ABSTRACT
The purpose of this causal comparative study is to contribute to the understanding
of Critical Race Theory by using a parametric test to compare the independent variable of
human characteristics to the dependent variables of Administrative, Cultural, and
Environmental/ Hereditary (ACE) factors to develop a picture of parents’/guardians’ and
educators’ attitudes about factors that may explain the overrepresentation of Black males in
special education programs. A total of 162 participants completed a self-reporting
demographic characteristic survey and the Gresham survey to provide information on the
attitudes towards the administrative, cultural, and environmental/hereditary factors that may
be correlated with the overrepresentation of Black males in special education, as perceived
by each stakeholder group. Participants were drawn from the sample of Black, male, high
school students’ parents/guardians and educators from 10 high schools within School
System A in the metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia area. Parents/guardians included those
stakeholders responsible for making legal decisions and supervising students’ overall living.
Those selected from the educator stakeholder group consisted of tutors, school teachers, and
administrators. The results of this study indicated that there are significant differences on
the administrative and cultural factors between the gender, age, ethnicity, and type of
stakeholder, within the decision process of referring Black males to special education,
which may ultimately lead to the overrepresentation of the Black male student in special
education programs. The study may have implications for special education, as the insights
provided from the data may indicate opportunities for additional training, teacher
preparation, or evaluation and placement processes for special education.