Across New England, 17.9% of the class of 2017 (28,664 total students) qualified as having a disability, defined as having an individual education plan (IEP).
Given the size of the population, the 21 percentage point gap in four-year graduation rates for students with disabilities represents a substantial inequity in New England's schools. While an increasing proportion of students are completing high school within four years, many students are not.
On the one hand, the gap between groups does narrow slightly to 16 percentage points when comparing students with disabilities extended six-year graduation rates to those without disabilities. Graduation rates increased for students with disabilities by eight percentage points with two additional years as compared to a two percentage point gain for students without disabilities. This may indicate that with additional time and support, students with disabilities can meet the requirements necessary to graduate high school.
However, the gap between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers has remained constant despite four- and six-year graduation rates trending upward over time for all student groups. Closing this substantial gap will require innovative thinking, but doing so is essential in order to achieve our collective goal of educational equity and opportunity for all students.
Let's use the discussion questions below to consider how we can effect change in our schools and communities that will continue to narrow this gap.