The School-to-Work Opportunities Act, which was designed to improve student learning, in-school retention, and transition to the workplace, requires the restructuring of secondary education and the extensive involvement of business in preparing youth for the workplace. School-to-work initiatives reflect the conditions of the settings and contexts…

This reference manual contains information on transition services for students with disabilities in New Jersey. Section 1 provides an overview of transition services and the five-year systems change grant New Jersey has received from the U.S. Department of Education. Also included is information on New Jersey education law, the four regional…

This handbook provides guidance to schools operating Community-based Vocational Education (CBVE) programs for students with disabilities and encourages the adoption of CBVE programs by schools not presently using this approach. By following the information and examples contained in this handbook, schools can proceed with confidence to operate…

This article provides historical background on school-to-work (STW) activities, especially for students with hearing impairments. It describes laws shaping requirements for STW programs and research supporting STW components. Recommendations for curricular elements of an STW program are offered and future trends in STW are forecast. (Contains…

This paper outlines the arrangements for assessing school leavers under Sections 5 and 6 of Great Britain's Disabled Persons Act, summarizes the results of research in Avon (England) following the lives of 50 people with severe learning difficulties just before and after they left school. Presents a model for individual and strategic planning to…

This article presents a comprehensive model for assessment of secondary students with disabilities. The model is intended to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which requires identifying transition needs of students in their individualized education programs. The model assists in structuring an outcome-oriented transition…

Case studies of 6 students with moderate/severe mental retardation investigated the impact of the federal transition mandate on student outcomes. Data revealed that high school programs have become more community-based, employment oriented, and age-appropriate with an increased emphasis on establishing linkages with adult service providers.…

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…

An introduction to this theme issue on special education transition policy and practice summarizes articles and notes a focus on the importance of transitional services in the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Emphasis is on practical information based on research, legislative development, and empirical evidence to support best…

This article discusses the discrimination faced by minority youth with disabilities. Federal legislation promoting equality of opportunity for all students is reviewed and the lack of true educational equality is lamented. The article emphasizes the need to prepare minority youth with disabilities as they transition into adults. (Contains…

Transition planning to assist students with severe disabilities to move from school to a positive adult future is of great concern for the young people and their families and friends. For more than a decade, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) within the U.S. Department of Education has researched quality of life issues in transition…

The transitions from an elementary school to a middle level school and from a middle level school to a high school are major stepping-stones in the lives of young adolescents and their parents. These times are characterized by changes in school expectations and practices--changes that are often amplified when special education issues are thrown…

Despite the transition requirements of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and a growing body of research in support of effective transition planning for learners with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), many adults on the spectrum remain without employment in large numbers. Even for those generally regarded as most capable, they…

The final version of the School to Work Opportunities Act was passed only after an extended battle over how to protect individuals' private right of action to enforce the act. Although it still contains nonentitlement language, the final act also includes new language clarifying Congress' intent that the provision not preclude enforcement of the…

Many people fail to realize the extensiveness and comprehensiveness of federal and state child labor laws. Although the 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act did not detail the legal compliance needed by its state-funded agencies, it clearly indicates that federal and state child labor laws will apply to its employment and employment-related…