ARE HIGH-RISK STUDENTS AND NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS THE SAME?
Although the characteristics of high-risk students are sometimes correlated with those of nontraditional students, the two concepts have different denotations. The term “high risk” is a theoretical concept based on an implicit assessment of the degree of negative risk associated with the educational experience. “High-risk students” are minorities, the academically disadvantaged, the disabled, and those of low socioeconomic status. “Nontraditional students,” on the other hand, is merely a reference to the changing profile of students that emerged during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a result of demographic and sociopolitical change. Thus, nontraditional students typically include older adults, minorities, and individuals of low socioeconomic status. Some nontraditional students are not high-risk students, and, conversely, some high-risk students are traditional students. By the same token, some high-risk students are also nontraditional; for example, an older (or mature) student mig
