Secondary School Enrollment Trends

• In Event: Special Education Research SIG: Response to Intervention

Abstract

Abstract
Urban school districts offer many diverse high school options including traditional, innovative, behavior remediation, or academic recovery. In this study we examined student distribution across four school types in one large urban district to investigate enrollment patterns with regard to ethnicity, socioeconomic, and disability status. Our preliminary findings show that students from CLD backgrounds are overrepresented in remediation types of alternative schools. The percentages of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are higher in remediation-focused alternative schools. Moreover, behavior-focused alternative schools serve the highest percentage of students with disabilities. We also discuss the significance of the study.
Key words: alternative schools, urban education, secondary enrollment, school choice

Authors

• Kemal Afacan, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Kimber L. Wilkerson, University of Wisconsin

• Maxwell Courtright, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Lauren Lange, University of Wisconsin - Madison