Research Brief: Transition Program Staffing

Purpose of This Brief

This brief focuses on the personnel, collaboration structures, and workforce considerations needed to deliver high-quality transition services for youth with disabilities. While transition settings vary (e.g., high school-based, cooperative, separate site-based programs), effective staffing and interagency collaboration are essential across all models.

Staffing and Responsibilities within Transition Programs

Effective transition programming requires well-defined staffing roles and shared accountability across school and community partners. At the center of transition services is the special education teacher, who is typically responsible for coordinating IEP transition planning, working with students to develop measurable postsecondary goals, and ensuring compliance with federal and state requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004). Successful transition planning includes student-focused planning, student development, interagency collaboration, family engagement, and program structure, as outlined in Kohler’s Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 (Kohler at al., 2016). Research has consistently identified coordinated transition planning, paid work experience, and family involvement as predictors of improved postschool outcomes (Test et al., 2009; Rowe et al., 2015). Yet, when these responsibilities are layered onto existing special education caseloads without sufficient time or structural support, implementation may be insufficient to meet student needs or be inconsistently provided (Billingsley et al., 2019).

Staffing and support roles are necessary in guiding the full range of transition program activities. Work-based learning (WBL) and transition coordinators or case managers frequently oversee outreach to employers, develop partnerships with local businesses, coordinate student work assignments, and facilitate interagency planning with vocational rehabilitation, county agencies, and community organizations (e.g. providers). Job coaches and paraprofessionals commonly provide direct support in community-based instruction and employment settings, assist students in developing social and workplace skills, and help generalize skills across transition environments. The effectiveness of community-based instruction and paid employment experiences is strongly associated with improved post-program employment outcomes (Mazzotti et al., 2021), and often depends on adequate staff with defined job roles. Staff who understand their roles and responsibilities strengthen program fidelity, accountability, alignment of instructional activities with IEP goals, and service coordination (Giangreco et al., 2010).

Interagency Collaboration in Transition Programming

Because transition can include goals related to work, healthcare, community living, post-secondary education, and others, staff in transition programs need to develop relationships with other professionals and include them in planning. Such collaborative service delivery requires intentional connections across schools, vocational rehabilitation, human services, healthcare, local businesses, and other agencies. Interagency collaboration that is purposeful and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborative efforts are more likely to lead to desired transition outcomes for youth (Plotner et al. 2018; Rowe et al., 2015). State and local community agencies need to collaborate with transition programs/educators and each other to ensure that students have access to the support they need to make a smooth transition to adulthood. Interagency collaboration is also supported by federal law in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA; 2015).  WIOA requires state vocational rehabilitation and other community services work together with transition educators to identify strategies that support the transition of youth with disabilities into the world of work and post-secondary education, with 15% of funds dedicated to providing youth with pre-employment transition services.

When schools actively collaborate with outside agencies to provide transition services, students experience better access to employment supports and other post-school outcomes (Fabian et al., 2016). Without strong interagency collaboration, school-based services operate in isolation, which can limit their effectiveness and generalizability across settings where students need support. Barriers such as miscommunication and unclear responsibilities between school and agency staff can undermine transition planning (Magee & Plotner, 2022). Strategies to improve collaboration include shared planning time, role clarity, clear communication protocols, and relationship-building (Castruita Rios et al., 2023; Poirier et al., 2022; Test et al., 2020). School-based transition teams that include representatives from community and adult service agencies have been shown to significantly increase the quality and perceived effectiveness of interagency collaboration (Noonan et al., 2012). Sustained collaboration requires deliberate planning and administrative support, but plays an important role in improving the quality and delivery of transition services within schools and programs (Bumble et al., 2025). 

