Appendix A.3. National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) was created as part of the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). NCSER sponsors a program of special education research designed to expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities. NCSER funds programs of research that address its mission. In order to determine which programs work, as well as how, why, and in what settings they work, NCSER sponsors research on the needs of infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities and evaluates the effectiveness of services provided through IDEA.

Further information on NCSER may be obtained from

Joan McLaughlin
Commissioner
National Center for Special Education Research
550 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20202
joan.mclaughlin@ed.gov
https://ies.ed.gov/ncser/

The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2

Funded by NCSER, the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS-2) was a follow-up of the original National Longitudinal Transition Study conducted from 1985 through 1993. NLTS-2 began in 2001 with a sample of students who received special education services, were ages 13 through 16, and were in at least 7th grade on December 1, 2000. The study was designed to provide a national picture of these youths’ experiences and achievements as they transition into adulthood. Data were collected from parents, youth, and schools by survey, telephone interviews, student assessments, and transcripts.

NLTS-2 was designed to align with the original NLTS by including many of the same questions and data items, thus allowing comparisons between the NLTS and NLTS-2 youths’ experiences. NLTS-2 also included items that have been collected in other national databases to permit comparisons between NLTS-2 youth and the general youth population. Information was collected over five waves, beginning in 2001 and ending in 2009.

Further information on NLTS-2 may be obtained from

Jacquelyn Buckley
Office of the Commissioner
National Center for Special Education Research
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20208
jacquelyn.buckley@ed.gov
https://nlts2.sri.com/