In October 1996, the Big Picture Company set out to find six urban high schools that use school-to-work strategies as a lever for whole-school reform. In the schools finally selected for the New Urban High Schools Project, and in others examined for the study, "school-to-work" is a misnomer, because the majority of students are entering…

This report describes a 3-year project (1987-1990) implemented to assist migrant families and their children in transition to public school kindergarten and developmental kindergarten classes. The project served 30 children and 24 families in Ft. Pierce, Florida, approximately 75 percent of whom were Hispanic and 25 percent were Haitian. Goals…

This final report describes major activities of a Maine project to develop a follow-up and follow-along survey instrument and data management system to allow local school districts to determine outcomes for graduates with disabilities and use this information in program review and modifications. The report explains the process used in the 1-year…

Four articles comprise this monograph on interventions which lead to employment of youths with disabilities. Articles are based on investigations and demonstrations sponsored by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). In "Promoting Employment for Youths in Transition: Outcomes, Activities, and Indicators,"…

Many children, and their families, experience stress when they leave preschool and enter kindergarten. This paper describes a transition plan for children entering kindergarten that addresses the needs of developmentally delayed children as well as typically developing children. By coordinating all the involved parties--parents, teachers,…

This paper describes Riverside Medical Center's Minnesota Chemical Dependency Program for Hearing Impaired Youth, which began in Minneapolis in 1989 to serve chemically dependent hearing-impaired adolescents and young adults, primarily aged 16 to 25 but sometimes serving clients as young as 12. The paper offers a rationale for development of a…

Competitive employment for individuals with developmental disabilities is the ultimate goal in defining vocational success. Employment training programs for the mentally retarded have often focused on pre-vocational lock-step prerequisite skills rather than on a functional methodology that is skill specific. In contrast, the concept of ecological…

The Orange County, Florida, public schools have developed a Chapter 1 program of individualized learning for reading and mathematics underachievers in grades 1, 2, and 4. The program is described in terms of the following: (1) district information; (2) program and project information; (3) goals and objectives; (4) coordination with regular and…

The transition from high school senior to college freshman reflects the emergence of the adolescent into the young adult and can result in separation anxiety for parent and senior. In order to support the parents and seniors, a seminar on the topic of separation was given to parents and seniors by a child psychiatrist and two high school college…

A comprehensive analysis was conducted of existing public education programs in the State of Mississippi for school-age children and youth with severe handicaps. Specifically, the investigation focused on a discrepancy analysis of public school service systems for the target population in relation to eight identified educational practices common…

The Learning Development and Evaluation Center (LDEC) at Florida A&M University offers students with specific learning disabilities the opportunity to succeed in postsecondary education. LDEC provides psychoeducational assessments upon which an individualized educational plan is based. Guidelines encompass initial screening procedures, ongoing…

The Job Training Partnership Act, which provides money to programs preparing disadvantaged (including disabled) individuals for entry into the labor force, has helped special education students in such programs as the Special Education Local Plan Areas Job Project and the Day Training Activity Center at the Las Trampas School, Inc. in Lafayette,…

A Montgomery County (Maryland) task force was jointly developed by the county executive and the school superintendent to consider the transition from school to work for disabled students. Recommendations were made which resulted in development of a transition planning/coordinating function and a model for planning transition services. (JDD)

The increased accessibility of learning-disabled persons to higher education has created the need to address program development, student psychosocial growth, parent adjustment, and transitional needs. A new, federally funded (Office of Special Education Rehabilitation Services) Master's Degree program has been developed to teach counselors and…

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on understanding, planning, and engaging in the coordination of community resources that support the transition of youth with disabilities into adult life. Designed for use at the federal, state, and local levels, this document provides numerous practical tools and resources for initiating a resource…