The Special Education gap in charters

The SPED gap in charters
A new report from the Center for Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) analyzes factors driving the special education gap between Denver's charter and traditional public elementary and middle schools. Using student-level data, the report finds Denver's SPED enrollment gap is 2 percentage points in kindergarten but triples by eighth grade, though not through charters pushing students out; instead, the gap stems from student preferences for different types of schools, how schools classify and declassify students, and the movement of students without disabilities across sectors. Students with special needs are less likely to apply to charters in kindergarten and sixth grade, gateway grades, which explains the gap in middle school, particularly for certain categories of disability. Forty-six percent of the gap's growth occurs because charters are less likely to classify students as special education, and more likely to declassify them; and 54 percent is due to new general education students enrolling in charters rather than students with special needs leaving. Also, students with special needs in charters change schools less often: Five years after kindergarten, 65 percent of charter students with disabilities remain in their original schools, contrasted with 37 percent of traditional public school students with special needs. These findings are consistent with CRPE's earlier study of New York City, suggesting common features driving this gap in systems nationwide. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

Published by LEAP

Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.

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