Choice, Mobility, and Classification: Disaggregating the Charter School Special Education Gap

Gilmour, Allison F.; Shanks, Colin A.; Winters, Marcus A.

doi:10.1177/07419325221115421

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…However, prior research shows these students do not necessarily leave charter schools at higher rates than their TPS peers [33,34]. Additionally, research suggests that enrolling in a charter school may lead to higher likelihood of declassification out of special education but does not necessarily impact a student's likelihood of classification into special education [35].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By analyzing multiple cohorts of students, studies could better understand changes in transfer patterns over time. Second, additional studies can further isolate supply and demand factors by specifically examining charter enrollment processes (e.g., [35]) or by communicating directly with families to understand educational preferences and needs (e.g., [53]).…”

Section: Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Student Mobility between Charter and Traditional Public School Sectors: Assessing Enrollment Patterns among Major Charter Management Organizations in Texas

2022

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Student enrollment and transfer patterns between the traditional public and charter school sectors help shape the role of charter schools in the broader educational ecosystem, especially as related to the enrollment and segregation of low-income students, English learners, students of color, and students in special education. We examine patterns of student transfer between traditional public schools and charter schools among four of Texas’s largest charter networks, which cumulatively make up over one-third of Texas charter students. We find that these schools serve fewer special education students than traditional public schools, but a greater share of low-income and English learners. Transfers between sectors contribute to enrollment gaps in special education and other classifications, but the findings do not apply uniformly across charter districts, student enrollment classifications, or grade levels. These findings highlight nuanced enrollment patterns between the charter sector and traditional public schools, suggesting that differences in student characteristics between sectors likely stem from a range of sources. Policymakers should acknowledge this nuance, consider alternatives to blanket enrollment regulation policies, and conduct similar analyses of enrollment patterns among charter districts.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Student Mobility between Charter and Traditional Public School Sectors: Assessing Enrollment Patterns among Major Charter Management Organizations in Texas

2022

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Erasing Race and Disability from Educational Policies of a Chinese–English Dual Language Charter School

2024

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Background or Context: There is increasing research focusing on dual language (DL) education program policies and practices regarding who has access to bilingualism and whose bilingualism is valued and represented. However, limited research is situated in the context of Chinese–English DL education and its service of emergent bilingual learners with disabilities (EBLWDs). Purpose, Objective, Research Question, or Focus of Study: The current study examines DL policy documents from one Chinese–English DL charter school to answer the following research question: How do a Chinese–English DL charter school’s policies and practices address racial and disability injustice? Research Design: Textual analysis is conducted to examine publicly available educational policy documents from school, district, and parent-hosted websites; photos from school Facebook pages; and meeting minutes from the school principal, with permission. Conclusions or Recommendations: Drawing from a Disability Critical Race (DisCrit) stance, this study reveals textual silences on disability and race and the exclusion of EBLWDs through no-excuses accountability policies. Discourses of elite bilingualism and neoliberalism are perpetuated and reproduced by White, nondisabled, middle-class, English-speaking families who control the right to make policy decisions. These discourses shape the lived experiences of EBLWDs, who are deemed as deviant for their racial/ethnic identities and deficient for disability and linguistic status, and are thus denied access to bilingual DL education.

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School Choice and Students With Disabilities: Evidence From Administrative Data

Senese,

Winters

2024

Remedial and Special Education

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School choice has emerged as an alternative to traditional public education, allowing families to select schools outside their neighborhood. While extensive research has examined its impact on students overall, there is a need to focus on its specific effects on students with disabilities. This article addresses this gap by reviewing 39 quantitative studies analyzing this issue using administrative data. Twenty-eight focus on charter schools, and 18 compare differences in enrollment—usually referred to as the “SPED gap”—between sectors. However, few publications explore factors contributing to these disparities or variations in services provided and their impact on student outcomes. We propose future research should (a) explore outcomes beyond enrollment disparities, including both academic and non-academic aspects, as well as short and long-term consequences; (b) employ rigorous statistical methods; (c) broaden the scope of the investigation to encompass diverse states and contexts, as well as other choice policies.

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Choice, Mobility, and Classification: Disaggregating the Charter School Special Education Gap

Cited by 5 publications

References 21 publications

Student Mobility between Charter and Traditional Public School Sectors: Assessing Enrollment Patterns among Major Charter Management Organizations in Texas

Student Mobility between Charter and Traditional Public School Sectors: Assessing Enrollment Patterns among Major Charter Management Organizations in Texas

Erasing Race and Disability from Educational Policies of a Chinese–English Dual Language Charter School

School Choice and Students With Disabilities: Evidence From Administrative Data

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