Charter school report highlights selective scrutiny of parental choice programs

A federal report released this week found charter schools in most states enroll a lower percentage of students with disabilities than traditional public schools, but also cautiously noted that “little is known about the factors contributing to these differences.”  Nonetheless, the report drew widespread coverage and, to some critics of school choice, offered confirmation of charter school cherry picking.

I see selective scrutiny at play.

Since charter and magnet schools in Florida have so much in common – both tend to be themed schools that parents choose – I took a quick look at the disabled student enrollment for two neighborhood middle schools and two magnet middle schools in my home district of Pinellas County, Fla. The disabled enrollment in the neighborhood schools was 14.1 percent and 14.0 percent, respectively; the disabled enrollment in the magnet schools was 4.5 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively.

That’s hardly surprising. Admittedly, these are just four schools, but anyone who has worked in a school district with magnet schools knows magnet schools serve far fewer disabled students than neighborhood schools. Those of us with district experience also know Mike Petrilli of the Fordham Institute was correct when he wrote this week: “No single public school is expected to serve students with every single type of disability. In fact, traditional public schools regularly “counsel out” students with severe disabilities because they don’t have the resources and expertise to serve them. Many school districts operate separate schools (or programs) precisely for those kids.”

It’s wrong for any school – charter, magnet, neighborhood, private or virtual – to reject a student it can serve solely because of her disability. But it’s also wrong for a school to accept a student it cannot properly serve.

U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), (pictured above) who requested the Government Accountability Office study, told the Wall Street Journal, “These are differences that cannot remain. They are not acceptable.”

But with all due respect, why? Are the differences in disabled student enrollment between magnet and neighborhood schools also unacceptable? Perhaps these differences simply reflect parents choosing the schools that best meet their children’s needs. Does Rep. Miller want to force parents into magnet or charter schools that are not good fits for their children?

If school personnel in any type of school are inappropriately discriminating against students, they should be held accountable.  But I suspect the differences noted in this GAO study are overwhelming the result of a positive dynamic: parents doing what’s best for their children.


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BY Doug Tuthill

A lifelong educator and former teacher union president, Tuthill has been president of Step Up For Students since August 2008.