When lawmakers signed the No Child Left Behind Act, the new standards-based approach forced teachers to change their minds about disinterested students. In the past, a remark like "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink" was enough to describe a student's personality and abilities from one teacher to another. Now, school teachers must cultivate new approaches to encourage and challenge these selfless students to perform at the same level as their scholarly peers. Communities, politicians and administrators are calling for school transformation. Yet schools lack the bridge to connect idealism with practicality. For schools to transform disinterested students into dedicated learners, they must promote and support the development of self-determination skills in the classroom. Schools located in the most diverse environments are least likely to support the development of self-determination skills. Research by Zhang and Benz (2006) concluded: "1) Parents with college degrees gave their children more opportunities to express their interests, make daily decisions that had a significant impact on their lives, and to set personal goals. 2) Parents from higher-income families were more likely to engage in practices that promote their children's self-determination skills. 3) Parents of students with disabilities were less likely to engage in these practices.” The research implies that students living in home conditions of cultural diversity, low income, and/or low education do not have the opportunity to establish self-determination. Parents must not only present ideas, but also enable students to seize the opportunities provided to them to establish self-determination. Parents and teachers must...... middle of paper ......access to the general education curriculum. The Journal of Special Education, 42(91), 91-106. Wehmeyer, M. L. and Kelchner, K. (1996). Perceptions of the classroom environment, locus of control, and academic attributions of adolescents with and without cognitive disabilities. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 19(15), 15-30.Wehmeyer, ML, & Schalock, RL (2001). Self-determination and quality of life: Implications for special education services and supports. Focus on Exceptional Children, 33(8), 01-16.Young, MR (2005). The motivational effects of the classroom environment in facilitating self-regulated learning. Journal of Marketing Education, 27(25), 25-40.Zhang, D. and Benz, MR (2006). Enhancing the self-determination of culturally diverse students with disabilities: Current status and future directions. Focus on exceptional children, 38(9), 01-12.