Funding Opportunity for Report on Charter Schools, Choice, & Vouchers - Implications for Students with Disabilities

Overview

<p>The National Council on Disability (NCD) seeks proposals for a report assessing the experiences and outcomes of students with disabilities whose families make use of voucher programs or enroll them in charter schools in lieu of traditional public school. NCD first examined the topic of school choice and vouchers in 2003. NCD again revisited the topic of school choice in 2011 during a regional educational policy forum in Florida, during which time we invited the participation of voucher program administrators, school board members, charter school associations, state education departments, and parents of students with disabilities to share their experiences with NCD. NCD is interested in building upon those public inputs and its 2003 paper on vouchers, this time expanding the scope to include examination of charter schools.<br>NCD is interested in updating and expanding both policy and practice findings from its 2003 paper, including case studies, and in answering such as:<br>How many disability-specific charter schools exist in the United States, and where are they located? How many disability-specific voucher programs exist in the United States, and where are they located? What requirements should charter school authorizers utilize when evaluating applications to help improve the experiences and outcomes of students with disabilities in a school district’s charter schools? What data is available about educational and post-educational outcomes of students with disabilities in comparison to students without disabilities, by setting, in a given school district (traditional public school; private schools via voucher; charter schools)? How are outcomes measured in school choice environments versus traditional public school settings for students with disabilities in comparison to students without disabilities? Should private schools accepting vouchers for students with disabilities, and charter schools, be held to the same standards of accountability and compliance with IDEA as public schools serving the same students?<br>Conclusion<br>The report will incorporate findings and conclusions drawn from the examination and include specific recommendations regarding needed improvement.</p>