Lizanne DeStefano

Implementing the IDEA Transition Mandates

A policy study initiated in 1996 investigated implementation of the transition mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in nine sites across the United States. Five sites were identified as model sites because they had a national reputation for effective implementation of transition policies and practices, while four were identified as representative sites demonstrating progress in the face of challenges typically associated with local level implementation. Visits to each site included in-depth interviews, observations, and document reviews. Following the visits, procedures associated with qualitative inquiry were used to prepare individual summary reports and conduct a cross-case analysis. Results of the cross-case analysis are presented, including factors supporting and posing challenges to implementation.

Teacher Decision Making in Participation of Students with Disabilities in Large-Scale Assessment

This article reports on the findings of a study to test the effectiveness of an intervention with teachers and administrators to improve decision making regarding participation and accommodation for students with disabilities in large-scale assessments. Using a pretest/posttest, multiple measures design involving more than 80 teachers, the study assessed the impact of training on teachers knowledge and confidence about participation and accommodation, accommodation decisions for hypothetical students, and actual accommodation decisions the following year. Results indicate that after training, there was a stronger relationship among participation/accommodation, curriculum, and instructional needs. Teachers expressed high confidence in their ability to make accommodation decisions after training.

Transition Policies, Practices, and Promises: Lessons from Three States

A policy study conducted from 1992 to 1994 investigated how three states have implemented transition services for youth with disabilities. The three states were identified as exemplary in their achievements related to designing and implementing transition policies and services. A research team reviewed relevant documents and conducted approximately 74 interviews with key policymakers and implementors. Qualitative data analysis procedures were used to develop a case study report for each site; a cross-case analysis compared policies and practices across the three states. The analysis found seven themes which were identified as contributing to the successful initiation and continuation of transition policies, practices, and services.

An Analysis of Exemplary Transition Programs: How and Why Are They Selected?.

SINCE THE EARLY 1980s, educators, researchers, and policymakers have been investigating the concept of transition from school to community in an attempt to improve the post-school outcomes of individuals with disabilities. Furthermore, in the last decade transition services for youths with disabilities have received federal priority throughout the United States. In fact, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990, IDEA (P.L. 101-476), mandated transition services for all students in special education age 16 and older. Such increased focus and activity surrounding transition have resulted in the publication of a number of empirical and theoretical studies concerned with best practices in transition. The most frequently cited &dquo;best practices&dquo; include inter-

A Comparison of Successful and Unsuccessful Placements of Youths with Mental Handicaps into Competitive Employment.

Abstract We compared 54 matched pairs of high school students and young adults with mental retardation. One member of each pair had remained successfully employed for 10 or more hours per week at minimum wage or better for at least 6 months, and the other had not. Placement counselors, trainers, or supervisors completed case study questionnaires about their students (or clients). The results indicated successful placements in a variety of positions and communities across the nation. The most important elements contributing to this success are placement agency follow‐up support; home support; the individuals job skills, social ability, and match to job demands; the creativity and persistence of the placement specialist; incentive to employers (e.g., tax credits and employment subsidies) and employers support of the placement.

Dialogue as a Democratizing Evaluation Method

Looking at dialogue from the intersection of theory and practice, we present our view of dialogue as a democratizing practice. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we compared and contrasted our notions against data we collected. Our analyses of the two case studies suggest power relations, the identity of the evaluator, and the skills needed to facilitate dialogue, are problematic, including virtual dialogue. The evaluator needs to be more than an expert. Knowing the theory of dialogue in evaluation was not sufficient to understand these two cases. Instead we saw in each instance, the evaluator drew on tacit skills to keep the dialogue going. These skills were developed in the ‘thick of practice’. But more importantly, these cases show how the evaluator must privilege the dialogical process to keep it going.

Developing a new digital forensics curriculum

We are developing a new undergraduate certificate program in digital forensics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To create a curriculum consistent with the fundamentally multidisciplinary nature of the field of digital forensics, we assembled a curriculum development team that includes domain experts from the fields of computer science, law, social science, psychology, and accounting. To lower the entry barrier preventing institutions from adopting digital forensics programs, we are designing the curriculum with the express intent of distributing it as a self-contained curriculum package with everything needed to teach the course. When complete, our program will consist of an introductory and an advanced course in digital forensics, with accompanying hands-on labs. At the time of writing, we have developed the curriculum for our introductory course and taught a pilot class, and we are in the process of revising the curriculum for distribution to other institutions. This paper describes our programs goals, methodology, and rationale; our experience developing and teaching our new curriculum; and the revisions we are making based on this experience and feedback from our students.

Evaluating Effectiveness: A Comparison of Federal Expectations and Local Capabilities for Evaluation among Federally Funded Model Demonstration Programs.

The scenario of a federal funding source mandating the conduct and reporting of program evaluation activities has become increasingly prevalent in education over the last two decades. Using the distinction between signaling (Zucker, 1981) and charged use (King & Pechman, 1984), this article examines the issues that arose when a particular set of federally funded model demonstration projects, secondary/transition projects funded by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, were obligated by federal initiative to improve the amount, quality, and use of evaluation. These issues are organized into two areas: (a) the nature of federal expectations and need for evaluation data and (b) the extent of local capabilities to meet those expectations and provide evaluative data. Regulatory and methodological implications of the discrepancy between federal expectations and local capabilities are discussed.

Outcome Assessment in Special Education: Implications for Decision-making and Long-Term Planning In Vocational Rehabilitation:

In recent years, state and federal legislators, practitioners and families have expressed concern about the educational, occupational, and independent living status of individuals with disabilities after leaving school, and the impact of special education programming on those outcomes. These groups also have stated a need to measure the educational skills and outcomes that students attain during their school careers. These interests were recognized in 1983, when the U.S. Congress mandated that the Department of Education commission a nationwide study to measure, for the first time, the achievements of special education students in the areas of education, employment, and independence (2). Similarly, in its report, The Education of Students with Disabilities: Where Do We Stand? (3), the National Council on Disability encouraged a focus on achieving and assessing advancements in educational quality and student outcomes, rather than a more limited emphasis on the processes and procedures for assuring access to a public education. The reporting requirements of the latest reauthorization of EHA, PL 101-476, reflect this shift, as states are being asked to report data on the school leaving status and anticipated service needs of special education exiters.

Issues in the Evaluation of a Multi-Site Federal Systems Change Initiative.

This article describes an attempt to evaluate the transition systems change initiative under trying but typical circumstances. Given a large number of geographically dispersed sites, each with quite different goals, activities, and impacts, the evaluators were charged with the task of describing and assessing the impact of the entire initiative. Though each of the funded sites were conducting their own evaluations, the scope and focus of these evaluations varied greatly. The evaluation described in this paper was designed to assess the common impacts and unique accomplishments of this array of projects, making maximum use of existing data and minimizing the burden on project directors for new data collection. The design was participatory, involving project directors in planning the evaluation, reporting and reflecting on their own project impact, and validating the evaluation findings. It is hoped that the design of the evaluation might be applicable to similar large scale, multi-site initiatives.