The risks of admitting at-risk students

Many of us teach at schools that admit disadvantaged students. It’s good that the state wants to reach out to those students. However, new funding formulas in Texas and other states allocate money based partially on “performance based” criteria or student “success.” That means schools will have more incentive to turn away as many disadvantaged student  since studies show they are less likely to graduate in six years (“Incoming student characteristics determine graduation rates, studies find“).