Charter Schools and Students with Disabilities

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

PART I - DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
  Site Selection
  Site Visit Procedures
  Data Analysis

PART II - OVERVIEW OF VISITED SCHOOLS
  Localism
  Evolution
  Facilities
  Curriculum and Instruction
  Staffing and Leadership
  Students

PART III - FINDINGS REGARDING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Why Parents Enroll Their Children with Disabilities in Charter Schools:
  Students Attitudes Toward Enrolling in a Charter School
  Pre-admission Counseling Related to Disability

How Charter Schools Serve Students with Disabilities:
  Identifying Students with Disabilities
  Instructional Setting
  Instruction
  Related Services
  Transportation
  Overview of Differences between Charter and Non-Charter Schools

Outcome Goals for Students:
  Differences Between Goals for Students With and Without Disabilities

Assessment of Student Outcomes:
  Differences Between Assessment for Students With and Without Disabilities

The Success of Charter Schools with Students with Disabilities:
  Anecdotal Evidences of Success
  Some Limits to Success
  Integration
  Facilitators of Success
  Barriers to Success

PART IV - CONCLUSIONS
General Conclusions About Charter Schools

Conclusions Related to Students with Disabilities:
  Enrollment Decisions
  Attitudes Toward Special education and Students with Disabilities
  Identifying Students with Disabilities
  Academic and Related Services
  Assessment and Accountability
  Evidence of Student Success
  Factors Affecting Student Success

APPENDIX
Excerpts of Charter School Operators' Legal Responsibilities Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act As Amended in 1997 and the Charter School Expansion Act of 1998

List of Tables

Table 1
Distribution of selection variables in population of charter schools and Westat sample
Table 2
Characteristics of charter schools in the total population and the Westat sample
Table 3
Reasons parents of students with disabilities enroll their children in charter schools, as reported by parents and administrators
Table 4
Reasons students did or did not want to attend the charter school, as reported by students
Table 5
Differences between charter schools and previously-attended non-charter schools, as reported by parents, charter school staff, and students
Table 6
Goals for students with disabilities, as reported by parents and charter school staff
Table 7
Student assessment methods in charter schools, as reported by staff
Table 8
Factors that facilitate success for charter school students with disabilities, as reported by parents, charter school staff, and students
Table 9
Factors that impede success for charter school students with disabilities, as reported by parents, charter school staff, and students

Acknowledgments

Our work would not have been possible without the generous support of charter school administrators, teachers, parents, and students. These individuals, in 32 schools in 15 states, took time from their busy schedules to talk with us and show us their programs. They described their determined and often inspiring attempts to improve public education. Although we do not name them, we greatly appreciate their assistance.

We would also like to thank the charter school practitioners who participated in an advisory meeting during the first months of the study. The following persons helped us identify the educational, management, and policy issues most important to charter schools as they serve students with disabilities:

Anne Alpert, Side By Side Community School, Wilton, CT
Liz Ash, Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
Sarah Begor, Chicago Preparatory Charter School, Park Ridge, IL
Ellie Boyce, Bowling Green, Sacramento, CA
Jackie Garrett, Chance Charter School, Alachua, FL
Maureen Landry, Bayou Charter School, Houma, LA
Joy N'Daou, Chicago International Charter School, Chicago, IL
Judy Olkes, Schools With No Stopping Point, Madison, WI
Marcus Sherman, North Star Academy, Springfield, MA
Johanna Thomas, Excel Education Centers, Prescott, AZ
JoAnne Woodard, Sallie B. Howard Charter School, Wilson, NC

We want in particular to thank the U.S. Department of Education Project Officers who provided thoughtful guidance throughout the course of the study. They were Kelly Henderson and Jane C. Williams of the Office of Special Education Programs and Judith Anderson of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. And we especially appreciate the many additional Department officials and the external reviewers who provided useful feedback to drafts of this report.

In addition to the report's authors, the study team included other researchers who made valuable contributions. The following individuals conducted site visits and contributed in various ways to data reporting and analysis: Erin Cashman, Christene Tashjian, and Sandra Hopfengardner Warren of Research Triangle Institute; Susan Marks, Patricia McKenna, Kathryn Morrison, and Lynn Newman of SRI International.

Tom Fiore
Project Director
Westat

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