Program Announcement: Transition Outcomes for Special Education Secondary Students CFDA 84.324A

Program Officer:
Dr. Robert Ochsendorf
Robert.Ochsendorf@ed.gov
(202) 219-2234

Purpose

The purpose of the research program on Transition Outcomes for Special Education Secondary Students (Transition) is to contribute to the improvement of transition outcomes for secondary students with disabilities. Transition outcomes include the behavioral, social, communicative, functional, occupational, and academic skills that enable young adults with disabilities to obtain and hold meaningful employment, live independently, and obtain further training and education (e.g., postsecondary education, vocational education programs). Through the Transition program, the Institute intends to support research to: (1) explore malleable factors¹ (e.g., transition services, students' competencies) that are associated with better transition outcomes for secondary students with disabilities, as well as mediators or moderators of the effects of these practices, for the purpose of identifying potential targets of intervention; (2) develop innovative interventions to improve the transition outcomes of secondary students with disabilities; (3) establish the efficacy of fully developed interventions for improving the transition outcomes of secondary students with disabilities; (4) provide evidence on the effectiveness of interventions for improving the transition outcomes of secondary students with disabilities when implemented at scale; and (5) develop and validate measures that assess skills predictive of successful transition outcomes for secondary students with disabilities.

The long-term outcome of this program will be an array of tools and strategies (e.g., assessments, intervention programs) that have been documented to be effective in improving transition outcomes for secondary students with disabilities.