Does Attending a Charter School Reduce the Likelihood of Being Placed Into Special Education?

• In Event: 56.047 - Examining Charter School Trends in Enrollment, Placement, and Location

Abstract

We use student administrative data from Denver, Colorado, to measure whether attending a charter school reduces the likelihood that students are newly classified as having a disability in primary grades. We find that attending a Denver charter school significantly and substantially reduces the likelihood that a student is classified as having a Specific Learning Disability, which is the largest, mildest, and most subjectively diagnosed disability category. We find no evidence that attending a charter school reduces the probability of being classified as having a speech or language disability or autism, which are two more objectively diagnosed special education classifications.

Authors

• Marcus Winters, Boston University

• Dick M. Carpenter, University of Colorado

• Grant A. Clayton, University of Colorado - Colorado Springs