In spite of research demonstrating the importance of interagency collaboration as a key ingredient of effective transition services, barriers to collaboration often interfere with desired transition outcomes. For example, even when transition teachers had large community networks, they lacked strong connections to key community agencies and adult service providers (Bumble et al., 2022). Strategies or models to ensure transition staff can carry out effective interagency collaboration are needed for students to receive coordinated support toward their transition goals). Guides like, Interagency Team Collaboration: A Guide for Teams Supporting Students with Extensive Support Needs Transition to Employment and Adult Life (Utah State University, 2026) can help teams think through who should be represented on interagency teams and roles needed to support students to obtain different outcomes like employment. Models like Communicating Interagency Relationships and Collaborative Linkages for Exceptional Students (CIRCLES) can help transition programs think about how to plan collaborations with agencies across a school year to support individual students in the district and consider different resources and schedules of professionals on interagency teams (Povenmire-Kirk et al., 2015; 2018). 

Transition Workforce and Licensure in Minnesota

Unlike some states in which large numbers of teachers in public school systems have provisional teaching licenses for years, all teachers in Minnesota must hold a valid teaching license. There are multiple pathways to licensure for teachers in special education (Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, 2024). However, there remains a significant shortage of teachers available in this field. This shortage creates challenges for staffing transition programs, as schools often compete for a limited pool of licensed teachers, and more so for licensed teachers with specialized skills in transition planning and work-based learning (Billingsley, et al., 2019; Mason-Williams et al., 2020). It is also important to note that the responses of many transition educators in Minnesota who were interviewed as part of the Community-Based, Collaborative Transition Model for Minnesota Youth with IDD project indicated that their licensure programs did not adequately prepare them for their roles as transition educators. A majority of these special educators suggested that it took them 3-5 years of experience before they felt prepared to deal with the multiple, complex roles associated with their jobs. Teacher training programs need more resources and training for teachers interested to work with transition age students and work-based learning experiences. There is a need for enhanced teacher licensure preparation as it relates to transition education, and perhaps that a peer mentoring/master teacher mentoring approach to support teachers to develop competence. There is a work based learning endorsement that transition staff can obtain to support students in work based learning experiences (Minnesota Department of Education, n.d.). 

Paraprofessionals and Support Staff

In Minnesota, paraprofessionals, who provide essential support for transition-age students with disabilities, are not required to be licensed. However, there is voluntary licensure for paraprofessionals in the state (Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, n.d.). Although members of this profession play critical roles in service delivery, high rates of turnover, limited professional development opportunities, varied and often poorly defined roles, being asked to serve in roles for which high-quality training opportunities have not been provided (e.g., serving as job coaches at work-based learning sites) and inconsistent supervision have a tremendous impact on the quality of supports paraprofessionals are able to provide to transition-age youth (Badugela, 2025; Brenner 2024; Mercier, 2024). Ensuring that paraprofessionals receive instruction and support on how to support students in different contexts according to students’ plans and goals is needed. 

Professional Development and Continuing Education/Training

Effective transition programming requires ongoing professional development tailored to staff roles. Many educators and paraprofessionals report that initial licensure or training does not fully prepare them for the complex responsibilities of transition services (Billingsley et al., 2019; Mason-Williams et al., 2020). Training should coverwork-based learning and job coaching, interagency collaboration, community-based instruction, behavior and social skills support, and culturally sensitive family engagement (Mercier, 2024; Plotner et al., 2018; Fabian et al., 2016). Training and education need to be consistent with the various staffing roles that make up a specific transition program setting. For example, frequently special educators and transition coordinators focus on IEP planning and program management, paraprofessionals and job coaches on direct instruction and workplace/community support, and work-based learning coordinators on employer outreach, job matching, and community partnerships. However, roles and responsibilities may blend together or differ between programs based on factors such as staffing needs or geographic context. Ongoing mentoring, peer support, and structured training pathways can help maintain staff competence and program fidelity, improving student outcomes across the variety of program settings in which transition services are provided and should be tailored to the specific staffing needs of the program (Noonan et al., 2012; Magee & Plotner, 2022; Test et al., 2020).

