It’s one of the reasons the district of 20,000 students in Southern California has high school graduation rates that top the national average, said Val Verde School Superintendent Michael McCormick.
In Val Verde, 72 percent of students with disabilities graduate from high school. That is more than double the 29 percent rate for students with disabilities in Washoe County in 2015.
A two-year investigation by the Reno Gazette-Journal shows that the Washoe County School District is failing to educate — and in some cases has abused — children with disabilities. The investigation found that the graduation rate is far below the national average of 63 percent, a mindset of low expectations exists and the district has more than 200 segregated classrooms for students with disabilities.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reached out national experts to find takeaways from districts that are succeeding in educating students with disabilities. These districts all have graduation rates that are higher than the national average.