This article examines the impacts of the Youth Transition Demonstration, an initiative of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to improve employment outcomes for youth with disabilities. Based on a random assignment design, the analysis uses data from a 1-year follow-up survey and SSA administrative records for 5,203 youth in six research…

Illinois Shifting Gears is a multilevel initiative that has simultaneously created bridge programs in the field and altered state policy to facilitate the creation of more programs in the future. These efforts have informed each other, giving policymakers the opportunity to interact with practitioners, troubleshoot bridge programs, and make…

This report provides initial results of Illinois' Shifting Gears Initiative that operated between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2009. This mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) evaluation sought to accomplish three goals: (1) to assess program and student outcomes for two models (adult education and developmental education) for two target groups…

This report focuses on the seven original Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) projects selected for funding in 2003. Three of the original seven projects were selected for a national random assignment evaluation in 2005; however, this report only focuses on program operations prior to joining the random assignment evaluation for the three…

The Transition Institute at the University of Illinois analyzed 15 studies that had identified effective or exemplary transition programs for students with disabilities. The analysis revealed 107 key elements associated with effectiveness or exemplary program status, including variables in career/vocational training, systematic interdisciplinary…

Survey of 84 school and agency professionals in 8 school districts in Arkansas showed positive perceptions of demonstration transition programs in their schools. Although all participants indicated transition topics were discussed more frequently and interagency planning and collaboration had improved, special education teachers were less likely…

This paper examines the issues arising when a set of federally funded model demonstration projects, the secondary curricula/student transition projects of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, were obligated by federal initiative to improve the amount, quality, and use of evaluation. These issues included: (1) the nature of…

This final report of a federally funded demonstration project describes the impact of Project TEEM (Transitioning into the Elementary Education Mainstream). Project TEEM worked to enable school systems to implement a transition planning process for moving preschool-aged children with handicaps from early childhood special education programs into…

In 1991 the Department of Health and Human Services funded 32 sites throughout the United States to develop and implement Head Start-Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Projects. The purpose of 31 projects, which are in their fourth year of operation, is to stimulate partnerships among Head Start agencies, public schools, and…

This manual provides rehabilitation service provider organizations with necessary information and instructions for completing an Information Request Form (IRF), the first step in the process of applying for recognition by the Regional Rehabilitation Exchange (RRX) Project as an exemplary program model in the area of school-to-adult life transition…

This catalog describes 22 programs selected as exemplary by the Regional Rehabilitation Exchange (RRX) project, in the areas of supported employment, job placement services, school-to-adult life transition, and independent living services. The programs are located in federally designated Region VI, consisting of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico,…

This final report describes the activities and accomplishments of a federally funded project designed to develop a community-wide interagency service delivery model for facilitating the successful transition of handicapped children from preschool programs to the least restrictive environment in the public schools. The model addresses four major…

This study attempted to identify potential measures for evaluating the multiple outcomes and activities associated with programs designed to promote employment of youths with disabilities. It sought to identify measures for 17 program outcomes and 51 associated activities that had been identified previously by model demonstration transition…

The final report of the 3-year Valley Transitional School Project, serving Augusta, Staunton, and Waynesboro schools, all located in Augusta County, Virginia, contains information on the project accomplishments, population characteristics, evaluation activities, dissemination activities, replication, products developed, and conclusions and…

This monograph describes the activities of the second year of a 5-year program of Transition Institute research to understand and assist evaluation of demonstration transition programs for students moving from special education to work and adult living. A case study approach was used to create a description of two transition programs, based on the…