IN THIS ISSUE >> This issue recaps some of our latest reports and initiatives, including an in-depth resource on expanding access and elevating family voice produced in partnership with the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers (CACSA), new perspective on the discipline of students with disabilities in alternative schools, and an important report on how 2017-2019 state entity grantees are using technical assistance set-aside funds to support the needs of students with disabilities. Plus, you can catch up on the latest CLE commentary in a variety of national podcasts and publications, including an op-ed featured this month in the New York Times that details how the disruption in education due to the pandemic has impacted students with disabilities and an exclusive piece by The 74 regarding how schools and police respond to students in crisis.
COMING SOON >> In the coming weeks, we'll be releasing five city-specific technical briefs as a continuation of our secondary analysis of the Civil Rights Data Collection published in the fall. This set of briefs focuses on select cities with significant charter sectors (Cleveland, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, and Philadelphia) that represent different geographies and policy contexts to offer insight into how local factors may influence the enrollment and educational experiences of students with disabilities in charter and traditional public schools. We also will be sharing important funding guidance in the upcoming brief, "Show Me the Money: Re-Imagining Funding for Students with Disabilities," which details current
funding systems, analyzes changes that need to be made, and proposes possible
solutions and a critical call to action for policymakers, educators, and advocates. More details coming soon!

To keep up with all the latest CLE news and updates, please follow our Twitter and LinkedIn channels. Thanks for reading and for your continued support and partnership in this work!
CLE Celebrates Black History Month & Women's History Month
Throughout the months of February and March, CLE was honored to highlight individuals who have advocated and made profound contributions to our society in support of equity for citizens with disabilities. We hope you'll visit our Twitter page to view more spotlights like the ones pictured below from Black History Month in February and Women's History Month in March.
The Center for Learner Equity recently produced two publications in partnership with the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers (CACSA), a nonprofit organization that helps authorizers adopt "best practices that align with Colorado’s policies and culture of local control."

The discussion of enrollment of students with disabilities in charter schools focuses on fundamental questions related to equal access and has not typically explored the quality of special education programming available. However, absent quality support and services, access to charter schools is essentially a hollow promise. This report examines how school districts and charter schools in Colorado provide access to school choice and specialized programming to students with disabilities who require moderate to significant support.

Examining the experiences of families of students with disabilities seeking to exercise school choice is crucial to informing cogent policies and practices that will ensure equitable access. This report explores the perceptions and experiences of families of students with disabilities enrolled in charter and traditional district schools in Colorado.
In January, Lauren Morando Rhim appeared as a guest on the #FreedomFriday podcast with Chris Stewart and Sharif El-Mekki. Stewart and El-Mekki are best known for their work on the “8 Black Hands” podcast dedicated to issues in public education that impact Black children. On #FreedomFriday, the trio discussed the topic of ensuring that students with disabilities have access to the quality public educational opportunities and options needed to thrive. Watch here.
The new book, Charter School Funding Considerations, examines charter schools through the lens of professionals and researchers in the field, providing readers with an overview of operational and funding issues related to these institutions. CLE co-founders Paul O’Neill and Lauren Morando Rhim authored chapters that provide a nuanced discussion of funding for public charter schools. O’Neill's opening chapter, entitled “Understanding Charter Schools," gives readers an overview of charter schools and how they are funded. Rhim builds upon O’Neill’s work with a thorough examination of funding equity and the financial management of charter schools in the chapter, titled “Funding Special Education in Charter Schools." Learn more about the book and how to purchase it here.
NASBE: Supporting Learning for Students with Disabilities
The last few years have been intensely challenging ones for many students with disabilities, their families, and their teachers. Despite the label that unites these students, the disabilities that lead to their identification are many and varied, so their supports should also vary. The thread that connects the articles in the latest issue of The State Education Standard from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is learning support for students with disabilities. If educators and policymakers can figure out how to build an ecosystem where these students get the personalized supports they need to thrive, then it will truly be possible for all students. Read the full issue here.
In response to a request from Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, through the National Charter School Resource Center, released this report in February on how state entities that received federal charter school program (CSP) funds in 2017-2019 used the allocated technical assistance dollars to ensure their charter schools were prepared to meet the needs of students with disabilities and English learners. CLE strongly advocated for this report, which is an important step towards ensuring that CSP grantees are aware of and utilizing these federal funds to better prepare charter schools and authorizers to support the needs of students with disabilities. We hope to support improvements in the reporting process as the Department of Education continues to collect this data.
The New York Times published an article highlighting the work of CLE, with a quote from executive director Lauren Mirando Rhim, that explains how the pandemic has amplified the challenges parents of students with disabilities face when seeking equitable educational opportunities. The article can be accessed here on the NY Times website (subscription required).
School choice is a big part of public education in Colorado, and charter schools feature prominently — serving about 1 in 7 public school students. Since choice is central to Colorado education, it needs to work for everyone. But Colorado has a problem: charter schools enroll a smaller proportion of students with disabilities than traditional public schools. Almost every other state with charter schools does better. The Colorado Sun published commentary co-authored by CLE executive director Lauren Morando Rhim and Alex Medler of the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers (CACSA), who is also on the CLE board. Over the last year, CLE and CACSA examined enrollment trends and factors that influence the experiences of both families and students. Read the full article.
After police cams captured footage of a Minnesota student with special needs being restrained by educators and law enforcement, The 74 spoke to experts about these incidents and explored how schools and police respond to students in crisis. Senior policy director Wendy Tucker was interviewed and reaffirmed CLE's opposition to police presence in schools, particularly when it comes to their interactions with children who who have disabilities. Read the full article.
In math and reading proficiency, as well as participation in state assessments, students at public virtual charter schools lagged behind their peers at traditional public and charter schools during the 2018-19 school year — a year before the pandemic sent most students to online schooling, a Government Accountability Office report found. While the report draws on performance data pre-pandemic, it also looks at the increase in virtual school enrollment during the pandemic. CLE executive director Lauren Morando Rhim was interviewed by K-12 Dive to discuss recommendations for increasing the quality of virtual charter schools and analyzing and addressing barriers to attendance. Read the full article.
Charter schools are supposed to be for everyone – but are they? Charters are public but privately run, and a new book questions whether some create barriers to applying or attending. The book is “School’s Choice: How Charter Schools Control Access and Shape Enrollment.” CLE's Lauren Morando Rhim and Paul O'Neill joined Colorado Public Radio for a segment about the book and talked about concerns in Colorado and the work CLE has done in the state. Listen to the full discussion here. Lauren and Paul begin at around the 26-minute mark.
Check out local policy manager, Jennifer Coco and Holly Paczack, director of school support, as they discuss the release of a new guide that will assist families in identifying and navigating special education services in New Orleans public schools. Watch both parts of the interview here.