GAO report: Charter schools underserve special needs students
by Dave Murray
Grand Rapids Press
June 21, 2012
Charter schools serve fewer special education students than traditional schools according to a Government Accountability Office, though Michigan educators said countywide, specialized programs and parental choices likely make for the difference.
The federal report released this week indicated that about 8 percent of the students in charter schools nationally are disabled or require special services. That’s compared to 11 percent of the students in traditional schools. Data is from the 2009-2010 school year.
The GAO recommends that U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan “take measures to help charter schools recognize practices that may affect enrollment of students with disabilities” by updating existing directives and researching why the levels are different.
But the leader of a school choice advocacy group said the GAO’s report is incomplete and flawed. Allen noted that there are 5,700 charter schools in the country and GAO staff visited 13.
“GAO’s attempt to draw conclusions about enrollment of students with special needs in charter schools was a waste of resources,” said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform, in a release.
“The GAO report, by the agency’s own admission, fails to meet fundamental and rudimentary research standards. It is based wholly on anecdotal snapshots of a limited number of schools and states.”
The federal agency indicated it prepared the report after being asked about the enrollment differences, how charter schools reach out the students with disabilities and what services the schools provide.
The GAO also considered the role federal and state education departments play in overseeing the schools and their special needs programs.
“Charter schools enrolled a lower percentage of students with disabilities than traditional districts, but little is known about the factors contributed to these differences,” the report reads.
The report considers that charter schools are schools of choice, and it’s possible that parents of disabled students opt to send their children elsewhere.
“In addition, some charter school may be discouraging students with disabilities from enrolling,” the document reads.
The GAO notes that traditional schools often play a role in placing students with disabilities, and the districts – not the charter school – decide whether the students are better served in a different program.
The agency reported that most of the 13 charter schools visited publicized and offered special education services, “but faced challenges serving students with severe disabilities,” including limited resources or space.
The Kent Intermediate School District has heard few complaints from special needs parents about charter schools, Assistant Superintendent Ronald Koehler said.
The KISD, which services districts in the Grand Rapids area, operates two schools for students with severe special needs including students from all 20 districts. Some charter schools – like the districts — pay tuition to send students to the programs.
Koehler said the district includes charter school leaders in meetings with special education coordinators from around the county.
“I think a fair amount of the difference is self-selection among the special needs parents,” he said. “They get connected early on and the find the best options for their children. And they know that if they sent their children to a charter school, they’d end up back in our specialized programs anyway.”
Grand Valley State University authorizes 47 charter schools, and 9.6 percent of the students enrolled in GVSU charters have individualized education plans for special needs.
Robert Kimball, senior director of operations and policy, said the charter school office works with schools to make sure they comply with state laws.
Kimball said he knows of one parental complain in three years, and the matter was reresolved through the KISD.
“Charter schools are open enrollment and must follow the laws like any other public school,” he said. “When we get a complaint, we take it very seriously. From our perspective, there is no wiggle room.”
Allen noted that the GAO report has not comprehensive data to support its conclusions. She said the center’s own survey, used by federal agencies and research organizations, indicated 15 percent of all charter school students have special needs.
“This is an issue that deserves in-depth analysis of real data on real students and there are many valid ways GAO could have studied and learned from public school models. That’s not what GAO did. We urge Congress to investigate the activities surrounding this report, and issue a reprimand for misusing government resources on a fool’s errand.”
