African-American students were three times more likely than their white peers to be labeled mentally retarded and placed in special education courses, according to the results of four studies commissioned by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.
| Black Students | |
| States |
Odds of Identification |
| 1. Connecticut | 4.76 |
| 2. Mississippi | 4.31 |
| 3. South Carolina | 4.30 |
| 4. North Carolina | 4.08 |
| 5. Nebraska | 4.08 |
| 6. Florida | 3.91 |
| 7. Alabama | 3.89 |
| 8. Delaware | 3.61 |
| 9. New Jersey | 3.60 |
| 10. Colorado | 3.48 |
NOTE: Only New Hampshire and Vermont do not show significant overrepresentation. They show very slight underrepresentation.
SOURCE: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, 2001.