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School Districts
Ensuring that students leave high school prepared for postsecondary education and productive careers is a national priority. The U.S. Department of Education's National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012) is an important part of the effort to achieve this goal. The transition to adulthood is a challenging time for all youth. Barriers to effective transitions can impede students' future academic and employment opportunities, especially among youth with special needs or those who are struggling in school and need additional supports to succeed. NLTS 2012 seeks to understand how youth navigate this important period in their lives.
This important study will examine the experiences of a national group of students. Specifically, it will identify both the specific challenges youth encounter in their transition to adulthood and the factors that facilitate successful transitions.
A designated member of the study team works with each district to coordinate participation in the study. Beginning in wave 1 of data collection in spring 2012, easy-to-complete questionnaires have been used to collect information directly from students, parents, teachers, and principals in a safe and confidential manner. The wave 1 data collection effort continues through summer 2013, and wave 2 is planned for spring-fall 2014. The study will also include in-person assessments of youth and collection of their school transcripts as part of wave 2, if the parent and student both agree to this portion of the study.
These brief interactions with a national sample of school districts will provide useful data to help educators and policymakers address barriers to successful transitions and improve the lives of young adults.
Below are common questions school districts may have about the study. Please click on the questions below to obtain more information about each topic.
What does participation involve?
Benefits of district participation
What does participation involve?
Over 400 school districts participate in NLTS 2012. District participation involves two primary activities:
- Providing necessary information for the study team to randomly select a small group of students (ages 13 to 21) to invite to participate in the study, and identifying the teachers and principals of these students.
- Providing school records for students who agree (with parental consent) to share this information with the study.
Study participants will include students, their parents or guardians, and one or two of their teachers. For each school in your district from which students have been selected for the study, we will also request that the school principal complete a survey.
Teachers and principals will be asked to complete a web-based questionnaire; parents and students will be interviewed over the phone or be sent a survey to complete over the web. When the students are approximately 16 to 18 years old, they will also be asked to participate in an assessment designed to gauge their academic skills.
Data collection efforts are extended if parents of selected students do not respond. In spring 2013, trained field interviewers may try to complete surveys in person or offer surveys to be done on paper.
Benefits of district participation
Over the course of the study, we will make available resources related to transition issues and research tools that will allow participating districts and schools to answer questions of interest about their programs and the experiences of their students and families. These will include webinars, issue forums, and other online resources related to transition issues as well as a tool for districts to collect and analyze their own data. Please ask a study team member about these resources.
Study timeline
Initial outreach to districts began in spring 2011 to discuss the study, and wave 1 of data collection took place in spring 2012 and continues to summer 2013. Data collection will continue in wave 2 through 2014. The following data collection activities are planned through 2014:
| Wave 1: Spring 2012–Summer 2013 | Wave 2: Spring 2014 | Wave 2: Spring–Fall 2014 |
| Survey of Principals Survey of Students and Parents Survey of Special Education Teachers Survey of General Education Teachers (math or language arts) |
Survey of Principals Survey of Students and Parents Survey of Special Education Teachers Survey of General Education (math or language arts) Academic assessments of students |
Collection of school records from districts |
Confidentiality
In compliance with federal regulations, all information collected from students, parents, teachers, principals, and school districts will be kept confidential and will only be used for research purposes. No information identifying any individual, school, or district will be made public or shared outside the study. The reports prepared for the study will summarize findings across large groups of participants.
For more information
More detailed information on the NLTS 2012 study, research design, data collection activities, data security, and other questions or concerns can be obtained by contacting the study team directly.