Impacts of an Inclusive School-to-Work Program (original) (raw)

Holt High School (Michigan) has implemented a school to work transition for its 1,200 students, including 120 students with mild to severe disabilities. The Holt Transition System is based on a taxonomy of five domains: student development, student-focused planning, interagency collaboration, family involvement, and program structure and attributes. The system includes a School-To-Work Mentorship Program, taught as an elective by collaborating general education and special education teachers. It offers planned, comprehensive, community-based experiences. Adults and agencies from the community share information about careers and help in individual vocational assessment. School personnel and students develop a career plan and acquire basic vocational skills. Students with learning and behavioral challenges are provided with a job coach. To investigate program effects, the interviews and journals of 25 students (8 with disabilities, 7 at-risk, and 10 nondisabled) were analyzed as were reflective papers of core team members. Results indicated the program had important effects on students' employability, social skills, and self-determination skills. The importance of specific supports and services was confirmed, including shared vision by parents, teachers, employers, and agency personnel; provision of a variety of experiences(with accommodations) in different occupations; willingness to collaborate; administration support; a job coach for students with disabilities and at-risk students; and support from nondisabled peers. (Contains 21 references.) (DB)