Why Schools Must Never Confuse Disabilities with Inabilities

A new study on Boston charter schools confirmed what we at Success Academy have believed for a long time: special education students can thrive with a high-quality general education curriculum if they're given the right supports. The study found that special education students at charters were 160% more likely to meet key graduation requirements, three times more likely to qualify for state merit scholarships, and nearly 4 times as likely to take at least one AP exam.

Just like the students in Boston, ours are achieving at a high level. Students with disabilities at Success actually outperformed New York City’s general education students in both math (79% vs. 43%) and English (51% vs 46%) on the state exams. Across our schools, 41% of students with disabilities scored at the advanced level in math, compared to 21% of general education students citywide.

The Boston study identified several elements of a school design that led to a special education student’s success, such as extra help, increased instructional time, and high expectations. These are bedrocks of our approach at Success. All of our students learn the same curriculum and take the same assessments. The adults don’t decide, as they do at far too many schools, that a third grader who takes a long time processing what she reads simply “can’t handle” third grade skills. Instead of changing the standards when kids struggle, our teachers and staff change their tactics — until they find what works.