California's investment in Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK) reflects a commitment to providing access to UTK for all 4-year-olds in public schools by the 2025-2026 academic year. However, the implementation of transitional kindergarten (TK) presents challenges for districts in aligning this new grade coherently with existing grade levels…

Public Montessori schools have grown in number significantly in the United States. This case study chronicles the journey of teachers as they navigate the tension of balancing the Montessori approach with an accountability Standards model. Although Montessori may be in demand among parents in the nation, exhibited by the increase in public…

Persistently low-achieving public schools around the country have received $5.8 billion from the federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) program, in addition to districts and state funds, and other supplementary federal funds. Despite all of these sources of funding, most of the schools receiving them have failed to make a dramatic difference in…

A model designed to ease the transition for handicapped students from Head Start programs to public school settings is described. The model could also be adapted for transition from any private preschool to the public school setting for special needs children. The need for increased understanding between public school and Head Start program…

A transitional model is put forth to facilitate the placement of preschool children with disabilities in their first elementary school environment. After an introductory chapter and conceptual overview, chapters cover planning, intervention, and follow-up, with program evaluation incorporated into each component. Appendices contain two transition…

The Transition Service Integration Model integrates resources of public schools, rehabilitation, and developmental disability systems. School and private non-profit agencies work together to develop employment and inclusive community activities during the student's last school year. Rehabilitation and developmental disability systems then work…

This training manual is part of Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools) and focuses on training participants to develop a community wide transition system. It contains an overview of the STEPS model, a description of the training materials, overhead masters, a guide for trainers in presenting visual and handout…

Project COMPETE (Community-based Model for Public School Exit and Transition to Employment) was a federally funded service demonstration project to investigate new procedures for secondary education and transition services for youth with moderate, severe, and profound mental retardation. The goal of Project COMPETE was to develop and validate a…

The workshops presented in this training manual identify methods and strategies that can be used by parents and professionals to improve the process of transition to public school for children with special needs and their families. Workshop participants develop the following competencies: (1) identify critical transitions for families with young…

This packet contains handouts for training school and community personnel to implement Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools), an interagency program to facilitate transition of young children with disabilities. A sample agenda for a 3-day training session is provided. Handouts are organized into the eight modules…

Project COMPETE (Community-based Model for Public School Exit and Transition to Employment) was a model demonstration project designed to develop linkages between public schools and community rehabilitation agencies, in order to provide work training to severely handicapped youth, aged 16-22. The schools took on responsibility for providing…

A model is described that utilizes collaboration between sending and receiving programs to support parents through the transition from infant intervention to public preschool special education programs. Included are a timeline for parent services, a parents' worksheet to develop their child's individualized education program, and a list of parent…

To determine the worth of leisure education for adolescents with mental retardation, this study tested a model program in the public schools of Wake County, North Carolina. Findings indicated positive changes in behaviors and attitudes. Limitations, implications, and recommendations are also discussed. (GLR)

This package was developed through the outreach activities of Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools), which developed an early childhood transition model to facilitate the development of state and community-wide systems for transition. The package covers four major component areas of transition: interagency…

This manual provides guidelines for early childhood programs and public school systems wishing to establish or formalize a transition process to meet the needs of preschool children moving into the public school system, based on the STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools) model developed in Kentucky. The manual begins with…