Use of Out-of-District Placements by Students With Disabilities: A State-Level Analysis

• In Event: 33.079 - Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 33.079-3 - The Impact of Structure and Time on Student Learning

Abstract

In [State], more than 1 in 20 students with disabilities are educated outside of their school districts, primarily in state-approved private special education schools and district-sponsored collaborative programs. We examined the individual and community-level characteristics of students who received out-of-district placements, the processes by which these students were placed out-of-district, and the implications of these placements. We found that low-income students were much less likely to be placed out of district than their non-low-income peers. Our analysis suggested that the state should: improve approaches to discipline and behavior, improve high school options for students with disabilities, and increase collaboration between public and private schools to provide services in a more fluid manner.

Authors

• Monica Ng, Harvard University

• Todd Grindal, Abt Associates Inc.

• Laura A. Schifter, Self-employed

• Hadas Eidelman, Harvard University

• Thomas Hehir, Harvard University

• Shaun Michael Dougherty, University of Connecticut