Separate School Placement for Students with Extensive Support Needs: Potential Impact of School Locale and Charter School Enrollment

Abstract

Separate school placements persist for students with extensive support needs (ESN) despite longstanding federal mandates for all students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment and research that has demonstrated the positive impact of inclusive education. In this study, we extend research on separate school placement for students with ESN to explore the potential impact of locale and charter school policy. To do this, we describe (1) the percentage of separate schools for states with separate school placement rates for students with ESN higher, at, and below the national average by locale and (2) the number of separate special education charter schools by state and locale. Data in this study offer a more detailed glimpse into numbers of separate school in states and indicate varying proportions among each locale in states with high, average, and low separate school placement rates. A very limited number of self-identified separate special education charter schools nationwide seems to indicate minimal impact on separate school placement rates for students with ESN.