SRI has been active in special education and disability work since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), was passed in 1975. After the success of its pioneering National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) starting in 1984, SRI developed a portfolio of longitudinal studies to provide national information about the full range of students receiving services under IDEA that is still underway today.
The National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) provided a nationally representative sample that allows for the examination of services and outcomes experienced by youth with specific disabilities. In 2011, SRI completed NLTS2, which involved a nationally representative sample of more than 11,000 13- to 16-year-olds receiving special education in grades seven and above.
Currently, SRI is teaming with RTI to collect and analyze outcome data focused on high school course taking and postsecondary education, employment outcomes and experiences of a sample of more than 20,000 individuals with disabilities, as well as a small comparison sample of individuals in the general population.
The data builds off past findings and offers valuable insight into characteristics of youth receiving special education services in high school and their households; their secondary school experiences, including schools, school programs; their transition experiences; and their achievements in and after high school in the education, employment, social, and residential domains.
Web site: NLTS 2012
Lead Investigator: Lynn Newman
Study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education
Related publications
Populations: Students with disabilities
Services: Research and evaluation