Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the third and final week of our latest Data Dialogue Series!

We hope that you have found the series informative and thought-provoking thus far. Let’s conclude by exploring both high school and college data to better understand the relationship between student disability status and educational attainment outcomes for students across New England.

As always, we encourage you to download and share the dialogue guide below to help start a conversation in your school community.

Sincerely,

David J. Ruff
Executive Director, Great Schools Partnership

P.S. If you missed previous Data Dialogues, they can be found on the NESSC website.

Exploring the Data

When we look at the data across indicators—from high school enrollment through to college
persistence—we can see a funneling effect that is more pronounced for students with disabilities as compared to their peers*.

Imagine a hypothetical class of ninth-graders. The data suggest that for every ten students without disabilities in that class, nine will graduate high school and seven will enroll in college. By contrast, for every ten students with disabilities in that class, only seven will graduate high school and only four will enroll in college. This trend also continues with persistence in college; six students without disabilities persist into a second year whereas only three students with disabilities do the same.

*In order to make projections across indicators, we have to combine rates from different student cohorts. For instance, the college-entering cohort of 2016 will include graduates from the class of 2015 as well as some students who completed high school in different ways (i.e., GED recipients or summer graduates) and excluding students who entered college later than fall 2016.

What this means & Why it Matters

By disaggregating the data, the visual shows that the trajectories of students differ considerably for those with disabilities. The data raise challenging questions about the educational systems and supports that we are creating and providing to students throughout New England, as well as how to make post-secondary education an attainable option for all students after high school.

The questions below will help you reflect on this trend and determine how your school and community can ensure equitable and engaging learning opportunities for all students.

Reflection & Dialogue Questions

While the visual is a rich starting point for personal reflection, we urge you to consider exploring the data through inclusive conversations with colleagues, students, parents, and other members of your school community.

This visual shows a regional trend across New England, which was calculated by aggregating state-level data (meaning that your school’s data contributed to this trend). What questions does this visual cause you to ask about your own community and school? (These questions might be different depending on your role, experience, proximity to/relationship with students in this subgroup, etc.)
What additional data might you need in order to better understand who these students are and the educational opportunities and supports they have at your school?
What steps will you take to explore the reasons for the disparities among student trajectories as related to students’ disability status?

Download This Dialogue Guide!

To further explore conversations on serving students with disabilities, we encourage you to read the special report Willing, Able, and Forgotten by The Hechinger Report.

Would you like to share your reflection with the NESSC?

Don't hesitate to reach out at info@newenglandssc.org.

482 Congress Street, Suite 500
Portland, ME 04101

(207) 773-0505
info@newenglandssc.org

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