Kara A. Hirano

Family Engagement Within Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Parent educational involvement is an important avenue for enhancing student outcomes. Schools seek myriad ways to include families; however, the parent involvement practices used by schools lack coordination and are disconnected from existing school approaches. Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic and coordinated framework used in more than 19,000 schools to support student behavior. Despite its success, PBIS implementation underemphasizes comprehensive systems for engaging families. The purpose of this article is to present a framework of family engagement within PBIS. The purpose of coordinating and sequencing family engagement within PBIS is to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, and durability of PBIS by supporting students across settings. Furthermore, this model extends current parent involvement frameworks by coordinating systematic family engagement in education.

A Conceptual Model for Parent Involvement in Secondary Special Education

Parent educational involvement has been demonstrated to be a predictor of in-school and post-school success for all students, including students with disabilities. However, traditional models of parent involvement tend to focus on academic-oriented indicators of success whereas transition models tend to focus on post-school outcomes with limited parent roles. The purpose of this article is to propose a model of parent involvement that addresses the limitations of current approaches by (a) integrating transition and traditional academic-focused models of parent involvement, (b) incorporating predictors of post-school success, and (c) accounting for the continued role parents play in the lives of their adult children.

“Just Having a Job”: Career Advancement for Low-Wage Workers With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

This study examined career development and early employment experiences for four young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Researchers used a multiple-method, multiple case-study longitudinal design to explore career development within the context of family systems, high school and transition programs, adult services, and early and continued experiences in the labor market. Data sources included school and rehabilitation records, job observations, and interviews with young adults, family members, high school special education personnel, employers, and adult agency staff (N = 39). During the early career years, participants maintained stable employment, but earned annual wages well under the federal poverty line. Employment opportunities seemed to be influenced by family advocacy and expectations, school-based work experiences, job development services, and work environments.

Assessing Transition Skills in the 21st Century.

T EA C H IN G E xc ep ti on al C hi ld re n , V ol . 47 , N o. 6 , pp . 30 1 – 30 9. C op yr ig ht 2 01 5 T he A ut ho r( s) . D O I: 1 0. 11 77 /0 04 00 59 91 55 87 67 0 Ms. Quincy and Ms. Lorenzo are special education teachers at Cato Town High School. Ms. Quincy is a veteran teacher who has worked with students with various disabilities and a range of support needs (e.g., specific learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder) throughout her career. Ms. Lorenzo, in her first year of teaching, is mentored by Ms. Quincy. Lately, Ms. Lorenzo has been asking questions about the components of the transition assessment process. Specifically, Ms. Lorenzo does not know where to begin to determine what to assess, where to find assessments, and how to make use of assessment data when developing transition plans. As a result of the demanding 21st-century workforce, local education agencies are beginning to refocus and retool to ensure students with disabilities have the knowledge and skills to be productive adults and attain positive postschool outcomes. The skills 21st-century transition assessments address are relevant to teachers and students given the need for all students to be college and career ready. However, there is evidence that practitioners are not familiar with the transition assessment process—a process that is essential to supporting students in developing the skills they need to achieve their college, career, and life goals. When considering the transition assessment process, it is important for teachers to be aware of the multitude of skills that can be assessed to provide a comprehensive picture of a student’s abilities and needs. In the 21st century, conducting transition assessments with all students is beneficial. Transition assessments (e.g., vocational, career, selfdetermination, independent living, college readiness) provide teachers with information to ensure all students are college and career ready. Specifically, the Blueprint for Reform (hereafter Blueprint; U.S. Department of Education, 2010) outlined a plan for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and called for “better assessments” and “a complete education” for all students, including students with disabilities. Related to better assessment, the Blueprint called for assessments aligned with college and career success (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). The transition assessment process consists of five separate but interconnected processes (see Figure 1): determining what to assess, selecting appropriate assessments, conducting assessments, analyzing assessment results, and using assessment data. Transition assessment is an ongoing process of collecting information on a student’s strengths, interests, preferences, skills or aptitudes, and needs related to current demands and future career, educational, personal, and social environments (Sitlington & Payne, 2004). Transition assessment provides a foundation for defining individualized education program (IEP) goals and transition services and guides instructional decision making. The transition assessment process is strengthened when teachers across the curricula collaborate to conduct transition assessments related to specific content areas (Mazzotti & Rowe, in press). Transition assessment should include four broad topics: academic achievement, self-determination, vocational interest and exploration, and adaptive behavior and independent living (Walker, Kortering, Fowler, Rowe, & Bethune, 2013). Neubert and Leconte (2013) suggested transition assessment information is further strengthened when it includes skills and aptitudes a student has as well as the skills needed to be successful in the next environment. 587670 TCXXXX10.1177/0040059915587670Council for Exceptional ChildrenTEACHING Exceptional Children research-article2015

