Are Charter Schools Being fair?

Just recently in my other classes I have been learning about charter schools and their attempts to encourage parents to have options in school selection for their children. I grew up in a very rural town and we had a public school or a private school. Those two choices were the only options we had. I had no clue that there were magnet schools and other schools that were distinguished excellence.

According to the article entitled “Charters: Students with Disabilities Need Not Apply,” the Obama administration would like to see an uprising of more charter schools in the United States. Charter schools are designed to give parents the right to choose which school they desire for their child to attend. Charter schools are able to keep their funding as long as their academic performance is high. However, students with disabilities do not necessarily have a positive effect on receiving funds due to low test scores.

Inevitably, there appears to be an imbalance of students with disabilities enrolled at these particular schools. “These schools may appear to produce superior results, but they do so without serving comparable populations and while enjoying advantageous funding” (Hehir, 1). With the desire for more charter schools, policymakers are encouraged to address the issue of the imbalance number of students.

Efforts are being made to ensure that charter school education remains available to all types of people, including those who have disabilities. Three steps were suggested to the policymakers to act as guidelines for keeping students with disabilities in charter school. They are as follows, “ monitor charter schools, and enforce federal law where necessary, consider reducing reimbursements to charter schools failing to enroll representative populations of students with disabilities, and, provide support to charter schools in serving students with disabilities,”(Hehir, 1-3). These steps are intended to help hold charter schools accountable to the students with disabilities rights’ under the IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

With policymakers stepping into action, more children with disabilities will now able to attend charter schools.I feel that the attempts presented to the policymakers have a positive affect.It will help to create a safer and more welcoming environment for parents with disabled kids to completely have the opportunity to chose which school is the best choice.

Image found here.

Hehir, Thomas. “Charters: Students with Disabilities Need Not Apply?” EdWeek. 30 Jan. 2010 http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/01/27/19hehir_ep.h29.html?r=1794837409.