This study examined the employment status of 1,393 former special education students who had exited from 37 of Alabama's 128 school systems between 1996-2000. These 37 school systems served as demonstration sites through the state's transition systems change grant. Follow-up telephone interviews revealed that 73% (N=1,013) of these former students were employed one year after exit. Using a hierarchical logistic regression analysis, there was an 87% probability that these students would be employed one year after high school if they held a job at the time they exited school. Other significant findings include the relationship between employment status and gender, disability, and urban or rural setting. The probability of the student having a job one year after high school, for example, was greater if the student was male, had a learning disability, was from an urban school, and had a job at the time of school exit. In contrast, the probability of employment was less likely for females with a disability other than a learning disability, from rural schools, and without a job at the end of high school. These findings suggest that students with disabilities can benefit from participating in paid work experiences during high school and that females in rural settings need better transition planning and programs.

This study examined factors predictive of dropping out of high school for students with learning disabilities (LD) and mental retardation (MR). The sample was composed of 228 students with LD or MR who dropped out of school and 228 students with LD or MR who had not dropped out. Two sets of predictor variables (student demographics and interview responses) were analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression analysis in terms of their relationship to the outcome variable of dropout. The variables retained in the final model were learning disability, helpful person, helpful class, and general preparation. Specifically, the probability of dropping out for a student with LD who did not feel he or she was being prepared for life after high school and did not identify a helpful class and a helpful person was .86, compared to .16 for a student with MR who did find a particular class and person helpful and felt that school was preparing him or her for desired outcomes. Implications of the results are discussed.

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This study examined responses from the Alabama Post-School Transition Survey to determine how students with and without disabilities compare in postschool outcomes. Responses provided information about the students' employment, residence, postsecondary education and training, barriers, perceptions of high school preparation, and interests and activities. Students with and without disabilities provided significantly different responses related to their personal interests and activities, postsecondary education and training, and residence. Students with and without disabilities provided similar responses to the questions related to high school preparation, employment, and barriers encountered since leaving high school. Implications of similarities and differences are discussed.

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