Public Charter Schools Are A Big Part Of Today s Education

â€Å"Special education† is an umbrella term for a variety of accommodations, supports, and services provided by general and special education teachers that enable students to access the general education curriculum and grow both academically and socially. (NCLD 7.) Public charter schools are a big part of today’s education reform. Charters strive to take new approaches on learning to better the quality of education for students. Charters value varying curriculums, school choice, and student success. Herron High School, a local Indianapolis charter school, has the following mission statement, â€Å"Herron High School is a community of scholars that advances timeless ideas and content, builds a culture of respect and trust and engages in an urban†¦show more content†¦(NAPCS 8.) Parents of special needs students often want their child be fully included into the school’s society, while they also wish for individual focus. So it stands to reason that charte r schools and special education are a perfect match. Right? Is Inclusion really Inclusive? In all schools, decisions related to special education are made by an Individualized Education Program team. After a student has been identified as â€Å"eligible for special education services,† the IEP team, with the student and parents, develops a program to provide the student with access to the curriculum and supports that will enable them to succeed. Whether special needs students are taught in general classrooms, or exclusively, is dependent solely on the school in which they attend. However, public charter schools, on average, serve more of their students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Therefore, some academic researchers are quite skeptical regarding the extent to which charter schools are failing to provide services. Herron High School has undergone such skepticism. Pulling Out Method Herron’s big claim to fame is their graduation rate: 97% of students graduate after the typical four years. (HHS 2014) This is terribly exciting- it’s a huge selling point. But an administrator at Herron- who asked to remain anonymous, (as to not jeopardize his employment,) explained to me how