This chapter examines legislative actions throughout the past century that have influenced education and employment for individuals with disabilities while discussing ways that these actions reflect the broader social, political and economic goals of the American education system, and implications for individuals with disabilities who participate…

An IEP is an Individualized Education Program. When a child is identified with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) a child has a right to a Free, Appropriate, Public Education (FAPE). For a child to receive FAPE there has to be an IEP developed in order for the child to progress in the general education…

An IEP is an Individualized Education Program. When a child is identified with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) a child has a right to a Free, Appropriate, Public Education (FAPE). For a child to receive FAPE there has to be an IEP developed in order for the child to progress in the general education…

This theoretical paper comprised the development of a conceptual framework for blending academic and transition content to help members of the special education field meet both the academic and transition needs of students with disabilities, including students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The current conceptual framework…

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 2006) requires schools to develop transition plans for students with disabilities, beginning at age 16, if not before. For students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the transition planning process includes unique considerations. This article describes five steps for developing effective…

Lakeview High School is a medium sized high school in a rural farming community. The staff at Lakeview meets at the beginning of each school year to discuss building-level professional development plans. This year, Lakeview's special education team has requested to focus its professional development time on improving special education services for…

Transition policy and programs have primarily focused on preparing students with disabilities for employment. Public policy over the last three decades has gradually broadened to include increasing emphasis on transition to postsecondary education. To date, the literature has primarily addressed matters related to demographics, legislation and…

This policy update discusses provisions of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act which directly influence the experiences of high school-age students with disabilities as they prepare for the transition from school to work and adult life. The paper discusses: (1) purposes of the Act; (2) the eight National Education Goals of Title I; (3)…

The School to Work Opportunities Act of 1994 (STWOA) qualifies as "historic" legislation for several reasons. STWOA is the first federal education legislation to declare that preparation for earning a living is a legitimate and important role of schooling for all students and the first education legislation to affirm that learning takes…

This paper documents the gap between the supply of and demand for adult services in each state of the United States, places this situation in its political context to explain why this gap exists, and discusses policy alternatives. The paper profiles the nature of the population of individuals with disabilities exiting public education and examines…

This issue of "Transition Summary" was developed to assist Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams in planning for successful transitions from high school into independent adulthood by students with disabilities. Definitions of transition services within federal law are first explored and legal implications for the IEP team are…

This resource guide assists Wisconsin educators in successfully including students with disabilities in school-to-work activities with appropriate support services. Section 1 provides an overview of the School to Work Opportunities Act and Wisconsin's state plan for developing a comprehensive school-to-work system integrated with federal efforts…

"Focus on Policy" is NCSALL's (National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy's) newest publication. Its purpose is to synthesize research findings and highlight policy implications of these findings. "Focus on Policy" forgoes the usual academic conventions to provide its readers with an easy-to-understand summary…

This paper presents a policy framework for the implementation of goals for special education in Michigan. The first part of the paper is a memorandum that recommends the policy framework. Attachment A presents goals for providing a support system to students with disabilities to foster their progress in the general curriculum. Goals include: (1)…

The Guam Education Policy Board initially adopted the Guam Public School System District Action Plan in May 2003. The DAP established the direction and details for improving academic performance in reading, math, and language arts by using the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act as a framework. The adopted DAP was also used as a basis for…