Switching To Charter School Improves Performance For Special Ed Students The 74
Switching To Charter School Improves Performance For Special Ed Students The 74
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Students with disabilities who leave a traditional public school to enroll in a charter school experience improved academic outcomes along with their general-education peers, according to a new study. It’s a sign, researchers say, of the possible benefits of charter schools for some students who receive special education services.
The studypublished Jan. 13 from the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choiceanalyzed records from than 1.7 million Michigan K-8 students who switched from a district to a charter school between 2013 and 2018.
The nonprofit concluded that while students with disabilities spent time in general-education classrooms and received less intensive services than their peers in traditional public schools, their standardized test scores increased along with those of their classmates who didn’t qualify for special ed.
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Charter enrollment for students with disabilities has historically trailed behind that of public schools. While parents sometimes seek out charter schools after poor experiences with traditional districts, charters also have a controversial reputation regarding special education. One national study found that charter schools may discourage parents from enrolling their children with disabilities because of concerns about how special education students impact overall academic performance and budgets.
But the results in Michigan show that children who receive special education services do well academically with fewer supports when they enter charter schools, “suggesting charters may have adopted, identified and developed approaches to teaching students with disabilities that warrant further study,” the research says.
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“Charter schools can be a useful educational tool for parents with students with disabilities,” said Scott Iberman, one of the study’s authors. “They shouldn’t be quick to rule it out, because it does seem that, for at least a substantial segment of disabled students, charter schools are helpful for them — at least for their academic performance.”
The study found that math and reading test scores improved for both special education and general education students for at least two years after they enrolled in a charter school. Absence rates also decreased.
These findings match a similar study in Boston, which revealed that children with disabilities who were accepted at a charter school through a lottery system were likely to meet college-ready benchmarks than special education students in traditional public schools.
Iberman said that because children with complicated special education needs tend not to enroll in charter schools, the study’s results suggest students with less severe disabilities can thrive alongside the general-education population.
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The study used students’ individualized education plans to see how special education services changed after enrollment in a charter school. Before switching, all students spent an average of 2.3% of their school day in a special education setting. The rate dropped to 1.2% immediately after entering a charter school but rebounded to pre-charter levels by the third year of enrollment.
Identification rates for special education students also mostly stayed the same — around 14.5% — when students switched, but then gradually increased. Two to three years after charter school enrollment, special education identification rates increased 1 to 2 percentage points.
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The study also analyzed the use of resource and cognitive programs, two areas of special education services that are tailored to specific student needs. Resource programs often provide services to students who spend most of their school day in a general education classroom, while cognitive programs include costly and intensive therapies, and students usually work with a designated special education instructor, according to the study.
Once Michigan students with IEPs switched from a traditional public school to a charter, participation in resource programs increased by 4 percentage points, while cognitive programming decreased by 5 points.
A key limitation of the study is that the research only shows what was written in students’ IEPs and what changed post-enrollment in a charter. It does not reveal whether the school actually followed through with required services.
“Our data also does not reflect the perspectives of students and families,” the study said. “It is essential that students with disabilities are included in future research on school choice to understand whether their needs are being met in different choice contexts.”
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Recently, charter schools in Chicago and Maryland were found to have violated special education laws, and one in Indianapolis suspended students with disabilities at three times the state average.
Iberman said many charter schools aren’t set up to effectively serve some special education students, especially those with severe disabilities that require costly therapies and assistance.
“This is a large concern in the back and forth with traditional schools and charter schools, particularly when it comes to students with disabilities — that even if students with disabilities are entering charters, the ones who are most expensive are the ones who remain in the traditional public schools,” he said. “That creates a disproportionate burden on the traditional public schools.”
