Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine charter high school leaders' impact on decisions they make changes to ensure students with moderate-to-severe disabilities can access the general education curriculum. The study was intended to assist school and district administrators to create systems to support students in an inclusive setting who have moderate-to-severe disabilities. Methodology. Using a Delphi technique, the researcher conducted this study in three charter high schools in the Los Angeles County with similarities, charter high schools with at least a 50% graduating rate of their students with moderate-to-severe disabilities, charter high schools that are part of the California Charter School Association (CCSA), charter high schools that are part of LAUSD Charter Operation Programs Option 3 (COP Option 3), and charter high schools that have students with moderate-to-severe special needs in the general education setting. Findings. There were two broad themes in this study, operational challenges and organizational challenges. The first theme, operational challenges, focuses on what changes charter schools have faced within their special education program: funding for charter schools serving students with disabilities, relationships with the local district, issues related to enrollment, and underrepresentation. The second theme, organizational challenges, focuses on structural concerns: lack of expertise, professional development, and the role of the administrators. Recommendations. Further research is advised for a similar study on enrollment, can to be conducted to see if there are differences between the enrollment process of charter schools and regular public schools regarding with special needs in charter schools. Another reoccurring theme that was found in this study was hiring highly qualified general education and special education staff to provide students. Further research on this theme can consist of looking at the how the programs at universities prepare future teachers.