challenge for the future is to change the discourse -from a narrow view of Roma desegregation to the wider idea of inclusive education for all.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change Must Come From Below but Also From the Top': Strategies for Roma School Desegregation in the Czech Republic

Němec¹

2021

Education Support

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Cantwell and Bodelius (2005) reported that in Romania, as many as 40% of institutionalized children were Roma, while in Bulgaria, the disproportionate representation was even greater in 2005. I believe that the difference among the estimates of percentages of Roma in Romanian institutions is due to the geographical locations of the institutions and the concentration of Roma population in the region, similar to the phenomenon of overrepresentation of African Americans in the United States in low-track educational programs (see Walker, 2008).…”

Section: A Short History Of Institutionalization During the Communistmentioning

confidence: 93%

Postcommunist Deinstitutionalization of Children With Disabilities in Romania

Walker

2011

Journal of Disability Policy Studies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The author examines the policies and treatment of children institutionalized during and after the communist regime, the adoption policies for these children, the human rights claimed in the name of these children, and the ecology of disabilities in Romania. Institutionalized children fell into three categories: children who had one or more minor to severe disabilities, children who had been abandoned, and children who were part of ethnic minorities, especially the Roma. The author reviews the literature on these topics and adds her own perspective, as a Romanian special education teacher and researcher. While during communism, institutionalized persons were invisible to the public and kept in inhuman conditions, after communism, increased awareness about the situation in state institutions and about disabilities and human rights in general led to the adoption and implementation of new disability-friendly policies. Currently, there is increased advocacy for the rights of the people with disabilities, although great challenges remain.

show abstract

“…Some scholars invoke a cultural deficit in making the argument that Roma are 'incapable' of benefiting from formal education. Walker (2010) argues that Romani students have "social and cultural conditions" (176) which leave them unprepared for school. She also argues that Romani students have "cultural needs" (Walker 2008, 400) that prevent educational success.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Romani Students’ Responses to Antigypsyist Schooling in a Segregated School in Romania

Dragos¹

2022

CRS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this article I explore the responses of Romani students in a segregated school in Romania to majoritarian deficit narratives constructed about them, investigating the specific nature of such deficit discourses and the specific strategies of resistance deployed by the students. To do so, I designed a theoretical framework which fused elements of Foucauldian and Critical Race Theory (CRT). The case study was underpinned by principles of in-depth critical qualitative research, explicitly addressing the racial, political and systemic nature of educational inequalities in Romania. I spent two weeks in a segregated secondary school, in which Romani students were tracked into Romani-only class groups. I observed 12 lessons and interviewed three white Romanian teachers and 11 Romani students. The findings suggested that teachers mobilized deficit discourses about Romani families, culture, cognitive abilities, and potential, reflected in their pedagogical strategies and justifications of Romani students’ ‘school failure’. Students resisted such assumptions through counterstorytelling, naming oppression, class disruption, and refusal of the ‘rules of schooling’, such as homework. I argue that this resistance highlights Romani students’ critical thinking and agency. Among others, the findings indicate the need for urgent change in Romanian teacher training and educational policy.

show abstract

Overrepresented Minorities in Special Education in the United States and Romania: Comparison between African-American and Roma Populations in Disability Studies

Cited by 8 publications

References 8 publications

Change Must Come From Below but Also From the Top': Strategies for Roma School Desegregation in the Czech Republic

Change Must Come From Below but Also From the Top': Strategies for Roma School Desegregation in the Czech Republic

Postcommunist Deinstitutionalization of Children With Disabilities in Romania

Romani Students’ Responses to Antigypsyist Schooling in a Segregated School in Romania

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About