Long maligned for excluding kids with disabilities, a new crop of charter schools is popping up across the country specifically for those with special needs.

Organizers in Nashville, Tenn. are working to establish a new school designed to ease the transition process for students with disabilities ages 17 to 22. Unlike a traditional school, the proposed charter would feature job training rooms rather than classrooms and offer students up to two years of employment by partnering with area nonprofits, reports WTVF-TV, the Nashville CBS affiliate. To read more click here.

Meanwhile, in a separate effort in New York City, educators are using the charter model to help identify low-income children with autism. Those behind the new school, which is scheduled to open in the fall, are scouring the city to find young kids who may qualify for an autism diagnosis, but have not yet been spotted.

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Children who are identified will be offered a free evaluation and may ultimately qualify for a spot at the school, which will feature classes with a mix of children with autism and those who are typically developing, reports The New York Times. To read more click here.

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