Michael R. Benz

School-to-Work Components That Predict Postschool Success for Students with and without Disabilities:

This article examines recent efforts to improve the school-to-work transition process for all students. This study examined the extent to which the instructional components and skill outcomes associated with school-to-work programs actually predict better postschool outcomes for students with and without disabilities. Findings provide general support for the school-based and work-based instructional components envisioned as part of a comprehensive school-to-work program—-particularly an emphasis on academic skills, work experience while in school, and continuing support for 1 year postschool. Recommendations emphasize building school-to-work programs for all students in a manner that serves each student equally well.

National Prevalence Rates of Bully Victimization Among Students With Disabilities in the United States

This study examined the prevalence rates of bully victimization and risk for repeated victimization among students with disabilities using the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 longitudinal datasets. Results revealed that a prevalence rate ranging from 24.5% in elementary school to 34.1% in middle school. This is one to one and a half times the national average for students without disabilities. The rate of bully victimization was highest for students with emotional disturbance across school levels. Findings from this study also indicated that students with disabilities who were bullied once were at high risk of being bullied repeatedly. Elementary and middle school students with autism and high school students with orthopedic impairments were at the greatest risk of experiencing repeated victimization. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Giving Parents a Voice: A Qualitative Study of the Challenges Experienced by Parents of Children With Disabilities

BACKGROUND This study sought to examine the specific sources of challenges as identified by parents of children with disabilities. METHOD Focus groups were conducted with 40 parent caregivers. Data gathered were coded into themes which were then analyzed through an intentional process of data reduction that resulted in the cross site validation of four superordinate themes. RESULTS Four themes emerged as the most prominent barriers to positive parent wellbeing: (a) access to information and services, (b) financial barriers, (c) school and community inclusion, and (d) family support. These four themes are indicative of problems associated with a lack of match between caregiver needs and services, resources, or support available in the community to meet those needs. CONCLUSION Caring for a child with a disability can be challenging, but many of these challenges are likely due to a lack of necessary environmental supports. Future research should expand on these findings and policy makers, scientists and providers should give particular attention to the environmental support needs of parents in order to create policies and interventions that are more family-centered.

Predicting Participation in Postsecondary Education for School Leavers with Disabilities

This study examined predictors of participation in postsecondary education for school leavers with disabilities, using instruments, procedures, and logistic regression analyses that were used in an original study. Both studies found six predictors to be associated with participation in postsecondary education: (a) high scores on a functional achievement inventory, (b) completing instruction successfully in certain relevant curricular areas, (c) participating in transition planning (d) parent satisfaction and (e) student satisfaction with instruction received by the student, and (f) parent perception that the student no longer needed help in certain critical skill areas.

PREDICTING THE ARREST STATUS OF ADOLESCENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN TRANSITION

The purposes of this study were to (a) explore predictors of arrest status with a sample of adolescents with disabilities while in school and (b) examine whether predictors of in-school arrest status would also predict arrest status 1 year out of school. Student and parent interviews were conducted while students were still in school and then 1 year after leaving school. Logistic regression analyses revealed an association between demonstrating lower personal/social-achievement skills and being arrested. In addition, gender and disability status each was associated with being arrested: Males with disabilities were more likely than females with disabilities to be arrested sometime in their school career and 1 year out of school; individuals identified with serious emotional disturbance (SED) or specific learning disabilities (SLD) were more likely to be arrested sometime in their school career and 1 year out of school than individuals with disabilities who were not identified as SED or SLD. Furthermore, being arrested at least once while in school was a powerful predictor of being arrested 1 year out of school. Finally, persons who were identified as SLD and who had dropped out of school were substantially more likely to be arrested 1 year out of school than persons with disabilities with only one of these characteristics.

Employment Inequality Revisited: Predictors of Better Employment Outcomes for Young Women with Disabilities in Transition

Young women with disabilities are more likely to experience poorer postschool employment outcomes than young men with disabilities. This study explores factors associated with better employment outcomes for both young women and young men with disabilities, and factors associated uniquely with better outcomes for young women. Findings indicate that two factors predict better outcomes for both young women and young men with disabilities: having two or more job experiences while in high school, and having used the self-family-friend network to find their postschool job. Females who came from a family with a low household annual income, who had low self-esteem at the time of exit from high school, and who fit both of these characteristics were much less likely to be competitively employed out of school than females who did not fit these characteristics. These variables did not affect the employment status of males in the study. Implications for both practice and research are discussed.

A Statewide Examination of Secondary Special Education for Students with Mild Disabilities: Implications for the High School Curriculum:

This article reports the partial findings of a statewide survey of high school special education programs for students with mild disabilities. The focus of this article is on the curriculum. Three sources of information were tapped for this study: (a) special education administrators, (b) high school special education teachers, and (c) parents of high school students with mild disabilities. The return rates were very high: 91%, 89%, and 45% of the three groups, respectively. Four basic topics concerning the curriculum were investigated: (a) its focus and content, (b) discrepancies between availability and utilization, (c) barriers to mainstreaming, and (d) conditions required for improvement. Both data and recommendations with respect to these topics are presented.

Phases of Career Development: Case Studies of Young Women with Learning Disabilities

This study investigates the career development process for young women with learning disabilities. Case study methodology was utilized to understand the key elements influencing career choices for young women with learning disabilities who had graduated from high school and entered the workforce. Case study findings revealed three distinct phases of career development that were labeled (a) unsettled, (b) exploratory, and (c) focused. Phases of career development varied along two dimensions—stability of employment and clarity of career goals. Key elements that seemed to influence the phases of career development included individual motivation and personal determination, family support and advocacy, opportunities for career exploration, on-the-job or postsecondary vocational training, and supportive work environments.

Vocational and Transition Services Needed and Received by Students with Disabilities during Their Last Year of High School.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL of special education-successful transition from school to the community-has only been marginally achieved throughout our country. The numerous follow-up studies conducted throughout the decade of the 1980s have depicted a consistently discouraging picture of the post-school status of school leavers with disabilities. These studies have also documented that certain subgroups of young adults with disabilities are often at even greater risk of failure, including for example: females (Haring & Lovett, 1990a; Hasazi, Gordon, & Roe, 1985; Scuccimarra & Speece, 1990; Sitlington & Frank, 1990), and young adults with mental retardation (Edgar, 1987; Frank, Sitlington, Cooper, & Cool, 1990; Haring & Lovett, 1990b). To a much lesser extent, this research has also suggested that school programs can influence positively the post-school outcomes, especially vocational outcomes, of students with disabilities. There is some

Sustaining Secondary Transition Programs in Local Schools

This article reports on factors that influence the sustainability of secondary transition innovations in local schools. We used a two-stage research process, which combined broad survey methods and an embedded case study design, to investigate the sustainability of a specific school-to-community transition model for youth with disabilities. We found that sustainability of comprehensive secondary transition innovations is increased when local programs (a) have the support of at least one key administrator, (b) produce positive student outcomes that are valued by school and community stakeholders, and (c) create a clear and unique role for their services that meets identified needs within the district. Program staff and administrators can increase the likelihood of these events occurring and of local programs being sustained. Implications for developing secondary transition innovations to support greater integration and sustainability in local schools are discussed.