Institute of Education Sciences supported special education research featured on Capitol Hill.
On March 4, 2016 APA co-sponsored a congressional briefing titled “Transitioning to Adult Productivity: Supporting Secondary Students with Disabilities in Successful Movement to College and Career.” The briefing highlighted educational and psychological special education research funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the research arm of the Department of Education. The briefing was held, in part, to educate congressional staff about the importance of IES-funded research, including the need for support for IES’s National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) that since 2011 has seen a budget reduction of over 30 percent.
Mary Wagner, a Principal Scientist from SRI International presented data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), which provides a national picture of the experiences and achievements of young people as they transition into early adulthood. The NLTS-2 points to significant progress for transitioning youth with disabilities including in areas such as high school completion, enrollment in college, and career and technical education programs/schools. However, benefits were not equally distributed across disability types or racial, ethnic, socioeconomic backgrounds. Findings also suggest the need to prioritize policies that emphasize increasing high school graduation rates and providing effective, appropriately timed transition planning for students.
David Test, a Professor of Special Education at of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, presented information on the CIRCLES program, an interagency collaboration linking school, community, and student based supports as key components to improve post-secondary school education and employment outcomes for students with disabilities. Researchers found that CIRCLES improved student participation in individualized education program planning and use of skills in school settings, increased parent engagement in children’s transition planning, and facilitated collaboration between schools and community agencies.
Psychologist Laurie Powers, a professor at the Portland State University School of Social Work, discussed her research on the My Life intervention that focuses on improving transition to adulthood through enhancing self-determination skills (e.g., goal setting, planning, problem solving) for students in foster care with disabilities. Students who completed My Life experienced a wide range of positive outcomes in self-determination, engagement in educational and transition planning, and mental health, as well as transitional milestones such as high school completion, postsecondary participation, and employment. My Life has been incorporated into the What Works Clearinghouse and was recognized by the Center for the Study of Social Policy.
Erik Carter, a Professor in the Department Special Education at Vanderbilt University, presented his work on Project Summer, which connects youth with severe disabilities to early work experiences during the summer months. By linking factors such as community supports, employer liaisons, and focused-planning activities, youth with disabilities were more successful in obtaining paid jobs and volunteer opportunities that those who did not participate in the program. Holding a paid job during high school is one factor that can increase the likelihood of these students working after high school.
The briefing was moderated by Deborah Ziegler of the Council for Exceptional Children and sponsored by the Friends of IES, and group of nearly 30 scientific associations, professional organizations and institutions that encourage federal investment in IES to conduct the highest quality education research, data collection, evaluation, and dissemination.
In addition to APA, principal Friends of IES co-sponsors for this briefing included the American Education Research Association, Consortium of Social Science Associations, Council for Exceptional Children, Knowledge Alliance, National Center for Learning Disabilities, SRI International, and Vanderbilt University.
For more information please contact Craig Fisher of the APA Science Directorate’s Government Relations Office.