Special Education Programs in Catholic Education: The Movement Toward Inclusion Within Private Schools

• In Event: For Whom and to What Extent Are Catholic Schools Good?

Abstract

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was signed to develop public school accountability and offer alternative options if schools did not produce higher scores in reading and mathematics (Ravitch, 2016). Politicians have turned to privatized education to remedy high costs associated with public education (Logan, 2018, p. 12). In Ohio, public education costs $13,437 per capita (Hanson, 2022) and many schools across the state fail to meet testing requirements. Numerous laws and public policies, including school vouchers and scholarship programs were created to support school choice utilizing public funds. In Ohio, two programs currently using taxpayer funds for private education, including faith-based schools: the EdChoice Waiver and Jon Peterson Scholarship Program (JPSN). These programs were aimed to promote inclusion. EdChoice was reserved for students from low-income backgrounds, while JPSN provided funding for private schools to support special education programs. However, as these programs have persisted, their scope has grown. This is especially evidenced with EdChoice, which recently expanded its eligibility to include any student within private schools, regardless of income level.

As a sibling of a person with an intellectual disability, I recognized the significance of the JPSN for families to incorporate their child within faith formation provided in the Catholic schools. As an educator and intervention specialist within Catholic schools, I have had the opportunity to experience the progression of the JPSN from its inception. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of the first ten years of this program and reflect on its progress toward inclusion.

I use Critical Disability Theory (CDT) as guiding framework for this mixed-methods study. CDT questions “how the law and legal institutions respond to disabled people as individuals and as populations which are the subject of various social policy initiatives (Hosking, 2008, pg 6).” I draw on three primary sources of data: autoethnographic data from my experience working with JPSN recipients; survey data from intervention specialists at Catholic schools in southwest Ohio; and interviews with various stakeholders at these same schools. Consistent with mixed-methods (Creswell & Creswell, 2018), this data will be collected and analyzed sequentially, to answer the following research questions: (1) Do parents and teachers perceive an inclusive environment within schools receiving the JPSN? (2) With current policy models for schools accepting JPSN formulating their programs, does this create a gap in representation for certain disability categories within private schools? (3) How have schools accepting JPSN implemented necessary staff training to support students for an inclusive model?

In this paper, I will present the initial findings from my study, drawing especially on autoethnographic data. These findings will provide the foundation for later phases of the study. This study will add to knowledge of current policies surrounding JPSN and provide comparative data to public school assessment to support growth measures that impact these policies. Implications for students with disabilities, in-service professional development, and creating more inclusive opportunities for all students, in-and-beyond Catholic schools, will be discussed.

Author

• Erica N. Bowling, Cincinnati Center for Autism