Lori Stern

And as a result, Walt had been suspended for a week, which meant he wouldn't have time to get the credits he needed to graduate.

No, there was one more option.

The St.

Paul School District has an alternative high school called Journeys that runs a program just for EBD students.

It requires them to find and keep a job for 90 days.

And they have to complete a checklist of life skills like open a bank account and cook a meal.

And they have until they're 22 to earn that high school diploma.

Mr. K said it was Walt's best choice.

So how did Walt feel about this option?

Well, he wasn't very excited about it.

And he held off making a decision all winter.

Finally, in March of his senior year, he decided to go.

He realized it was the only way he had to earn the diploma that he'd said was so important.

Basically, though, Walt was back where he started.

He'd been separated from regular students as a young kid and never rejoined them.

And what happened to Walt is not a one-off story.

Remember, students labeled EBD are disproportionately low-income kids of color who may not have a lot of advocates who can make sure they're getting the best education possible.

I mean, the prospects for kids with that EBD label haven't improved much in decades.

Well, there was an effort to change things about 15 years ago.

When Barack Obama was president, he encouraged schools to try to close racial disparities in student achievement.