Are For-Profit Schools a Bad Deal for Special Education

Students with disabilities can be expensive to educate, and some special education advocates say for-profit schools shy away from accepting them. EMOs-education management organizations-claim that they can increase efficiency in public school districts while improving student performance. EMOs such as National Heritage Academies and the well-known Edison Schools, Inc. claim that they provide the same services to special education students as regular public schools.

Henry M. Levin, director of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, says, however, that for-profit schools often divert money away from special education. He says the EMOs can not afford to educate moderately or severely handicapped children, who may cost twice as much to educate.. "They [EMOs] limit such efforts to students with minimal disabilities-students who may qualify for 'special ed' but who cost very little," Levin said.

The article, entitled "Are For-Profit Schools a Bad Deal for Special Education?" appeared in the September 24th edition of LRP Publications .

Published Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2002