DisCrit: Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education

"DisCrit invites all of us to be more alert to, and aware of, how we exist in relationship to the many others working in educational environments." ―H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences

"An excellent resource for practitioners (e.g., teachers, educational leaders) currently in education or related fields (e.g., social work, counseling), as well as graduate-level readers. Highly recommended." ―Choice

This groundbreaking volume brings together major figures in Disability Studies in Education (DSE) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) to explore some of today’s most important issues in education.

Scholars examine the achievement/opportunity gaps from both historical and contemporary perspectives, as well as the overrepresentation of minority students in special education and the school-to-prison pipeline. Chapters also address school reform and the impact on students based on race, class, and dis/ability and the capacity of law and policy to include (and exclude).

Readers will discover how some students are included (and excluded) within schools and society, why some citizens are afforded expanded (or limited) opportunities in life, and who moves up in the world and who is trapped at the “bottom of the well.”

Book Features:

• A unique exploration of the intersections of race, class, and dis/ability.
• An examination of the ways in which certain students come to fit into certain categories of dis/ability.
• New insights into longstanding problems of inequity in American education.
• Creative ways to achieve changes in theory, research, practice, and policy that will promote more socially just education systems.

David J. Connor is professor and chair of the Department of Special Education at Hunter College, CUNY. Beth A. Ferri is professor and coordinator of the doctoral program in special education at Syracuse University, New York. Subini A. Annamma is an assistant professor in special education at the University of Kansas.