The policy change was successful in broadening access to special education. Chalkbeat New York reported that last year, the number of students with disabilities funded by the city to attend private schools was up 42 percent from 2011, and the city settled 49 percent more cases without going through a legal hearing than it did in 2011.

But when Chalkbeat New York asked the Department of Education for demographic breakdowns--including socioeconomic status--on the students who were benefiting from the streamlined system, the City balked, saying the state's open-records law did not require it. Chalkbeat writes that the refusal "does raise questions about how the city can tell if the policy is having its desired effect" of broadening access of disabled students to tuition subsidies.

TC's Aaron Pallas, professor of sociology and education, expressed "skepticism" about the department’s response to the records request, Chalkbeat reports. “You would think the department would want to demonstrate the effects of the policy change,” Pallas is quoted as saying. “One is always suspicious that an agency refuses what seems to be a reasonable request because they won’t like the interpretation of the records.”

LINK:  The City is Paying for More Students With Disabilities to Attend Private School. But is it Helping Poor Families?

Published Monday, Oct 31, 2016