This paper was written in 2018 by NCWD/Youth [National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth] to inform the development of the Guideposts for Success 2.0, an update to the original Guideposts for Success published in 2005. Since it was created in 2005, the Guideposts for Success has become nationally recognized as a valuable…

Responding to local businesses' negative comments about area graduates' capabilities, White Plains (New York) Public Schools initiated a pilot work-based-learning program that clearly specified connections between high-school and workplace learning. Five case studies illustrate program goals achieved via individualized apprenticeship plans…

The booklet describes the Maine Medical Center's Summer Youth Employment Training Program conducted in 1986, 1987, and 1988 providing disabled high school students with work experience under close supervision. The first section describes program benefits and the incorporation of the program within the Hospital Industries program which screens,…

The guide, developed by the Secondary Transition and Employment Project (STEP) in Idaho, is intended to provide students with mild, moderate, or severe handicaps with hands-on community work experience in order to determine vocational preferences and to provide instruction in work-related skills, functional academics, and job-seeking skills. Work…

To qualify for the grants provided through the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, states/localities must develop school-to-work systems containing three core elements: school-based learning, work-based learning, and connecting activities. Parent involvement in those activities is both valuable and necessary. Research has provided extensive evidence…

Contributors to this volume address the feasibility of work-based education as a reform for the U.S. educational system and consider whether such strategies will work with large numbers of students. Costs, problems of implementation, and alternative approaches are discussed. The following papers are presented: (1) "Introduction" (Thomas…

This study assessed the effects of a Brevard County (Florida) high school-based vocational training and community-based on-the-job training program called Brevard's Exceptional Students in Transition (BEST). Results indicated positive improvements in vocational skills and behaviors of participants in the BEST program. (JDD)

The manual, developed by the Realistic Transition Project in Washington State, reviews program experiences and recommended best practices for serving mildly handicapped students in their final years of school (ages 17-21). The project focused on employment with formal class teaching secondary to community work experience. A skills curriculum…

A program was implemented to provide a community-based living and work experience for students with mild/moderate mental retardation making the transition from high school to adult life. The program focuses on independent living skills, vocational education, and functional academic instruction. It incorporates shared resources, community-based…

Focus group interviews were held with approximately 60 of the several hundred high school students who are participating in school-to-work transition programs offered through the Kalamazoo County (Michigan) Education for Employment (EFE) consortium, The 10 focus groups held involved 5-8 students each and were distributed across program types as…

The final report describes The Realistic Transition Project, a 3-year project designed to help mildly handicapped 17 to 21-year-olds in the transition from school to competitive employment. Social skills necessary for seeking and maintaining employment and money management skills were two important curriculum components. Specific objectives and…

Although the school-to-work and youth development fields come from very different beginnings, they share the goal of preparing all young people, including "high-risk youth," for adulthood by learning in context, actively participating in their own learning, and being challenged and supported to excel. Despite their shared visions for…

This study surveyed the parents/guardians of 97 youth (ages 18-24) throughout the United States who are deaf-blind and who left school in June 1996. The survey was conducted 18 months after these youth had left school. Following an introduction, this report first presents findings related to characteristics of the youth in the areas of…

This follow-up study interviewed 720 former special-education students nine months after exiting New York schools for employment, postsecondary education, and community living outcomes. Results indicate special-education program components contributing to success included work experiences, occupational education, transition planning, and…

This proceedings document provides the texts of 13 presentations given at a 2-day conference in 1991 which focused on policies, materials, programs, and activities being implemented in Alabama to foster the successful transition of youth with disabilities to adult life. Two papers address the national scene: "Transition: Old Wine in New…