Special Education Longitudinal Enrollment Study for Louisiana Public Charter Schools

• In Event: Charter School Growth and Management Issues

Abstract

This study examined the gap in enrollment rates of students with disabilities in the public charter and traditional public school sectors in Louisiana from 2010/11 to 2013/14. The enrollment gap was 2.5 percentage points in 2010/11 and declined to 0.5 percentage points by 2013/14. The gap was highest in schools serving grades K–5 for three of the four study years. The gap was lowest for charters serving grades 9–12 for all four years. By 2013/14, the special education enrollment rate was higher for charters than for traditional public schools that serve these grades. Charter school enrollment was associated with an increased likelihood of being declassified as no longer having a disability over a four-year period.

Authors

• Patrick J. Wolf, University of Arkansas

• Shannon Lasserre-Cortez