Date of Award

7-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Division of Education and Counseling

First Advisor

Ramona Perkins

Second Advisor

Rosalynne B. Dennis

Third Advisor

Rachel Davis-Haley

Keywords

Unified enrollment, centralized enrollment, special education, school choice, parent choice, charter school

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to investigate the effects of a unified enrollment system on school choice for parents of students with disabilities in a charter-dominant school district. Previous research indicated that charter schools provide parents with enrollment choices outside of the traditional public school (Rhim & McLaughlin, 2000; Finn, Caldwell & Raub, 2006).

This study was conducted in an urban, southeastern district that transitioned from a traditional school district to a district of independent charter schools. Research questions examined the availability of resources for parents to identify and receive placement in schools that are appropriate for meeting the needs of their children with disabilities.

Findings indicated that parents 1) did not have access to adequate information about the programs at the school for students with disabilities, 2) did not have high-quality school options and 3) did not feel that they had a choice in the school placement of their children with disabilities.

This study provided parental perspectives of enrollment options in the absence of a traditional school district to ensure a free, appropriate public education for students with special educational needs.

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