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Institute for Effective Education, University of York: Helping pupils with disabilities transition from secondary school
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A new report from the US National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) reviews the research on programmes that aim to help young people with disabilities make successful transitions beyond secondary school. Two promising approaches are identified:
community-based work programmes, which were found to have mixed effects on pupils' employment outcomes and potentially positive effects on post-secondary education outcomes; and
functional life-skills development programmes, 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 children with disabilities, look out for the autumn issue of Better: Evidence-based Education magazine. It focuses on special education, including an article on functional skills, and will be available in September.
Source: Improving Post-High School Outcomes for Transition-Age Students with Disabilities: An Evidence Review, Institute of Education Sciences (2013).