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Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Students with disabilities who leave a traditional public school to enroll in a charter school experience improved”,”copyrightYear”:”2026″,”articleSection”:”Education”,”articleBody”:”n n Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newslettern n n n nStudents with disabilities who leave a traditional public school to enroll in a charter school experience improved academic outcomes along with their general-education peers, according to a new study. Itu2019s a sign, researchers say, of the possible benefits of charter schools for some students who receive special education services.nnnnThe studypublished Jan. 13 from the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choiceanalyzed records from more than 1.7 million Michigan K-8 students who switched from a district to a charter school between 2013 and 2018. nnnnnnnnThe nonprofit concluded that while students with disabilities spent more time in general-education classrooms and received less intensive services than their peers in traditional public schools, their standardized test scores increased along with those of their classmates who didnu2019t qualify for special ed.nnnnCharter enrollment for students with disabilities has historically trailed behind that of public schools. While parents sometimes seek out charter schools after poor experiences with traditional districts, charters also have a controversial reputation regarding special education. One national study found that charter schools may discourage parents from enrolling their children with disabilities because of concerns about how special education students impact overall academic performance and budgets.nnnnRelatedReport: Charter Schools Are Failing Students with DisabilitiesnnnnBut the results in Michigan show that children who receive special education services do well academically with fewer supports when they enter charter schools, u201csuggesting charters may have adopted, identified and developed approaches to teaching students with disabilities that warrant further study,u201d the research says.nnnnu201cCharter schools can be a useful educational tool for parents with students with disabilities,u201d said Scott Iberman, one of the studyu2019s authors. u201cThey shouldnu2019t be quick to rule it out, because it does seem that, for at least a substantial segment of disabled students, charter schools are helpful for them u2014 at least for their academic performance.u201dnnnnThe study found that math and reading test scores improved for both special education and general education students for at least two years after they enrolled in a charter school. Absence rates also decreased.nnnnThese findings match a similar study in Boston, which revealed that children with disabilities who were accepted at a charter school through a lottery system were more likely to meet college-ready benchmarks than special education students in traditional public schools.nnnnIberman said that because children with complicated special education needs tend not to enroll in charter schools, the studyu2019s results suggest students with less severe disabilities can thrive alongside the general-education population.nnnnRelatedTimeline: How Michigan Charter Schools Have EvolvednnnnThe study used studentsu2019 individualized education plans to see how special education services changed after enrollment in a charter school. Before switching, all students spent an average of 2.3% of their school day in a special education setting. The rate dropped to 1.2% immediately after entering a charter school but rebounded to pre-charter levels by the third year of enrollment.nnnnIdentification rates for special education students also mostly stayed the same u2014 around 14.5% u2014 when students switched, but then gradually increased. Two to three years after charter school enrollment, special education identification rates increased 1 to 2 percentage points.nnnnThe study also analyzed the use of resource and cognitive programs, two areas of special education services that are tailored to specific student needs. Resource programs often provide services to students who spend most of their school day in a general education classroom, while cognitive programs include more costly and intensive therapies, and students usually work with a designated special education instructor, according to the study. nnnnOnce Michigan students with IEPs switched from a traditional public school to a charter, participation in resource programs increased by 4 percentage points, while cognitive programming decreased by 5u00a0points.nnnnA key limitation of the study is that the research only shows what was written in studentsu2019 IEPs and what changed post-enrollment in a charter. It does not reveal whether the school actually followed through with required services. nnnnu201cOur data also does not reflect the perspectives of students and families,u201d the study said. u201cIt is essential that students with disabilities are included in future research on school choice to understand whether their needs are being met in different choice contexts.u201dnnnnRecently, charter schools in Chicago and Maryland were found to have violated special education laws, and one in Indianapolis suspended students with disabilities at three times the state average.nnnnIberman said many charter schools arenu2019t set up to effectively serve some special education students, especially those with severe disabilities that require costly therapies and assistance.nnnnu201cThis is a large concern in the back and forth with traditional schools and charter schools, particularly when it comes to students with disabilities u2014 that even if students with disabilities are entering charters, the ones who are most expensive are the ones who remain in the traditional public schools,u201d he said. u201cThat creates a disproportionate burden on the traditional public schools.u201dnn n n n Did you use this article in your work?
nWeu2019d love to hear how The 74u2019s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers. Tell us hown n n !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;n t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,n document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);n fbq(‘init’, ‘626037510879173’); // 626037510879173n fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);n rnrnrnrnrnDisclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. rnWe do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.rnrnrnrnrnrnAuthor: Lauren WagnerrnPublished on: 2026-01-14 23:30:00rnSource: www.the74million.orgrnrn”,”publisher”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”,”@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”uaetodaynews”,”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/images-e1759081190269.png”},”sameAs”:[“https://www.facebook.com/uaetodaynewscom”,”https://www.pinterest.com/uaetodaynews/”,”https://www.instagram.com/uaetoday_news_com/”]},”sourceOrganization”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”},”copyrightHolder”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”},”mainEntityOfPage”:{“@type”:”WebPage”,”@id”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/switching-to-charter-school-improves-performance-for-special-ed-students-the-74/”,”breadcrumb”:{“@id”:”#Breadcrumb”}},”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”uaetodaynews”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/author/arabsongmedia-net/”},”image”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/special-education-charter-entry-825×495.png”,”width”:1200,”height”:495}}
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2026-01-15 01:45:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com
