Higher education remains a pivotal driver of social and economic mobility, with college graduates earning significantly more over their lifetimes compared to their peers without a degree. However, the benefits of higher education remain out of reach for an increasing number of students, as enrollments decline and stopout rates climb. In recent…

Youth who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits experience disparate educational, employment, and economic outcomes when compared to youth with disabilities who do not receive these entitlements. Promoting the Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income (PROMISE) was a 6-year national research demonstration project that…

Black male teachers comprise less than two percent of the teachers of color in education nationwide and even fewer than that teach in special education. There exists a paucity of research literature on the "invisible tax" placed upon them via the nuanced responsibilities, lived experiences, identities, and needs of Black male special…

On a given day, more than 43,000 youths who largely identify as students of color and are disproportionately male are held in residential placement facilities as a result of involvement with the juvenile justice system. More than two-thirds of youths living in placement facilities who participated in a national survey shared aspirations to…

A substantial and growing body of research indicates that, all other factors being equal, students who dually enroll are more likely than their non-dually-enrolling peers to finish high school, matriculate in a postsecondary institution and experience greater postsecondary success. Spurred by this, states are increasingly viewing dual enrollment…

Post-school outcomes are poor for youth with disabilities, in general, but even more discouraging for certain subpopulations of individuals with disabilities, particularly those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. The authors discuss structural inequalities in public schools which potentially contribute to the poorer…

Several systemic factors contribute to the lack of stability and educational opportunities for students in foster care, including lack of transportation to the school of origin (or the schools they enrolled in when they first entered foster care), difficulty enrolling in new schools and transferring credits between school districts, gaps in…

Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) serves students with varying abilities and needs. At the high school level, a range of transition services is required to help this diverse group of students prepare for life after high school. USDB established the STEPS program as part of this range of services. STEPS is a training and transition…

This issue brief is focused on policies and practices that improve college and career readiness by strengthening the transition from high school to postsecondary education. The brief is largely based on a February, 2009 American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) field trip to Indiana, and details the cross-system efforts implemented to help more of the…

"Work incentives" encourage and support individuals with disabilities in their efforts to seek employment and have been formalized in federal legislation and regulations, including the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA). In October 2000, Utah received a 4-year federal grant to change the state's systems of work…

The article describes the Utah Community-Based Transition Project, a federally funded project on transition planning for severely disabled youth. The planning process is aimed at facilitating coordination and expansion of community services for each graduate. Barriers facing states as they attempt to implement effective transition planning models…

Early College High Schools (ECHS) are defined as "small schools where students can earn both a high school diploma and two years of college credit toward a bachelor's degree" (Early Colleges, 2005). ECHSs are designed as places of learning to help young people progress toward the education and experience they need to succeed in life and…

These transition guidelines are designed to give Utah school districts direction in planning transition programs for Utah students at risk and/or students with disabilities. The guidelines present best practices in planning to assist these special needs students from school to life in their communities. The five-step process includes planning,…

This final report describes activities of a 3-year federally supported program designed to enable school systems to establish and implement systematic transition planning to meet the multicultural needs of preschool-aged children with disabilities and their families moving into kindergarten and other general education settings. The program model…

As entitlements for students, "Average Daily Attendance" funding (ADA), Title I and Pell Grants can provide a stable funding base to support college bridge programs targeted to at-risk students and dropouts. In most states, school districts can re-enroll out-of-school students and draw additional ADA money from the state. College bridge…