Results of the Florida High School Exit Survey collected in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 are presented. Participants include 2,520 students with and without disabilities across 40 school districts. Survey items cover questions relating to employment, postsecondary education and training, daily living, quality of life, agency connections, in-school…

A study of 713 former special education students investigated the background characteristics associated with an elevated quality of life after leaving high school. Esteem, independence, and support were correlated with geo-economic, family, personal, and school program characteristics. Competency was found to be a primary quality-of-life factor.…

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…

A longitudinal study of 1,285 high school graduates and dropouts with disabilities, special education teachers, and parents investigated the kinds of school services that are needed and actually received by students with disabilities and the quality of life for the students' last year in high school. Helpful supports are identified. (CR)

This study collected data on 413 students who exited North Dakota special education programs in 1988, including exiters who had graduated with a diploma, special diploma, or certificate; earned a General Educational Development certificate; or dropped out. Data were evaluated concerning demographic and educational characteristics of respondents,…

A follow-up survey was conducted in St. Cloud, Minnesota, of 127 (from a total of 357 students) former special education students who left school between 1988 and 1992. Respondents, most of whom completed the survey by phone, were predominantly male (69 percent), and most (63 percent) had been classified as learning disabled, with 29 percent…

This report uses data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) of Special Education Students to identify specific influences on postschool outcomes of youth with disabilities. The first chapter describes the NLTS, summarizes key postschool outcomes for young people with disabilities, and presents a framework suggesting influential…

This final report summarizes findings of the First Decade Project, which examined factors related to the successful transition from school to adult life for youth with disabilities. Subjects were two cohorts of graduates from 1985 and 1990, including all special education graduates (N=488) and randomly selected nondisabled graduates (N=610) from…

A survey of 137 employers in a rural Missouri community indicated that although many businesses were willing to employ former special education students, few would offer meaningful employment in terms of salary, benefits, and full-time work. Recommendations for rural educators and parents of disabled children are given. (TD)

The U.S. work force is unready for the new jobs, unready for the new realities, unready for the new challenges of the 1990s. Across the board, jobs are demanding better reading, writing, and reasoning skills and more math and science. Statistics define the scope of the problem: 25 percent of young people drop out of high school; 70 percent of all…