Decreasing the Dropout Rate for Minority Male Youth with Disabilities

The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities has recently released a detailed study about increased graduation rates for minority male youth with disabilities. Students with disabilities drop out of school at a rate far greater than student without disabilities and the disparity is even worse for minority males with disabilities. The monograph is comprised of three studies that examine different ethnic populations: American Indian, African American, and Latino. The purpose of their studies was to examine root causes and risk factors of dropout and suggest existing programs and strategies to help these young men stay in school. Susan Faircloth of North Carolina State University examines the impediments to graduation for American Indian males with disabilities. Ivory Toldson of Howard University examines the dropout phenomenon among African American males with disabilities. Robert Lucio of St. Leo University studies Hispanic males with disabilities and their dropout patterns.