Special Populations At-Risk for Dropping Out of School: A Discipline-Based Analysis of STEM Educators

Abstract

The term at-risk without proper context and definition can evoke many possibilities, characteristics, and conditions that can make comparisons and interpretation difficult. [...]in this investigational description, the term at-risk is defined as individuals who have a high likelihood of failing or dropping out of school and who are from special populations. Similar to students with disabilities, students with LEP have special testing and academic accommodations. Since it has been shown that preparing a student for future success requires a high school diploma (Zhang & Law, 2005), it would seem plausible that these supports would increase graduation rates for both students with disabilities and students with LEP.