SEGREGATED PLACEMENT PATTERNS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN 3 STATES

This study examines placement patterns in New York, Louisiana and New Jersey to determine why these states place nearly half of their studen ts with disabilities in separate classrooms, when most states place th e vast majority of students with disabilities in general classrooms. U sing regression analysis and interviews, several factors were examined including the influence of the states' prior practices and policies, economic and social variables, the consequences of state-finding formu las, and the effectiveness of federal monitoring. New York Louisiana, and New Jersey have maintained a high proportion of separate placement s regardless of disability for longer than most states. Each of these states has a large percentage of African American students and of stud ents from poor families. Each of these stares provides fiscal incentiv es for segregated placements. Federal monitoring is ineffective; the U .S. Department of Education is slow to act on placement variability ac ross the states.