The child welfare field is uncertain how to best prepare older foster wards for independent living. Research priorities in this area are discussed in five categories: (1) education and school-to-work transitions; (2) formal assessments of readiness for self-sufficiency; (3) provision of transitional supports; (4) support networks; and (5)…

Responses from 120 of 129 Virginia transition coordinators suggested that the greater the level of local administrative support for transition, the greater the level of service delivery. Higher levels of cooperation between vocational and special education also correlated with higher service delivery. Presence of interagency teams led to…

A study gathered data on 207 of the 248 students who were released from a juvenile correctional center. The conclusion was that academic and vocational education are highly efficient ways to reduce recidivism and that money for the education of incarcerated youth is well spent. (JOW)

This paper notes the need for an empirically based model for helping students with disabilities make transitions toward less restrictive settings and exit special education. Emphasis is on defining the least restrictive environment, identifying students with mild disabilities who are potential candidates for reintegration, assessing the…

This article reviews U.S. federal legislation mandating collaborative transition planning between schools and adult service providers. The Collaborative Transition Model, a six-stage interdisciplinary approach which relates vocational assessment activities to instruction, is offered as one example of a formal transition system being implemented in…

The fragmentation in many children's homes and neighborhoods is reflected in their schools. To reform the nation's urban schools, educators must find ways to take collective responsibility for students' performance over their entire school careers. Reorganization according to feeder-pattern clusters can help teachers from various school levels…

New York City Technical College designed transitional activities to ensure that high school tech prep students continued for the final two years of the program. Features included shadowing, entrance exam workshops, advanced standing workshops, and preregistration. (JOW)

Summarizes results of an NASSP-sponsored, 3-year study of the K-12 transition process in 7 demonstration centers representing various types of school districts. Findings showed that middle school transitions were crucial. The most critical elements of this transition process are communication, cooperation, consensus, and commitment of school…

Discusses shifts in education and employment training policies and their implications for transition services for special needs populations. Looks at major laws supporting transition from school to work, postsecondary education, and independent adult life, and explores the implications of these reforms for the future of transition programs for…

A program providing preparatory training and integrated primary schooling for blind children in Goroka (Papua New Guinea) is described. Specialized training at the Mt Sion Centre for the Blind prepares students for mainstreaming at the local community school. The center also provides teacher training services and a specialist resource teacher to…

Through a review of the transition literature and a survey of 225 students about to enter middle school, the most significant anxieties identified were the following: (1) space concerns about a new and larger building, especially getting lost and being late to class; (2) contact with older and possibly rougher students; and (3) heavy homework…

Head-injured students making the transition back to school need to relearn how to learn. Strategies are offered for helping these students deal with such problem areas as organization skills, abstraction, attention and concentration, making transitions, writing, and information processing speed. (JDD)

This article describes a model project for promoting interagency collaboration at state and local levels to facilitate transitions of young special needs children and their families from infant/toddler programs to preschool programs. Project Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools (STEPS) has four major components: interagency…

An evaluation of the Student Transition Education and Employment Program found that it reduces recidivism rates for previously incarcerated youth and is cost effective. Program objectives were to deliver a more effective after-care service, enable youth to obtain a high school diploma, and allow participants to give something back to the…

Discusses the concept of school readiness and the process of making the transition to school. Reviews early signs of successful school transitions and identifies some fundamentals of young children's early learning environments. Almost all children are eager to learn and show remarkable progress when they are in school environments that tailor…