Archived Information

Parent Choice and Satisfaction

Ysseldyke, Lange, and Gorney (1994) reported a variety of reasons parents of students with disabilities gave for a preference for charter and other schools of choice. These included the schools' more effective efforts at meeting individual student needs, keeping parents informed, and providing mainstreaming options. Particularly for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and those with multiple disabilities, transfer determinants were most closely related to dropout avoidance. Specifically in regard to charter schools, Vanourek et al. (1997) reported survey results from 12 states indicating that parents of students with disabilities chose charter schools following dissatisfaction with the regular public school, including dissatisfaction with the bureaucracy and the stigma attached to special education.

Some preliminary evidence of parental satisfaction with charter schools indicates success with students with disabilities (Lange, 1997). Vanourek et al.'s (1997) 12-state parent survey found that parents are reporting that students with disabilities are experiencing significant academic gains in charter schools. According to Finn, Manno, and Bierlein (1996), based on their look at 35 charter schools in seven states, indicators of parent satisfaction include waiting lists, high rates of reenrollment, and increased parental involvement. These preliminary findings are true for parents of students without disabilities as well as those of special education students.
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[Enrollment]

[Financing Special Education]