The Impact of Neoliberal Education Reforms on Access for Students With Disabilities in D.C.

• In Event: 34.037 - Neoliberal Education Reforms at the Intersection of Dis/Ability, Race, and Class

Abstract

Purpose & Overview
The purpose of this study was to explore how current policies and practices based on neoliberal education reforms that support tenets such as consumer choice and competition in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS) are denying students with dis/abilities (SWD) opportunities to be included in general education classrooms. Firstly, I provide an overview of the lack of access to general education contexts in DC K-12 schools for SWD. I then describe the stark contrasts in access between Black, Hispanic, and White students. Finally, I introduce an analysis of current policies that allow charter schools to “implement preference” for SWD, and describe how these policies may ultimately lead to maintaining segregated education systems for SWD.

Theoretical Framework, Methods & Data Sources
This paper utilizes a Dis/ability Critical Race Studies framework, in which the intersections of dis/ability, race, language, and socioeconomic status are examined (Annamma, Connor, & Ferri, 2012). School-level data were obtained from the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) via public data request. I include descriptive analyses of district and school-level data, and a policy analysis (Owen, 2014) concerning recently enacted policies that allow public charter schools to “institute a preference” for SWD.

Results & Scholarly Significance
DC’s school-age children are 64% Black and 13% White, while students with disabilities are 82% Black and 4.5% White. Approximately 41% of SWD in DC spend a majority of the day in a self-contained setting, with an additional 10% being educated in a separate school. This is well above the national average of 17% spending a majority of the day (80% or more) outside general education, with 2% in a separate school. Over 37% of Black SWD in DC spent most of their day in a setting outside general education, compared to 9% of White SWD. These inequities are evident in out-of-school suspensions; 94% of the SWD suspended for less than 10 days are Black, compared to .75% White. There were significant differences in access to schools across the district. For instance, the “selective” high schools had an average of 4.5% SWD (as compared to the district average of 13%). Conversely, other schools located in high-poverty wards had much higher percentages (e.g. 64%) of SWD.

Although, charter schools, and “selective” schools are offered under the guise of “choice,” current policies and practices are excluding SWD, and in essence, funneling these students to schools that are almost primarily attended by other SWD. If we do not bring attention to these practices, we may eventually see few opportunities for inclusive educational environments in DC.

Author

• Meghan E Cosier, Chapman University