ISSUE BRIEF Strengthening IDEA to Improve Post-school Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Heritage David W. Leake, Ph.D., M.P.H. & Robert A. Stodden, Ph.D. May 2002 Introduction The reauthorization process currently underway for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 provides an opportunity for updating and improving this landmark legislation in order to achieve better outcomes for children and youth with disabilities. This policy brief addresses the complex and critical issue of supporting youth with disabilities to achieve success as they transition from high school, with a focus on those of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) heritage who tend to face the greatest barriers. This combined focus on CLD heritage and post-school outcomes is based on the following considerations: ® As the result of demographic trends, the proportion of CLD students in the general school population is projected to increase from nearly one-third currently to about one-half by 2040. ® As the result of economic trends, the American economy has a growing need for workers with advanced skills and knowledge, and obtaining quality employment requires demonstration of academic achievement, often at the postsecondary level. ® Students from certain CLD groups tend to drop out from school at relatively high rates. ® Measures of academic and post-school outcomes indicate that students from certain CLD groups face substantial barriers to success, many of which are related to conditions of poverty. ® A guiding principle of the IDEA of 1997 is that the purpose of special education and related services is to meet the “unique needs” of students with disabilities and “prepare them for employment and independent living”. Given that CLD students constitute a large and growing proportion of those served through the CLD TRANSITION SUCCESS RESEARCH PROJECT Center on Disability Studies University of Hawai‘i at Manoa 1776 University Ave., UA 4-6 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822