An enthusiastic principal has high expectations for his high school students and believes every student's future must include postsecondary education. This case study focuses on a school principal who is determined to maintain his school's high-performance status by promoting a college-bound culture. However, he may have overlooked the needs of a subset of students with significant disabilities in the school. The implications of his oversight, and the actions needed to ensure equitable educational programming are examined.
TopIntroduction
The U.S. News & World Report (Dalton et al., 2022) publishes yearly rankings for high schools nationwide. Various outcome criteria determine rankings, including student grade point averages, participation, and performance on advanced placement (AP) tests, and graduation rates. In short, schools ranked at the top demonstrate their capacity to graduate students within four years and prepare them to navigate the rigors of the college curriculum successfully. Research has shown that there is a connection between academic rigor in high school, such as participating in AP coursework and placement assessments, and college success (Hines et al., 2011; College Board, 2020). Therefore, students who plan to go to college should be encouraged to take AP courses and to perform well on college entrance exams.
However, does this make sense for all students, particularly those with significant disabilities who lack skills that are necessary for living independently, navigating the community, or acquiring competitive employment? The number of students with disabilities who attend college has increased. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES, 2020), more than two-thirds of students with disabilities graduate from high school within four years, and almost 70% attend four-year colleges (NCES, 2022). Despite the increase in college attendance, only 50% of students with disabilities complete their degrees (Flexer, 2011). The poor completion rate suggests a gap in transition planning. In a study conducted by Schultz (2012), college students with disabilities and their parents noted that while they did have transition plans during high school, they found themselves engaging in activities that did not align with their postsecondary goals. One student from the study recalled being put in an AP course when he had never intended to go to college.
For students with disabilities, transition planning is critical for future success, but for students with significant disabilities, quality transition planning is especially important (Snell-Rood, 2020; Newman et al., 2009). After high school, students with significant disabilities are far more likely to experience adverse outcomes in adult life than their peers in the general population. Individuals with significant disabilities not prepared to transition to adulthood are more likely to struggle with living independently and engaging in community participation and often have limited opportunities for social inclusion and acquiring and maintaining paid employment (Carter et al., 2014; Amado et al., 2013; Rusch & Wolfe, 2008). According to the National Core Indicators Data Brief (Hiersteiner et al., 2018), the percentage of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) engaged in paid employment was only 20%. Perhaps even more alarming is that among the more than 20,000 adults with IDD included in the report, only 17% lived independently, with the majority living with family members. Not surprisingly, those individuals who reported they lived independently were also more likely to be employed.