Walton Family Foundation, July, 9, 2019, by Johannah Chase
Report details how charter schools and parents can work together to improve outcomes for students with disabilities
Parents are the experts on their children.
They know the hidden strengths they possess, talents that schools might not easily unearth. They understand the unique challenges their children experience in a typical school environment.
This expertise can be especially acute for parents of students with disabilities, particularly if their children have attended schools that haven’t met their needs, or have failed to find innovative ways to tap into their potential.
For kids who learn differently, parents often must be the ones who navigate the complicated – and frequently frustrating – path to getting their kids the supports they need to thrive.
That’s why all schools, and particularly schools of choice that families opt into, would benefit from forming deep and meaningful partnerships with parents.
A new report from Public Impact, an education research and consultancy firm, demonstrates how charter schools and parent advocates can unite to achieve common goals: closing the achievement gap for students with disabilities, and ensuring all students truly have access to educational pathways that support their full potential.