Income as a Predictor of Students with Disabilities’ Inclusion and Families’ Satisfaction with Charter Schools

1. Income as a Predictor of Students with Disabilities’ Inclusion and Families’ Satisfaction with Charter Schools Robin B. Howse, Ph.D. Carol M. Trivette, Ph.D. Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute 128 S. Sterling Street Morganton, NC 28655 http://www.puckett.org (828) 432-0065 April 7-11, 2006 AERA Annual Meeting “Education Research in the Public Interest” The Moscone Center San Francisco, California

2. Charter School Policies and Procedures Project (CSPPP) • Funded by the U.S. Department of Education • Study a national sample of charter schools to examine how they are serving students with disabilities • Respondents: • Charter school directors/principals • Charter school teachers • Parents of children with disabilities attending a charter school

3. One Goal of Charter Schools • Serve at-risk populations • Low-income • 72% of schools participate in National Lunch Program • In these schools, 48% of students participate • Students with disabilities

4. Students with Disabilities in Charter Schools (SASS) • 94% of charter schools report having at least one student with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) • 10.8% of students in charter schools have an IEP • 12.9% of students in other public schools have an IEP

5. Parent Characteristics • N=1138 • 9%-Did not complete high school • 55%-Completed high school • 26%-Completed college • 9%-Have a graduate degree

6. Parent Characteristics • Total family income • 34% less than $29,999 • 36% between $30,000-69,999 • 25% $70,000 and above • Relation to student with a disability • 86% Mothers • 5% Fathers • 6% Other

7. Students with Disabilities • 734 male, 399 female • PreK to 12th grade • 58% White • 23% African American • 8% Multi-Racial • 8% Hispanic • Less than 1% Middle Eastern or Asian • 1.5% Other

8. Three Income Level Groups • Low-$0-29,999 • Middle-$30,000-69,999 • High-$70,000 and above

9. Possible Reasons to Choose Charter Schools

10. Possible Reasons to Choose Charter Schools

11. Relation Between Income and Why Families Choose Charter Schools • F(30,1842)=7.515, p<.0001 • N=1138 • Eta squared is .11 • Families did not differ in most areas

12. Lower Income Families Rated the Following as More Important • Community services • Extensive use of technology • Support for home schooling

13. Parent Involvement in the IEP Process • No differences in parents report of their involvement • No differences in parents report of their desire to be highly involved

14. Charter School vs. Previous School • All three income groups said child’s experience at charter school better • Means ranged from 1.5 – 1.6 on 5-point scale with 1 being “Much better”

15. IEP Process in Charter School vs. Previous School • Significant difference between 3 groups • However, R2=.02

16. Level of Inclusion for Students with IEPs in Charter Schools

17. Directors’ Perceptions of the Level of Inclusion for Students with IEPs in Charter Schools

18. Levels of Time with Non-Disabled Peers (Percentages of Students)

19. Parent Perceptions of Inclusion Based on Income • Marginally significant differences between income groups on how much time spent with non-disabled peers, F(24,876)=1.41,p=.08 • Higher income families perceived greater inclusion in reading and math

20. Parent Perceptions of Inclusion Based on Income • Low income families more likely to endorse “I don’t know” • Between 13 and 18 percent for reading, math, science, and history

21. Parent Perceptions of Their Relationship with The Charter School

22. Parent Perceptions of Testing and Accommodations at The Charter School

23. Conclusion • Overall there is overwhelming parent satisfaction with charter schools and how they are serving students with disabilities • This is true for families at all income levels