How can teachers help prepare their high school students to make the critical transition to what comes after they graduate? Teachers cannot wait until students are seniors to inspire them to consider postsecondary education or training, and at the same time prepare them to succeed when they get there. It is increasingly important for students to…

Estimates say that nearly 30 percent of adults in the United States have a criminal record--roughly 65 million individuals. While not all of them have served a jail or prison sentence, they nonetheless face barriers to gainful employment due to the stigma of a record, as well as generally lower levels of education and job training. The overall…

Emerging in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the concept of individual student planning developed as a component of school guidance counseling programs. The underlying significance of these plans, such as the Individual Career Plan (ICP), is that "it gives [students] a chance to tell and develop their story" (N. Gysbers, personal communication,…

To enhance state-level adult education and employment policy, in 2007 the Joyce Foundation began the Shifting Gears (SG) initiative to assist six states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin) to integrate adult education, workforce development and postsecondary education policies and improve job opportunities for low-skilled…

To provide greater support for students as they transition to ninth grade, the Texas Legislature funded the Texas Ninth Grade Transition and Intervention (TNGTI) grant program. TNGTI grantees implemented a variety of supports to at-risk students transitioning to ninth grade, including a summer transition program, an early warning data system, and…

For many years, the General Educational Development (GED) credential has been viewed as the high school dropout's safety net. Though not as well regarded as the high school diploma, the GED has opened up educational and economic opportunity for millions of young people and adults who did not finish high school. Nearly 680,000 people take the full…

High dropout rates and low on-time graduation rates across the United States suggest that for many students proper transitioning is not taking place from middle schools to high schools. This study was designed to examine what measure perceptions and expectations held by students, faculty, and parents dealing with transition from middle school to…

This paper describes an experiential learning activity designed for a New England university freshmen course, BUS101-Marketing First-Year Experience (FYE). The purpose of the activity is to teach basic principles of marketing, develop a general perspective of business, and provide FYE activities that facilitate the college transition. The specific…

This paper examines the effects of a two-day working conference on attitudes and dispositions of educators and other professionals who have a responsibility to students with disabilities. During this professional meeting, participants shared their experiences and suggested strategies to better educate students with sensory and mobility…

Despite the potential contributions of adolescent employment to postschool success, many youth who experience emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBD) do not access these opportunities. This intervention study examined the effects of a package of strategies designed to increase access to summer work experiences. Fifty-seven youth with EBD from…

Although summer offers a natural context for adolescents to gain community-based work experience, little is known about the extent to which youth with disabilities are accessing these transition-related opportunities. We examined the summer employment experiences of 220 youth with high-incidence disabilities at two time points. Although more than…

In many industrial nations, the processes of transition from education or training to employment are very important. Using Japan as a case study, this article considers these processes from an external perspective. The main criterion used is the issue of stratification within the education and training system. A detailed analysis of the transition…

Young people with learning and behaviour disabilities often leave school without transition planning. When planning does occur, there is generally a discrepancy between the goals of students, parents, and professionals. Students requiring higher levels of support may not even be included in the planning process and transition plans are often…

Youth and Adolescents with Special Needs (YASN) face many challenges during transition into employment. Although most of their physical challenges are secondary, yet they call for attention since most of them are hired for blue collar jobs. Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) should be adapted to prepare them addressing the physical job-demands,…

This study examined the outcomes of 409 students with mental retardation or multiple disabilities from 177 school districts in a Great Lakes state. These students with intellectual disabilities were interviewed at exit and 1 year following graduation. The authors developed and tested three regression models--two to predict full-time employment and…