18 to 20 Page Research Proposal - Essay Example

Dropping out оf ѕchool limitѕ oneѕ choiceѕ аnd labor market advantageѕ in an increaѕingly ѕophiѕticated economic аnd ѕocial climate; thuѕ, an incomplete high school education engenders grave conѕequenceѕ for thе individual аnd ѕociety in termѕ оf economic impact аnd future productivity (Ѕtrothеr, 2006). These negative impacts of dropout rates are heightened when students with special needs are in question because they have disabilities that already act as a handicap when they try to embark on a career.

Furthermore, the dropout rates of special education students triple that of ordinary students (Blackorby and Wagner, 2006; deBettencourt, Zigmond and Thornton, 2005). This makes the issue of the high dropout rates of special education students more pressing. That is why it is highly important for the causes and reasons for special education students dropping out of high school to be examined. Sadly, it is only in the recent years that awareness for the drop out rates of special education students have arisen.

This is because “students with disabilities are included in the “all students” agenda of federal, state, and district standards-based reforms” through the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Thurlow, Sinclair and Johnson, 2002). Furthermore, studies that have been conducted that present usable data related to students with disabilities that can be adapted to the present times are very few compared to studies of drop out rates of regular students (Lehr, et al., 2004, p. 13).

The fact that special education students “have been identified as being among the lowest performing students on current high-stakes tests” shows the urgency of the need for programs that can help them stay in school and graduate. This is the primary reason why there is a need to closely examine the top reasons why special education students drop