The Department of Education. Labor’s Employment and Training  Administration oversees the implementation of the Workforce Investment  Act of 1998. The Workforce Investment Act promotes partnerships among  diverse programs and community representatives, including educational  institutions. SSA implements the Ticket  program, established under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives  Improvement Act of 1999. Completion rates for IDEA youth remained stable over recent  years despite concerns that states’ increasing use of high school exit  examinations would result in higher dropout rates. IDEA youth who leave  high school without a standard diploma have some options for entering  employment or postsecondary education, but national data on their  postsecondary status are over a decade old. A Majority of IDEA Youth Complete High School with a Diploma, but Differences Exist among Disability Types

During the 2000-01 school year, 57 percent of IDEA youth completed high  school with a standard diploma and an additional 11 percent completed  high school with an alternative credential. Students with some types of  disabilities were much less likely to complete high school with a standard  diploma, receiving alternative credentials or dropping out instead. Selection of students. States and local education agencies are  addressing some of the reported problems related to education and work  experiences youth receive while in school; however, transportation  problems are less likely to be addressed at the state and local level. State  Directors of Special Education are generally satisfied with assistance  provided to them by Education in addressing transition issues at the state  and local level, but some expressed concerns about the timeliness of  federal feedback on their state improvement plans and inconsistency in  the quality of technical assistance provided by federal Regional Resource  Centers. Poor Linkages between Schools and Youth Service Providers and Other Problems Impeding IDEA Youth Transition Have Been Partially Addressed at the State and Local Level

Discussions with students, parents, teachers, and others during our site  visits revealed that a variety of transition problems still remain that have  been consistently reported by these groups in past surveys and published  studies. States have taken some actions to provide this knowledge to parents. The VR, WIA, and Ticket Programs Provide Transition Services, but Several Factors May Limit the Number of IDEA Youth Who Use Them

The VR, WIA, and Ticket programs all offer services that can aid some  IDEA youth in their transition to postsecondary education or employment. While the federal agencies administering these programs are not required  to track how many IDEA youth use them, several factors may impede  participation by the IDEA populations that are eligible for services. Three factors that may limit IDEA youth participation include   (1) limitations in program capacity to serve the eligible population seeking  services, (2) youth and family fears that employment income may  jeopardize access to other public assistance, and (3) a lack of awareness  about the availability of the transition resources. Fear of losing public assistance. Lack of awareness of available federal services. Recommendations for Executive Action

To expand the availability and use of data on the postsecondary  employment and education status of IDEA youth, we are recommending  that Education collect and disseminate information to states on sound  strategies for collecting these data and appropriately using these data for  program improvement.
Why GAO Did This Study

States receive federal funds under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to help students with disabilities reach their postsecondary goals, and various federal programs offer services that can assist these youth. However, research has documented that youth with disabilities are less likely to transition into postsecondary education and employment. Congress requested that GAO provide information on (1) the proportion of IDEA students completing high school with a diploma or alternative credentials, and their postsecondary status; (2) the transition problems being reported and state and local actions to address them; and (3) the types of transition services provided by the vocational rehabilitation, the Workforce Investment Act youth, and the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency programs, and the factors affecting participation of IDEA youth.

What GAO Found

Of all IDEA youth who left high school during the 2000-01 school year, 57 percent received a standard diploma and an additional 11 percent received an alternative credential. High school completion patterns of IDEA youth have remained stable over recent years despite concerns that states' increasing use of exit examinations would result in higher dropout rates. Students with some types of disabilities were much less likely, however, to complete high school with a standard diploma, receiving an alternative credential or dropping out instead. IDEA youth without a diploma have some options for entering employment or postsecondary education, but national data on their post-school status are over a decade old. Twenty-one states routinely track students' post-school status, but these data have some limitations. While most states used post-school data for program improvement purposes such as monitoring service delivery, some officials indicated that guidance was needed on how to best collect and use these data. A variety of transition problems, such as lack of vocational training and poor linkages between schools and service providers, have been consistently reported by students, parents, and others. While state and local educational agencies have taken actions to address some of the problems, other problems such as lack of transportation are less likely to be addressed at the state level. While state Directors of Special Education reported being generally satisfied with assistance provided to them by the Department of Education in addressing transition issues, some expressed concerns about the timeliness of the federal feedback on their state improvement plans and inconsistency in the quality of technical assistance provided by the six federal Regional Resource Centers. The vocational rehabilitation (VR) program, the Workforce Investment Act youth program (WIA), and the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency (Ticket) program all offer an array of employment and education-related services that can aid some IDEA youth. However, several factors may impede participation by the IDEA populations that are eligible for services. The lack of participation may be explained in part by the insufficient capacity of the VR and WIA programs to serve eligible populations requesting services, and potential concerns of Ticket participants about losing public assistance because of employment income. A general lack of awareness by youth and families of these programs may also limit participation.