An analysis of exemplary transition programs: How and why are they selected? Career Development for Exceptional Individuals

SINCE THE EARLY 1980s, educators, researchers, and policymakers have been investigating the concept of transition from school to community in an attempt to improve the post-school outcomes of individuals with disabilities. Furthermore, in the last decade transition services for youths with disabilities have received federal priority throughout the United States. In fact, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990, IDEA (P.L. 101-476), mandated transition services for all students in special education age 16 and older. Such increased focus and activity surrounding transition have resulted in the publication of a number of empirical and theoretical studies concerned with best practices in transition. The most frequently cited &dquo;best practices&dquo; include inter-agency cooperation and collaboration, vocational skill training, paid work experience during high school, individual transition plans and planning, and parental involvement in the transition process (DeStefano, 1989; Kohler, 1993). Another related product of the transition initiative has been reports on evaluations undertaken to identify programs or practices that are &dquo;effective&dquo; or &dquo;exemplary&dquo; in the delivery of transition services; generally these contain one or more program elements from the best-practice list. This article focuses on a sample of these evaluation studies. Two questions arise with respect to these evaluations. First, how are the exemplary programs identified and selected? And second, what evidence is offered to support the &dquo;best practices&dquo; as having a positive impact on student outcomes? In an effort to answer these questions