In Search of Solutions: Rethinking Programs and Practices for Advancing Education for Students of Color With Disabilities in Charter Schools

• In Event: Intersections of Race and Ability: Examining the Education of Students of Color With Dis/abilities in Charter Schools

Abstract

This presentation identifies and examines popular programs and school-based practices used to mitigate disproportionality, examining why our best efforts so often fall short.

Theoretical Framework
This paper aligns an analysis of programs and practices with Brown-Jeffy and Cooper’s (2011) five-point framework for the fusion of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP). All interviews have been framed around grounding themes, using DisCrit to helped ensure that these themes account not only for students with disabilities, but also the intersection of race x ability that provides a lens for understanding new perspectives on the practices and programs aimed at serving them.

Methods & Data sources
Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and included perspectives from charter leaders, teachers, and field experts about how educational settings (practice and programs) can advance education for students of color with disabilities. Conceptual understanding of the data was developed through abductive reasoning, by “revisiting, defamiliarizing, and alternative casing” in light of theoretical knowledge (Timmermans & Tavory, 2012, p. 169). We analyzed data thematically, balancing deductive approaches rooted in our research questions with inductive approaches to allow for the emergence of unanticipated findings.

Findings
Emerging from participant perspectives were several dominant practices and programs, including MTSS/RTI, PBIS, and restorative justice/practices. These practices and programs existed alongside sets of school improvement ideas not always programmatic or directly about practice, but rather improving practice and/or the contexts of it. These ideas included growing and ongoing needs for professional development (both related and non-related exemplary programs and practices), attention to school climate and culture as the context of practice, the role of leadership in supporting practice, and desires for individualization.

These two tracks highlighted a key tension in our data around systemic problems vs. non-systemic solutions. Another key tension was that of ‘ideology vs. evidence’ (or belief in programs without data supporting their effectiveness). According to one participants, there was “no agreed upon criteria” for what constitutes an effective practice or program. Another participant said: “I think that traditionally a lot of our schools implement without thinking about marginalized groups,” and the programs and practices that felt most popular seemed “a little like a buzzword.” Indeed, participants agreed that what works was a fog; however, a majority of them suggested that the most dominant program/practice in charter schools was exclusion. This practice was typified by what we label as a culture of entitlement (e.g., ”You don’t have to be here”), which drove perceptions of hyper-segregation, mass suspensions, hyper-selectivity (e.g., “skimming” and “creaming”), and punishment (e.g., Zero tolerance). The perception of exclusion worked to create an equal perception of uneven access to quality, rigorous education—or as one participant put it, a “public school not for the public.”

From the perspective of participants, exemplary practices and programs were matters of faith. When reflecting on these practices, a participant concluded: “The promise is unlived.” Questions remain as to how to bring our best hopes for supporting our students to life.

Authors

• Tess Gann, New York University

• Maria G. Hernandez, New York University