Improving Outcomes for Students with Disabilities

August 20, 2012

Exposure to poverty during childhood and adolescence predicts lower student achievement and higher dropout rates. The detrimental effects of poverty extend across students’ lifespans and can reduce long-term educational and occupational attainment. In a new project funded by the Institute for Educational Sciences, assistant professor Bonnie Doren and her team will seek a better understanding of the effects of poverty on key school and post-school outcomes in adolescents with disabilities. The study will inform the development of school-based prevention efforts designed to reduce exposure to risk factors and processes. Findings also will inform school-based interventions designed to promote positive school and post-school outcomes among adolescents with disabilities living in poverty.