Transition Planning in Special Education Transition planning is one of the most critical components of effective special education policy and program design. In fact, transition planning is required by law, ensconced in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Carter, Brock & Trainor, 2012). Due to IDEA’s provisions for special education transition planning, the number of students with disabilities and special needs enrolling in colleges and universities has increased (Hamblet, 2014). Successful transition planning should also include college-level supports that extend special education services. As Hamblet (2014) points out, students with disabilities have a much lower rate of college completion rates versus the general population. Transition planning in special education warrants further study to improve outcomes for students with special needs whose successes in high school can and should carry over into higher education.

Self-Determination

One of the prevailing themes in the research on transition planning in special education is the role of self-determination. Self-determination has been shown to be instrumental in adult success in terms of employment achievement and community integration after the completion of high school (Shogren, Wehmeyer, Palmer, et al., 2013). Therefore, effective transition planning strategies aim to stimulate self-determination and self-efficacy. Self-determination can be cultivated through...

Employment training during high school may also help to increase self-efficacy, which is linked to self-determination in terms of empowering the student to make choices that reflect their interests, needs, and strengths (Wehman, Sima, Ketchum, et al., 2015).
Expanding School-Family Partnerships

School-family partnerships are a key variable in student success, and especially with students with special needs. Stronger school-family partnerships can improve parental expectations of children with special needs; and positive parental expectation is in itself linked to student success (Wehman, Sima, Ketchum, et al., 2015). However, school-family partnerships also need to become more robust, including the input of siblings who are a critical part of the student’s social support system. As Hagiwara, Palmer & Hancock (2018) found, siblings are “frequently neglected members of family–school partnerships” even though “siblings of students with disabilities have many unique insights to offer, particularly during the transition planning,” (p. 1). In fact, research continually shows the importance of including input from multiple individuals or stakeholders in the lives of the student with special needs (Carter, Brock & Trainor, 2012). Of course, parents and teachers also have valuable input…