High School to College: Transition Experiences of Young Adults With Autism

Youth with disabilities are less likely to enroll and complete postsecondary education than their nondisabled peers. Using a qualitative, cross-case design, we investigated the high school to college transition experiences of young adults diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (AS). Data sources included a family questionnaire, review of special education records, and multiple individual interviews (N = 27) with young adults with AS, family members, teachers, and rehabilitation counselors. Social skills, communication, and executive functioning challenges in high school continued into postsecondary education settings. Across cases, five reoccurring themes seemed to influence the transition from high school to postsecondary education: (a) motivation to attend college, (b) high levels of disability awareness, (c) intentional family supports, (d) coordinated transition planning, and (e) clear postschool goals.

Perceptions of Mental Health Concerns for Secondary Students with Disabilities during Transition to Adulthood

This study reports results from a national survey of education and community professionals regarding secondary level students with disabilities who were experiencing mental health concerns. A total of 648 professionals from 49 states completed the on-line survey. Respondents reported that almost half (48%) of their students with disabilities were experiencing some mental health concerns and that these concerns were not always addressed through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and transition planning process provided under federal law. Major barriers to providing effective services included: (a) limited availability of resources; (b) challenging student behaviors; (c) family characteristics and involvement; (d) lack of collaboration between stakeholders; and, (e) need for professional development. Key strategies to improve outcomes included: (a) increasing access to services; (b) developing student skills; (c) involving parents and families; (d) building positive student/teacher relationship; and (e) increasing training and professional development opportunities.

Examining the Status of Transition-Focused Content Within Educator Preparation Programs:

Almost two decades since the last study of how educator preparation programs (EPPs) offer transition-related content to preservice teachers, this study sought to understand if the educator preparation landscape has changed. Given the impact of well-prepared secondary educators on student transition outcomes, reexamining the status of transition-related content within teacher education was warranted. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to query a national sample of EPPs regarding the specific transition content provided and methods for conveying transition content to preservice teacher education students. Results indicated that small changes have occurred over time, with most programs reporting positive perspectives regarding the level of preparation among program graduates. However, the capacity of EPPs to offer high quality and evidence-based transition content appears to be inconsistent. This study emphasizes the need for future research, as well as improved practice within EPPs.

A 16-Year Review of Participant Diversity in Intervention Research Across a Selection of 12 Special Education Journals

Given the continued changes in demographic diversity of students in the United States, it is important to ensure that participants included in special education research reflect the diversity of the classroom. We examined 16 years of intervention research across 12 special education journals to evaluate the extent to which diverse student populations (e.g., race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, English language learner status) were included in published intervention research. We analyzed 495 intervention articles (9.6%) out of 5,180 total articles. Results revealed that progress has been made in the inclusion of diverse participants in special education intervention research compared with previously conducted reviews, yet some racial and ethnic populations are still underrepresented. We discuss strategies for recruitment and retention of underrepresented diverse populations.

Family Engagement in Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation.

The purpose of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to family engagement in schools implementing schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). Participants consisted of 1 representative member each from 204 school PBIS teams across 3 states. Qualitative analysis guided examination of responses to 1 question regarding barriers and 2 questions about facilitators to family engagement. Survey respondents identified key barriers to family engagement as a lack of resources, inconsistent communication, and reluctance of families and school staff to partner. Specified facilitators included communication, PBIS, shared decision-making, and strategies to build relationships with families.

Collaborating to Plan and Implement a Sex Education Curriculum for Individuals With Disabilities

Sex education is not only a necessary component of public school curriculum, but it is also an important opportunity for students with and without disabilities to learn about their own development as emerging adults. Although comprehensive sex education is not federally mandated, many states and districts choose to offer some form of sex education to students. This article describes a five step collaborative process for planning to implement a sex education program to support the needs of students with disabilities.