Building State Capacity: Tools for Analyzing Transition- Related Policies Paula D. Kohler, Ph.D., Western Michigan University National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center

Topics  Effective transition practices  Conceptualizing transition-related policies  Tools for policy planning

Student-Focused Planning Student Development Interagency Collaboration Program Structures Family Involvement Taxonomy for Transition Programming

IEP Development Student Participation Planning Strategies STUDENT-FOCUSED PLANNING PROGRAM STRUCTURES Program Philosophy Program Policy Strategic Planning Program Evaluation Resource Allocation Human Resource Development STUDENT DEVELOPMENT Life Skills Instruction Employment Skills Instruction Career & Vocational Curricula Structured Work Experience Assessment Support Services FAMILY INVOLVEMENT Family Training Family Involvement Family Empowerment Collaborative Framework Collaborative Service Delivery INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

Student-Focused Planning  Short and long-term goals reflect interests, preferences, needs  Program of study addresses goals  Students prepared to participate  Self-determination skills applied

Student Development  Develop student competence in academic, occupational, life, social, and self-determination skills and behaviors  Develop career awareness  Provide, facilitate paid work experience  Provide instruction in school, work and other community-based settings  Identify and generalize student supports

Interagency Collaboration  When done well, facilitates transition; when done poorly, impedes success  IEP/transition teams include relevant members, including service providers  Teams address individual student needs  Community planning addresses service needs and delivery

Family Involvement  Families participate in multiple roles, but participation often limited by others’ assumptions and attitudes  Effective communication, collaborative partnerships, caring attitudes facilitate family involvement  Family involvement is dependent on quality and quantity of information provided to them

Program Structures  Policies and philosophy provide context for transition-focused education  Professional development fosters extension of research to practice  Leadership facilitates system-wide implementation and resource allocation  Program evaluation supports improvement and ongoing reform

Hold those thoughts ………

Make the Connection Q –What’s the purpose of aligning transition-related policies across ministries? A – Facilitate implementation of effective transition practices to improve transition outcomes

Your Challenge #1  Use this state planning institute to  Provide context for analyzing state and local level policies and their effects on facilitating implementation of effective transition practices  Move toward systems reform and service improvement

Your Challenge #2  Determine the extent to which your policies  Complement collaborative service delivery  Facilitate implementation of effective transition services  Communicate a “transition perspective” of education

What Policies Do We Examine?  Any policy instruments that influence how, when, where, and who provides transition- related education, services, and resources to individuals with disabilities

What are Policy Instruments?  State or federal legislation, and specifically laws, regarding:  Special, general, and career education  Services to children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities  Other relevant services  State plans for service provision – e.g., state plans for special education, rehabilitation services, career and technical education

What are Policy Instruments?  Ministry and agency regulations  Training and resource materials  Special project proposals, annual reports, surveys or needs assessments, products

Make Sense of the Instruments Apply Analytic Frameworks  Policy Analysis  How do we organize the many policy instruments?  Transition practices  What practices do/should the policies promote?

Policy Analysis Framework  McDonnell & Elmore (1987)  Mandates  Inducements  Capacity Building  System Change

Mandates  Usually in the form of laws, rules, regulations  Focused on producing compliance  Example: Licensure requirements

Inducements  Typically utilize the transfer of money from one organization to another  Money is used to produce specific goods or services  Example: Local agency/organization must establish interagency council to receive grant funds

Capacity Building  Focuses on transferring money or other resources to produce some desired benefit in the future  Generally concerned with developing future potential or growth, but often difficult to measure impact  Example: Providing funds to an agency or organization to conduct professional development

System Change  Focuses on transferring authority so the way goods and services are delivered is altered  Results in a new structure or method for delivering goods or services  Example: Policy to require community service agency to develop individual service plan prior to student’s exit from school

Policy Tools Mandates Inducements Capacity Building System Change Regional and Local Education Agencies Students and Families Roles Provide Leadership Provide Funding and Other Resources Set Policy Assure Compliance STATE ED AGENCY Conceptualizing State Agency Roles and Policy Tools

Transition Practices Framework  What practices do the policy instruments foster/facilitate?  Do they:  Facilitate implementation of the Taxonomy for Transition Programming?  Apply a “transition perspective of education”  Result in seamless, successful transitions for young people with disabilities?

Policy Analysis Process  Review “Instruments” (e.g., documents)  Organize by type  Identify responsible agency  Determine policy actions  Identify intended results  Summarize Findings  Develop Recommendations

Policy Analysis Tools  Summary document for gathering and reviewing your policy instruments  Applicable for use either inter- or intra- agency

Example: Mandate Policy Instrument Implementing Agency Policy ActionsIntended Results Michigan Pupil Accounting Rules Michigan Department of Education -Allows for use of state aid (education funding) for provision of work-based education -Student acquisition of employment- related and specific occupational skills -Post-school employment

Example: Inducements Policy Instrument Implementing Agency Policy ActionsIntended Results Special funding to schools to implement student leadership activities and self- determination curricula New Mexico Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities (DDPC) -Fund and support “trainers” and TA providers to assist schools to implement self-determination curricula -Fund purchase of self- determination curricula -Require participation in evaluation of implementation -Increased implementation of self-determination curricula -Increased student competence to practice self- determination -Improved post- school outcomes

Example: Capacity Building Policy Instrument Implementing Agency Policy ActionsIntended Results OK State Professional Development Improvement Grant (SPDIG) OK Department of Education -Fund statewide transition institute -Fund transition-related technical assistance and professional development -Improved capacity to implement evidence- based transition education and services -Increased implementation of evidence-based transition education and services -Increased compliance and performance on SPP indicators -Improved student outcomes

Example: Systems Change Policy Instrument Implementing Agency Policy ActionsIntended Results NM state statutes— legislation to establish Vocational Rehabilitation licensure NM state rehab department— licensure unit -Establish definition of vocational rehabilitation counselor -Establish competencies of vocational rehabilitation counselor -Establish roles of vocational rehabilitation counselor -Increased voc rehab services to students while still in school -Increased collaboration between vocational rehab and special education -Improved student outcomes

Policy Analysis Process Effective transition practices Policy tools that facilitate implementation

Conclusions: Research  Importance of a broad perspective of transition- focused education and services  Complexity of transitions and transition practices research  Critical relationship of all aspects of development and education to “transition”  Importance of transition-focused “programs” that provide individualized education and services

Conclusions: Policies  Policies facilitate or throw up barriers to effective practices  Policies come in many shapes and sizes  Policies influence direct services and context of those services  When considering policies, must consider explicit intended impact, and eventually measure that impact