ERIC Number: ED615027
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jun
Pages: 43
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
A Strategic City-Based Framework for Effectively and Efficiently Educating Students with Disabilities
Rhim, Lauren Morando
Center for Learner Equity
Charter schools' autonomy and flexibility provides them with the opportunity to find ways to close the performance gap between students with and without disabilities, but deep-seated, systemic challenges often cause individual charters to struggle to do so on their own. For cities with an established charter sector, a city-wide, collaborative strategy involving all stakeholders to overcome these systemic challenges is proposed. By working together, charter schools can fulfill their potential with regard to educating students with disabilities. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying effective strategies to accelerate learning for students with disabilities and optimize the flexibility extended to charter schools is essential. This brief introduces critical components of a strategic, city-based framework, along with details regarding how this multi-pronged approach can drive systemic and sustainable change that will lead to better access and outcomes for students with disabilities. Each component has value independently, but when combined in a coherent manner so that each augments the others, the framework has the potential to ensure that students with disabilities have access to a robust continuum of educational opportunities in districts that have widespread public school choice and, in particular, charter schools. If individual charter schools, regional government officials, authorizers, and funders work together to create a new system that spreads the responsibility, incentivizes schools to support students with disabilities, and nurtures talent to support these goals, charter schools can be agents of change for closing the gap between students with disabilities and the general education population. [This paper is the result of a collaboration with Pathway 2 Tomorrow: Local Visions for America's Future (P2T).]
Descriptors: Charter Schools, Students with Disabilities, Special Education, COVID-19, Pandemics, Acceleration (Education), Access to Education, Educational Opportunities, School Districts, Achievement Gap, Partnerships in Education, State Boards of Education, Accountability, Enrollment, School Choice, Parent Education, Inclusion, Program Implementation, Educational Finance, Resource Allocation, Human Capital, Capacity Building, Alternative Assessment
Center for Learner Equity. 420 Lexington Avenue Suite 300, New York, NY 10170. e-mail: info@centerforlearnerequity.org; Web site: https://www.centerforlearnerequity.org/
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: The Center for Learner Equity
Identifiers - Location: Louisiana (New Orleans); District of Columbia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A