Helping students with disabilities transition from high school 

A new report from the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) reviews the research on programs that aim to help students with disabilities make successful transitions beyond high school. Two promising approaches are identified: (1) community-based work programs, which were found to have mixed effects on students' employment outcomes and potentially positive effects on postsecondary education outcomes, and (2) functional life-skills development programs, which were found to have potentially positive effects on independent living outcomes (although the extent of evidence was small).

NCEE's search for transition research studies spanned the past two decades; however, relatively few studies (16) were found that met the What Works Clearinghouse standards for evidence of effectiveness. The authors offer several recommendations to researchers to try and help strengthen the evidence base. 

For more on what works for special-needs children, look for the fall issue of Better: Evidence-based Education magazine. This issue, which focuses on special education, will be available in September. 

Johns Hopkins University 

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