Charter Schools and Students With Disabilities: A National Study

This 2000 report for the U.S. Department of Education discusses the “outcomes of a study that examined how charter school developers have used the opportunities provided by their charters to serve students with disabilities,” work involving 32 public charter schools in 15 states and including contacts with 151 parents of students with disabilities, 196 teachers, and 164 students. The report’s abstract of its findings indicate that “(1) parents of students with disabilities at more than half of the schools identified dissatisfaction with their child's previous non-charter school as a reason for enrolling their child in the charter school; (2) enrollment of students with more significant disabilities is relatively rare; (3) rather than excluding students with disabilities, some charter schools specifically target these students and other at-risk learners; (4) most charter schools identify new students with disabilities as the need arises; (5) most schools use the term "inclusion" to describe their approach to serving students with disabilities; and (6) most students with disabilities are well integrated into the overall life of the school.”