Comparing Equity in Access to School Bus Transportation for Students With and Without Disabilities

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Inequity in Educational Access and Success

Abstract

The school bus has long been an integral part of the school experience in the U.S., but not much is known about how school transportation relates to school outcomes, particularly for those with disabilities. This study uses ECLS-K: 2011 to explore the associations between using the school bus and attendance for kindergarten students with disabilities (SWDs). Transitioning to kindergarten is particularly important for setting the trajectory for a child’s education career, and this study hopes to provide better understanding in how a key routine-setting mechanism, like the school bus, predicts attendance. This study finds that students with more common disability diagnoses are more likely to benefit from taking the school bus. Implications are discussed.

Authors

• Michael A. Gottfried, University of Pennsylvania

• Michael Lloydhauser, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Christopher Salem Ozuna, Arizona State University