One of the biggest fears and challenges a parent of a child with special needs faces is navigating the post-22 landscape. When a child hits the age of 22, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is no longer required to provide daily services and support. Whatever the abilities, or disabilities, of a child, every parent has the…

Ensuring effective progression from vocational qualifications to higher education has become an important issue internationally as a part of government strategies to raise skill levels and to provide more equitable access to tertiary level study. From September 2008, the Government in England has begun to introduce a new set of qualifications for…

In this article, we present multiple assertions relevant to the plight of students who are underserved and structurally positioned to transition out of school unable to access labor market rewards. First, we juxtapose economic realities against collective ideologies about the role of education in creating opportunities for individuals. Second, we…

The apprenticeship training system in Germany, where training takes place in both private companies and vocational schools, has traditionally played an outstanding role in the development of young skilled workers. However, particularly since the start of the new millennium, the chances of smooth transition from secondary school to an…

Dan Bloom of MDRC examines policies and programs designed to help high school dropouts improve their educational attainment and labor market outcomes. So called "second-chance" programs, he says, have long provided some combination of education, training, employment, counseling, and social services. But the research record on their effectiveness…

The authors draw on some powerful practitioner research they have been associated with recently to envision ways in which a national curriculum might redress the inequities experienced by Australia's most disadvantaged young people.

The demand for improved postschool outcomes has shifted school reform strategy from incremental efforts to fundamental change. Collaboration is consistently identified as an effective approach for fostering communications and creating new systems. Social and vocational educators must become skilled collaborators to influence the course of change.…

This article reviews reform movements addressing the transition problems of high school students with disabilities, such as the work-study movement of the 1960s and legislative initiatives and programs of the 1980s. It discusses four considerations for the 1990s: (1) applying what we know; (2) changing the system; (3) building partnerships; and…

Project RETAIN (Retention in Education Technical Assistance and Information Network) is a Florida project that assists school districts through identification and dissemination of effective practices that keep students with mild disabilities in school. One part of the project was the development of a database of school district efforts in the area…

The core of the education system must be transformed to make it supportive of exceptional students in transition. Attempts to improve the system by adding on programs rather than instituting core changes have not been effective. A "teaming" process that promotes school-community and interagency collaboration and infuses transition into the core of…

Discussion of the relationship between the school-to-career transition research findings and current school reform argues that secondary special educators should align their advocacy and research efforts within a "whole school reform" context as opposed to a "students with disabilities" context. Analysis examines program administration, curriculum…

This publication is comprised of two brief guides, both of which offer strategies, practices, and resources for including students with disabilities in school-to-work systems. The first focuses on how to include students with disabilities in accountability systems. Strategies are offered to help: (1) view standards from the perspectives of all…

This article describes service outcomes for people with disabilities, achieved by local Oregon communities during the past five years as they have implemented a community capacity building model called the Community Transition Team Model. Principles of successful programs included active participation of diverse stakeholders, change viewed as a…

Identifies lessons learned from the State Systems Change Initiative on Transition for Youth with Disabilities, such as: (1) the need for such initiatives to recognize political, economic, and social factors; (2) the need for systems change to be a dynamic and continuous improvement process; and (3) the value of using federal legislative mandates…

Transition planning for young people with special educational needs is a crucial but often overlooked element of social inclusion. While there is now considerable official guidance on how to manage the school leaving process for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, little is known about how to make effective transitions…