Charter Schools Fall Short On Students With Disabilities
Advocates, lobbyists and celebrities including Bill Cosby are rubbing shoulders in Minneapolis this week to celebrate 20 years of the charter school movement. But a report released late Tuesday confirms a flaw that charter critics have raised over the last two decades: charter schools don't enroll students with disabilities at the same rate as traditional public schools, despite federal laws that require all publicly funded schools to serve disabled students.
The Government Accountability Office report, commissioned by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), found that 11.2 percent of students enrolled in public schools during the 2009-2010 school year had disabilities, compared with 8.3 percent of students in charter schools. The report is the first to quantify this gap.
"We have known for several years that students for disabilities were underrepresented in charter schools," Jim Shelton, the U.S. Education Department assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement, told The Huffington Post. "The report puts a fine point on issues we were concerned about," said Shelton, the U.S. point person on charter schools. In a letter attached to the GAO report, Shelton wrote that the Education Department is working on new guidance to help charter schools meet federal standards for enrolling special-needs students.
The Government Accountability Office report, commissioned by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), found that 11.2 percent of students enrolled in public schools during the 2009-2010 school year had disabilities, compared with 8.3 percent of students in charter schools. The report is the first to quantify this gap.
"We have known for several years that students for disabilities were underrepresented in charter schools," Jim Shelton, the U.S. Education Department assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement, told The Huffington Post. "The report puts a fine point on issues we were concerned about," said Shelton, the U.S. point person on charter schools. In a letter attached to the GAO report, Shelton wrote that the Education Department is working on new guidance to help charter schools meet federal standards for enrolling special-needs students.