Most parents know from experience that the best way to help their children obtain a higher level of achievement is to set goals in a stair-step fashion. The IEP should also provide a plan for making the transition to adult life. During the 1990s, though, educators learned that no amount of paper programs, interagency agreements, or even new teaching techniques will help a teenager grow into a successful adult without goal setting and reinforcement. Ongoing reinforcement by educators, parents, and others in the community for doing positive activities is very important for students making the transition from youth to adulthood. Once again, these goals need to be performed in a successful way over an extended period of time.
Functional skills are an important consideration.
Students who have a purpose in their lives, who know how to set goals, and who have been reinforced for those goals are much more likely to succeed in the world of work and living in the community. In fact, many teachers, guidance counselors, coaches, and other staff in the high school environment have as much or more effect on their students than parents do during this critical developmental period. Highly effective educators in middle schools and high schools look beyond the classroom to identify ways to elevate their students' abilities.