POSTSCHOOL OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE FOLLOWING BEST-PRACTICE TRANSITION SERVICES

Six best practices-vocational intervention, paid work experience, soci al skills curriculum, interagency collaboration, parent involvement, a nd individualized plans/planning-were linked to postschool outcomes of employment and community adjustment for students with significant emo tional disturbance (SED). Telephone and in-person interviews were cond ucted with 30 (57%) of 53 former students who had participated in supp orted employment and entrepreneurial education transition grant projec ts between 1989 and 1994. The former students answered questions about their employment, residential situations, community involvement, recr eational pursuits, and citizenship activities 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after leaving school. Univariate analyses of individual int erventions and student outcomes showed that students out of school for 6 months who had been employed for long periods of time while in scho ol had higher rates of employment than those who had not worked. Stude nts out of school for 1 year whose parents were actively involved in t heir educational programs were more likely than their peers with uninv olved parents to have a successful community adjustment Recommendation s for further study include pursuing the development of appropriate de finitions and assessment of transition services and interventions and exploring further interventions over which educators have direct contr ol.