Planning for a Bright Future

In August 2024, I became a teacher and mentor for Charting My Path for Future Success, a program to help students with disabilities transition into college and/or careers. Funded by the US Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, it was designed to span three semesters—from the middle of 11th grade until graduation. The program pilot demonstrated great results, and I was excited for my district to participate in a randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of the approach as it scaled up. Across three sites, students were assigned to one of three groups: a “business-as-usual” (control) group, a group receiving Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) lessons, or a group receiving SDLMI lessons plus mentoring. I felt fortunate to be assigned to work with the SDLMI-plus-mentoring group, building on a certificate in transition services with SDLMI that I earned in 2015.

Throughout the fall, my colleagues and I in the two SDLMI groups received in-depth training. We read and reflected on relevant research, practiced teaching the lessons in weekly sessions, and engaged with a professor who ensured that we all met the same high standard. At the same time, we recruited 11th-graders with individualized education plans to participate in the program. Almost everyone who was eligible signed up.

In January 2025, we welcomed students into the program—but it lasted just five weeks. The Trump administration halted our funding on February 10, ordering us to stop work immediately.

In our brief program implementation, we accomplished a great deal. I first connected with each student as a mentor, and then we went into the SDLMI lessons, most of which were done in small groups. The first skill we worked on was goal setting, including long- and short-term goals, barriers and opportunities, and revising goals. Setting and working toward goals is especially important for students with disabilities because it empowers them to advocate for themselves and make decisions about their futures. Discovering that a certain goal isn’t a good fit is not a failure; it’s part of growth, of learning the process for evaluating yourself, finding the right supports, and determining a better fit. Each student set individual goals, which we refined during our one-on-one mentoring sessions; in our small groups, we did a lot of backward planning to identify the steps to attain their goals.

With the SDLMI lessons, I was teaching the students a process to use throughout their lives. For example, they figured out what steps they needed help with, and each student was going to develop a personal community map showing them where to get that help. The funding was cut off just as we started mapping.

One student I was working with was chronically absent. His goal was to earn his diploma, but he was often uncomfortable in school and stayed home. Because of this, he had failed sophomore English, then failed it again in summer school. He wanted to transfer to our continuation high school, but that requires good attendance. In our mentoring sessions, we worked on attendance. There was one classroom where he was especially uncomfortable, so we arranged for him to work in his counselor’s room instead. That change was enough for him to come to school regularly. When he did miss, he became proactive in finding me for makeup sessions. Once our funding was cut, I was so sad to tell him that we couldn’t work together. Fortunately, his short time in the program was effective. His attendance improved enough to transfer to our continuation school, and he did well the rest of the school year.

Another student in my group was interested in a career as a flight attendant or radiology technician. She required a great deal of support because her mother had died; an older family member was raising her, and she was helping with her younger siblings. Finding resources online was a challenge because her guardian was not tech savvy. We had time for initial career exploration and backward planning. Now, although she’ll continue to have a case manager who can connect her to resources, she will not benefit from the intense support of the program in which she was learning to develop her plan and find resources on her own. I fear that this student, like most with disabilities, will struggle to finish college or a trade school and instead may need to rely on government-funded programs throughout adulthood. If she had the opportunity to complete the program, she could have been guided toward finding a career path that’s a good fit for her and needed minimal or no government support as an adult. I truly believe this program would save taxpayer money in the long run.

I plan to continue using the program’s curriculum this year, even though I won’t have crucial supports like ongoing training and feedback, because I believe it makes a difference for our students. In the little time we had, it was amazing to see them start to understand that they were in control of their futures. Students with disabilities deserve strategies that work; without such grants like this, teachers are not supported in understanding what those strategies may be or how to implement them with fidelity.

Sunny Jerome, a special education teacher for more than 20 years, has worked at Westview High School in the Poway Unified School District in San Diego since 2009. Her brother, who has an intellectual disability and epilepsy, ignited her passion for becoming an education specialist and making school fun. 

[Photo courtesy of Sunny Jerome]