D
|
|
D
|
|
|
Bulletin Boards |
Front page |
DEPT. OF EDUCATION: INCLUSION ENHANCES SCHOOL-TO-WORK EFFORTSApril 11, 2000WASHINGTON -- The national trend toward greater inclusion of students with disabilities is yielding an encouraging byproduct for both students with special needs and their general ed. peers preparing to leave high school, the U.S. Department of Education says. As part of the increasing opportunities students with special needs have to participate in classes and programs with general ed. students, transition programs are getting more attention from schools and communities. According to the department's Office of Special Education Programs, these transition programs are more frequently being designed with the needs of all students in mind.
"I think students who are appropriately included in regular education classrooms will also be benefitting more from the changes that are going on in schools," Heumann said, specifically noting the increased emphasis over the last 8 years on School-to-Work intiatives. "What that means more and more is enabling students to get work experience while they're in school. We want disabled students to be able to get the same types of work experiences as non-disabled students and not have to be looking at separate types of work experiences" that may not provide opportunities that are as effective for identifying a student's interests and abilities, she said. According to recent research cited in the OSEP report, students with disabilities appear to be included more often in general transition programs under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act. That law, which is not a part of IDEA, is an initiative involving multiple federal agencies to improve employment and training opportunities for all students. Organizers of successful transition programs for students with disabilities typically view their programs within the larger context of education reform, OSEP said, "as an integrated process that included a focus on successful school-to-adult life transition for students both with and without disabilities." In school districts with successful programs, there is little distinction between "general education reform" and "special education reform," the report says. Many have developed a vision for education reform that connects transition to other initiatives that impact it, including overall scheduling changes to make larger blocks of time available for instruction, interdisciplinary curricula, applied learning, career development and standards-based state and local assessments. While the benefit for students with special needs is evident in improved transition programs, Heumann argues the inclusive approach to these programs helps general ed. students too. "One of the values of special ed is the individual focus," she said. "Some of that will also continue to rub off on the general ed. community." For example, under IDEA, when a student turns 14 the student's IEP team starts looking at the student's areas of interest and identifies the types of courses and work experience the student should be enrolled in to build on those interests. "That rubbing off into the general ed. community, I think, would be very positive," Heumann said. Community Responsibility Similar to the benefits of inclusion catching on, OSEP found that a growing sense of community involvement in the life of a student with special needs brings critical benefits to the transition process. In school districts with successful transition programs, those implementing the programs say they believe communities have a responsibility to help people with disabilities who live there, the OSEP report says. This attitude is not so much a recognition of the unique needs of people with disabilities as it is an overall belief that community members should "take care of and support one another," OSEP noted. "In these sites, transition planning was emerging as a valued process for students both with and without disabilities and linked to various reform efforts such as school-to-work and standards-based instruction," the report notes. "Many considered transition an important theme that should be considered not only from age 14 onward, but as part of the educational experience from kindergarten through the 12th grade." Similar to planning of other programs for students with special needs, OSEP said research on transition programs shows that both student and parent involvement in developing the programs is "critical," as is collaboration among individuals, schools and social service agencies. More effort, More Information Needed Though the report says many areas of the country are showing progress in developing transition programs, OSEP is not yet convinced all students are getting the help they need. To get more data, the agency started a new National Longitudinal Transition Study last fall. The long-term study, a follow-up to a similar project conducted from 1985 through 1993, is being developed by an OSEP-appointed advisory panel and SRI International, the research firm that ran the first study. The project will provide data on the characteristics of secondary school students in special education and their experiences in school, extracurricular activities and related services. It will also examine what happens to the students after they leave high school, including their experiences in adult programs and services, their social activities and other information. The study will also measure education, employment, social, and residential outcomes for these students and identify factors in high school and post-school experiences that help improve those outcomes. According to OSEP's annual report, current research has already identified the need to expand transition programs for a few specific disability groups. Students with severe cognitive and physical disabilities and those with emotional and behavioral disabilities need more opportunities for self-advocacy and help developing self-determination skills, the report says. These students also need better access to quality applied learning experiences in the community. The report also noted transition programs in general, for all students with special needs, do not focus enough on opportunities for postsecondary education and training.8 |
