Transition Planning: Improved Methods to Promote Student Success from High School to the Workforce

Many students dream about the day when they will be able to leave their childhood behind, enter the workforce, begin to enter adulthood, and make some decisions for themselves. Often they measure what they are learning by how often they will use the information later in life. Although some argue that students should learn for learning‘s sake, others say that for many students with disabilities who have found learning to be difficult, learning for learning‘s sake is not helpful in terms of post-high school outcomes (Thoma, Held, & Saddler, 2002). This is one reason why a focus on transition from school to adult lifestyle is so important, and particularly why students with disabilities need to be actively involved in gathering important information that they will use to shape their adults lifestyles. Often times, the future for this population of students is shaped with the assistance and support of their teachers, parents, and other supporters on their transition planning committees.

More recent literature recommends that students‘ self-determination be an integral part of the transition planning process (Field, Hoffman, & Spezia, 1998; Wehmeyer & Schwartz, 1997).