Special Education Report Roundup

Charters and Special Education

October 08, 2013 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

While critics of charter schools have claimed such schools push out or discourage students with disabilities, that does not appear to be the case in a new study of New York City schools from the Center on Reinventing Public Education.

Author Marcus A. Winters studied enrollment data from the 2008-09 school year provided by the New York City Department of Education as well as 25 elementary charter schools in New York City.

The study argues that the enrollment gap is initially created by a smaller percentage of families with children of special needs applying to enroll their children in charter schools in kindergarten.

The gap grows throughout elementary school partly because charters are less likely to identify students as having special needs and more likely to declassify those students’ individualized education plans.

Events

Teaching Profession K-12 Essentials Forum New Insights Into the Teaching Profession
Join this free virtual event to get exclusive insights from Education Week's State of Teaching project.
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Special Education Opinion RFK Jr. Is the Last Person Who Should Be in Charge of Special Education
Here’s why President Trump’s recent announcement sent a chill down the spines of autistic individuals like me.
David Rivera
3 min read
Collaged image of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with brightly colored classroom images in the background.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP + Getty Images
Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on Neurodiversity in K12: Supporting Every Learner's Success
This Spotlight will help you explore effective strategies for supporting neurodiverse students, fostering inclusive environments, and more.
Special Education Why Trump's Move to Shift Special Ed. to HHS Is Rattling Educators
Current and former staffers are wary of vague plans to move special education out of the Education Department.
9 min read
Professionals stand on an arrow that shifts from one parallel line to another, illustrating the concept of a realignment. One person is dressed as healthcare professional.
mathisworks/DigitalVision Vectors
Special Education How Schools Make Up for the Feds' Unfulfilled Special Ed. Funding Commitment
Congress has never met a 50-year-old funding commitment it made for special education services.
6 min read
Vector of a teacher hand holding puzzle piece bridging the gap in primary education for children
iStock/Getty Images