Students With Disabilities

This annotated bibliography, co-authored by the National High School Center and the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center, identifies articles that address high school redesign as it relates to students with disabilities and special education’s role in such initiatives. The articles are organized around the National High School Center’s Eight Elements of High School Improvement: A Mapping Framework to ensure a more comprehensive set of resources that address the key systemic elements of high school improvement.

This policy brief, sponsored by ARISE Coalition, documents the results of the review of about 200 individualized education plans (IEPs) for students with disabilities demonstrating noncompliance. The author provides recommendations that include identifying the diploma type sought in the transition plan, disseminating information about transition and post-secondary programs to students with disabilities and their families; and teaching self-advocacy skills. This resource may be especially relevant to policy makers and special educators.

This report, sponsored by the Equity Alliance at Arizona State University, discusses strategies to understanding and reducing racial/ethnic disproportionality in special education. The author examines the causes and provides specific recommendations, focused on three areas: 1) gaps in curriculum and instructional implementation disproportionately affect struggling learners, 2) inconsistent pre-referral process, and 3) limited beliefs about student ability.

This report, sponsored by the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Safe Schools Coalition, discusses the use of excessive suspension in New York City Schools. The authors examine the effects of suspensions and police involvement in schools on all students, and specifically on African American and special education students. They provide recommendations that include ending the zero tolerance policy, mandating positive alternatives to suspension when appropriate, and increasing transparency around discipline and safety practices.

This report discusses the importance of early literacy in order to prepare adolescents to be college and career ready. It states that literacy crosses over into other subject areas such as science and math and problem solving skills in life. The authors suggest that linking instruction to the growing knowledge base on literacy and using current outcome data and best practices can help bridge this gap and lead to more prepared students.

This fact sheet is intended to provide a snapshot of the current issues surrounding dropout factors among students who are identified with emotional disturbance, as well as to provide mental health resources that may assist this population to remain in high school.

This practice-based review from the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center provides a summary of research that examines the impact of transition planning/coordinating interventions on the transition and transition-related outcomes of high school aged students with disabilities. Results provide support for the use of student planning and student development interventions.

This data brief from the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) provides findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2). It presents a national overview of the planning process involved in helping students with disabilities make the transition from high school to life after high school. Results indicate that there is variability in the extent to which laws and best practices regarding the transition planning process are followed.

This meta-analysis of 30 studies examines whether social and/or communicative skills interventions helped to improve transition or transition related outcomes in high school aged students with disabilities. Results showed 1) little support for interventions aimed at augmentative and alternative communication; 2) modest support for interventions focused on the acquisition of conversation skills or social skills training. The authors were unable to conduct a meta-analysis of Interventions designed to reduce inappropriate social behaviors.

This practice-based literature review from the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) provides a summary of research, from the past 20 years, that examines the impact of functional/life skills curricular interventions on high school-aged students with disabilities. Findings provide tentative support for the impact of these interventions on transition-related outcomes. Implications for practice are discussed.