This report outlines the proceedings of a symposium held to discuss ways of strengthening linkages and transitions between pre-kindergarten programs and early elementary school. The 63 symposium participants included Head Start representatives, elementary school teachers and principals, state and federal department of education employees,…

This report examines efforts in Idaho to provide transition information and planning to secondary students with disabilities and their families. It offers an ideal profile of best transition practices. It then reports on a survey of 247 teachers, 170 principals, and 105 special education directors/superintendents in Idaho. The survey examined: (1)…

This guide gives youth with disabilities and their families an overview of some of the major elements of the transition planning process. It introduces families to the adult service system that will provide supports and services after high school. Each chapter is intended to encourage families to be proactive in the planning process. The workbook…

This book provides 12 papers on assessment, instruction, and policy making in special education and rehabilitation. Part I focuses on assessment, with the following papers: "A Theory of Human Behavior" (Ronald Eaves); "Describing the Cognitive Aspects of Intelligence" (David Sabatino and Hubert Vance); and "Critical Issues in the Diagnostic…

In October 1996, the Big Picture Company set out to find six urban high schools that use school-to-work strategies as a lever for whole-school reform. In the schools finally selected for the New Urban High Schools Project, and in others examined for the study, "school-to-work" is a misnomer, because the majority of students are entering…

This training manual is part of Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools) and focuses on training participants to develop a community wide transition system. It contains an overview of the STEPS model, a description of the training materials, overhead masters, a guide for trainers in presenting visual and handout…

The use of young children's art work in the assessment of reading readiness was studied through a qualitative research design. Subjects were 12 transitional-first-grade students from an elementary school, each of whom was treated as a case study. Artwork was collected from each child each month of the school year and reading levels were recorded.…

The report looks at programs and approaches for educating students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It is intended as a guide for school and district decision-makers to help them identify instructional approaches and programs appropriate to their students' needs. Four program alternatives are discussed: newcomer programs;…

This report describes a 3-year project (1987-1990) implemented to assist migrant families and their children in transition to public school kindergarten and developmental kindergarten classes. The project served 30 children and 24 families in Ft. Pierce, Florida, approximately 75 percent of whom were Hispanic and 25 percent were Haitian. Goals…

Recent research indicates that problems in the transition from school to employment are frequent among students with learning disabilities, particularly those in rural areas. While a systematic approach to transition appears to be beneficial, the best method for implementing such an approach is still in question. One hundred seventeen special…

This paper describes a rural school program that assists high school special education students in achieving a successful transition from the school to the community. Plans for transition are first introduced at the special education staffing in 10th grade and are viewed as an integral part of the individual education plan. The transition…

Three studies were conducted to explore the relationship between social skills instruction and the maintenance and generalization of skills to post-school environments. Three adult women with severe disabilities in their last year of school participated in the studies. The first study addressed the effectiveness of an instructional package to…

This paper examines the many external expectations confronting persons with disabilities and the skills required to survive and prosper in school, at home, on the job, and in the community. Data were obtained from 155 regular teachers, 110 special educators, 150 parents, and 55 employers through the use of the School Survival Skills Questionnaire.…

The Job Designs Project, a 3-year federally funded project, provides students (ages 16-22) at an Oregon residential treatment center for youth with emotional and behavioral disorders with supported paid employment in the community. The project has provided job supported employment services to 36 students working in such positions as restaurant bus…

This study explored the effect of experiential and experience-based approaches to learning and instruction on transitional first grade students' (a) acquisition and use of economic concepts and (b) economic reasoning ability as indicated by the presence or absence of misconceptions about economic concepts. A pretest-posttest control group design…