Elevating Family Voices: An Exploration of How Families of Students with Disabilities Experience School Choice in Colorado

Examining the experiences of families of students with disabilities seeking to exercise school choice is crucial to informing cogent policies and practices that will ensure equitable access. This report explores the perceptions and experiences of families of students with disabilities enrolled in charter and traditional district schools in Colorado. Research findings are based on: (1) interviews with family advocates and families of students with disabilities; (2) family focus groups; and (3) a family survey. The research elevates the voices of a small sample of families of students with disabilities in Colorado but is not necessarily representative of all Colorado families of students with disabilities. [The authors received assistance in writing this report from Kaci Coats, Alex Medler, and Lauren Morando Rhim. This report was made possible under a contract with the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers.]