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National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS)

SRI developed the research design for this groundbreaking study and, for 6 years, tracked, collected data from, and reported on the experiences of more than 8,000 secondary school students with disabilities nationwide. Data were collected repeatedly from telephone interviews with youth and parents, from school records for multiple years, and from surveys of teachers and administrators in the schools attended by sample members. Descriptive and explanatory analyses of a wide range of outcomes were provided, including school performance and school completion, social integration, arrest rates, employment status and quality, and independent functioning. The influences of individual and household characteristics and of school experiences and related services on these outcomes were assessed. Substudies examined issues related to gender differences in special education services, adult services provided after secondary school, issues related to dropping out of school, and services provided to Hispanic students and those in particular disability categories (e.g., learning disabilities, serious emotional disturbances).

The National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) has a companion study, NLTS2, which began in 2001. Many of the same research questions and data items that appeared in NLTS also appear in NLTS2, which will provide important information about the ways in which secondary education and postschool experiences have changed for youth with disabilities in the previous decade or more.

(U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, 1987-1993)

Key Staff

Project Director: Mary Wagner

Project Deputy Director: Lynn Newman

Staff: Jose Blackorby, Renee Cameto, Marion Collins, Kathleen Hebbeler, Camille Marder, Debra Shaver, Kathryn Valdes