Giving Compass' Take:

• Research shows that schools provide students with disabilities post-graduation plans that fall short of students full potential. 

• What are the consequences of these unambitious plans for students, their families, and society? How can schools better support students with disabilities to reach their potential?

• Learn how New York City is attempting to offer students with disabilities better transition support.

Under federal law, schools have to help students with disabilities create a transition plan for life after high school. The transition plans include goals for further education, careers, and independent living. But many experts, parents, and students say schools often set the bar too low.

Most students with disabilities can graduate from high school, go on to college and earn degrees according to a report by the non-profit Achieve organization and the University of Minnesota’s National Center on Educational Outcomes. Many, however, will be encouraged to go straight into the workforce, where they often take low-paying jobs.

Just over half of students with disabilities will enroll in any post-secondary education programs like community college, a technical school or university, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Education. Only one-third of those students will go on to complete their programs within eight years, according to the report.

Read the full article on students with disabilities and college at The Hechinger Report