Staffing Ratios, Caseloads, and Service Intensity

Caseload size and staffing ratios impact the quality and intensity of transition services. Larger caseloads can limit the ability of staff to provide individualized support during community-based instruction, reduce the frequency and effectiveness of work-based learning experiences, and reduce the attention paid to students’ individualized post-school goals (Cumming et al., 2020; Snell-Rood et al., 2020). Staffing configuration can vary across program settings. High school-embedded programs often rely heavily on special education teachers and paraprofessionals, which may affect the number and types of community-based opportunities. Separate transition sites may concentrate staff resources, allowing more intensive supports, but require coordination to ensure all students receive inclusive and equitable services in the community. Whereas, cooperative models may centralize some staff expertise and resources, but these supports are often spread across multiple districts, creating challenges in coordinating services and ensuring that students at individual high schools or programs receive equitable transition support. Schools should balance coverage across students with the quality of and intensity of individualized supports needed for their student casemix (Peyton et al., 2021; Mason-Williams et al., 2020). Adequate staffing and manageable caseloads are essential to maintain both service quality/intensity and appropriate involvement of students across educational and community environments.

Recruitment and Retention Strategies

Staff shortages and barriers must be accounted for in program design and planning, as they directly influence the availability, intensity, and quality of transition services delivered (Cumming, et al, 2020; Mason-Williams et al., 2020; Peyton,et al 2021; Snell-Rood, et al., 2020). Addressing staffing shortages in transition programs requires targeted recruitment and retention strategies. For example, “Grow-your-own teacher” programs recruit paraprofessionals and local community members into pathways toward licensure, increasing local capacity and workforce stability (Simon & Johnson, 2015; Guha et al., 2016). For example, Minnesota’s Grow Your Own initiative provides state grant funding to help paraprofessionals, staff, and community members, including secondary students, enter teacher preparation pathways through tuition support, stipends, and field placement experiences (Minnesota Department of Education, n.d). An extension of this approach through a transition-focused subgrant may be beneficial for improving transition staffing levels. Partnerships with teacher preparation programs can embed transition-focused coursework and field experiences into training programs, strengthening the preparation and supply of teachers qualified to provide high-quality transition services. Early-career mentoring and induction programs provide structured coaching and professional support, which are associated with improved retention and reduced professional isolation among special educators (Billingsley et al., 2019). Competitive compensation and professional growth are critical for paraprofessionals. Competitive wages and career pathways that allow advancement to instructional or coordinator roles help reduce turnover, improve service consistency, and ensure appropriate compensation for the skills required in transition programs (Peyton et al., 2021; Mason-Williams et al., 2020).

Rural and Regional Staffing Considerations

Rural and geographically dispersed areas face persistent challenges in recruiting and retaining specialized transition personnel, which can limit access to community-based instruction, work-based learning, and consistent interagency coordination. Rural districts often rely on shared staff across multiple schools or districts to expand capacity, but these arrangements require careful consideration of role definitions and coordination to avoid inconsistent service delivery (Berry et al., 2012). Research on rural special education staffing also highlights that limited local labor pools and travel demands contribute to workforce shortages and increased workload, which can affect the ability to provide consistent and intensive services (Howley et al., 2009; Berry et al., 2012).

Regional transition coordinators and shared leadership roles may help distribute specialized expertise more efficiently across districts, but they still require structured support systems and clear lines of communication across the region to ensure service continuity. The ability to remotely collaborate and meet has improved regional coordination and interagency planning, as well as, facilitated professional problem‐solving when distances are substantial. However, technology has not replaced the staffing needs for in-person community-based instruction or employer engagement (Scheef et al., 2023). Transportation requirements and staff travel time in rural contexts also affects staffing capacity and service provision, requiring schedules and caseload planning that account for time spent traveling between sites (Howley et al., 2009). Accounting for these logistical factors continues to be challenging within these rural communities. 

Conclusion

Staffing shortages, high caseloads, and limited preparation can create barriers to providing consistent and individualized transition services, particularly in rural communities. There are several factors transition programs should consider related to staffing, including capacity, clarity of roles, professional development, and interagency collaboration, when developing transition services to better support their students.