This document defines a framework for strengthening linkages between early childhood and elementary school programs at the local, state, and regional levels. The concept of a continuum of services is central within the framework, in the belief that when service providers link together to provide continuity, the connections they establish provide…

This final report describes major activities of a Maine project to develop a follow-up and follow-along survey instrument and data management system to allow local school districts to determine outcomes for graduates with disabilities and use this information in program review and modifications. The report explains the process used in the 1-year…

Approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population is in rural areas and about 10 million students are enrolled in rural schools, comprising 12,000 of the 15,000 schools in the country. Although rural communities and their schools are quite diverse, certain characteristic economic, cultural, and social factors create large numbers of "at-risk"…

Four articles comprise this monograph on interventions which lead to employment of youths with disabilities. Articles are based on investigations and demonstrations sponsored by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). In "Promoting Employment for Youths in Transition: Outcomes, Activities, and Indicators,"…

Many children, and their families, experience stress when they leave preschool and enter kindergarten. This paper describes a transition plan for children entering kindergarten that addresses the needs of developmentally delayed children as well as typically developing children. By coordinating all the involved parties--parents, teachers,…

This monograph contains papers which suggest means of implementing residential programs, services, and facilities that will help to meet the needs of first-year college students. Fourteen papers are presented and are as follows: "Reflections on the First Year Residential Experience" (John N. Gardner); "The Role of Residential Programs in the…

This paper describes Riverside Medical Center's Minnesota Chemical Dependency Program for Hearing Impaired Youth, which began in Minneapolis in 1989 to serve chemically dependent hearing-impaired adolescents and young adults, primarily aged 16 to 25 but sometimes serving clients as young as 12. The paper offers a rationale for development of a…

Two studies were conducted to examine the problems experienced by special needs students in the process of making the transition to postsecondary vocational education programs, to develop a model of the transitional process, and to empirically examine that process via instruments related to the concept of educational adjustment. The first study…

This monograph, written for vocational counselors and teachers, addresses employability for youth from both career counseling and guidance and transitional education perspectives. The section on employability counseling focuses on the ingredients of employability, youth employment conditions, classes of employment and unemployment, and…

When children start school it is not just a transition to a new physical context, but also an entry point to a new "culture" where aspects of teaching, learning and assessment are different, and hence what it means to be a learner is constructed differently. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in making links between…

Competitive employment for individuals with developmental disabilities is the ultimate goal in defining vocational success. Employment training programs for the mentally retarded have often focused on pre-vocational lock-step prerequisite skills rather than on a functional methodology that is skill specific. In contrast, the concept of ecological…

Literature on current methods of teaching language in bilingual education is reviewed and a new approach is suggested. It is suggested that a specialized sequence of native language courses should be offered to populations of language minority students with the same vernacular language. The approach proposed integrates bilingual education, English…

The manual offers guidance in coping with the major transitions commonly encountered by persons with disabilities. Seven life/education transitions are identified: (1) the environment of services for a child from birth to age 3; (2) the first preschool program for children aged 3 and 4; (3) movement of the disabled child into kindergarten at age…

The purpose of this programming guide is to assist local and intermediate Michigan school districts in planning, developing, and implementing programs and services for secondary special education. The first chapter, "Delivery of Secondary Programs and Services," outlines the program's philosophy, effective program development, a program…

Work force growth will slow dramatically in the 1990s. To ensure a more prosperous future, productivity and competitive position must be improved. New high performance forms of work organization operate very differently from the system of mass manufacturing. These work organizations require large investments in training. The approach to work and…