Critical Program Elements in Transition to Adulthood: Comparative Analysis of New York State and the NLTS2
Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals
Published online on March 04, 2013
Abstract
Access to effective and comprehensive transition programming is pivotal to transition of youth with disabilities to work and independent living. Successful programs often blend key ingredients, including individualized educational planning, career development, work experiences in secondary school, and interagency partnerships/collaborations. Through a comparative analysis of the New York State transition program data, and the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) data, this study empirically demonstrated the simultaneous contributions of various transition program elements to student postsecondary outcomes using mediation models. In addition, the technique of using propensity score analysis for balancing the two comparison cohorts, applied in this study, contributes to the arsenal of analytical techniques for evaluating the impact of transition to adulthood programs.