A GradNation report, recently released by Civic Enterprises and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University, presents some useful state by state data on the graduation rates of students with disabilities, as compared to peers without identified disabilities. Below are two highlights of the report, along with an attached state by state graphic, showing how all states fared between 2013-2014.
- Nationally students without identified disabilities graduate at a rate of 84.8 percent, compared with just 63.1 percent of students with disabilities – a gap of more than 21 percentage points.
- 33 states graduate less than 70 percent of their students with disabilities; seven of those states graduate less than 50 percent of students with disabilities.
What do these gaps in the graduation rates of students with disabilities (SWD) and their peers suggest to you, as an adult education professional? What are the challenges and opportunities of working with adult learners who were identified with disabilities in high school, and left without graduating?
Mike Cruse
Disabilities in Adult Education Moderator
michaelcruse74@gmail.com