Charter schools are seen as an attractive enrollment option to parents with special education students, yet there are concerns over the way special education is implemented in charter schools and the access they grant and provide to students with special needs. This study examines the condition of for-profit and non-profit charter schools in…

The issue of segregation of students with disabilities across cultural groups is a function of cultural values demonstrated by charter schools and the resulting dissonance between these values and those demonstrated by families. Lack of understanding about school culture and diverse family value systems can lead to varying family responses to the…

Certain minority students are over represented in special education programs nationwide. Many of these students identified for special education receive services outside of the general education classroom through the resource room (pull out) model. The Content Mastery Center (CMC) is a resource/consulting model that is an alternative to the…

This article is a response to Fierros and Blomberg's article on "Restrictions and Race in Special Education Placements in For-Profit and Non-Profit Charter Schools in California." It compliments these scholars for confirming through their findings that ethnically diverse students with special education needs endure segregationist policies in…

Parents of students with disabilities want the same access to educational opportunities as parents of students without disabilities. This "right" to particular services and learning environments is securely supported by federal regulations and policies in all schools, including charter schools. However, in the work of Fierros and Blomberg (2004)…

Perhaps one of the most long-standing concerns in special education is the over-representation of some groups of children in special education. In this issue, Fierros and Blomberg report that racial/ethnic representation of special education students in charter schools mirrors that in general education populations. These findings are not new and…

In addressing the problem of disproportionate placement of minority students with special education in charter schools, Fierros describes the commentaries of this issue's contributing scholars. The contributions expose a variety of topics to address the needs of inequities experienced by students with special needs. These topics include: the…

The education of special needs students continues to show a complete disregard for the lack of appropriate services for minority groups. The over-representation of African American learners in the more restrictive placement continues. The advent of charter schools have not changed this picture, and in some cases the discrimination of minorities in…