Maine Pathways to Partnerships
One youth. One integrated plan. Four agencies working together — so transition from high school into real work, real postsecondary options, and real independent living stops being a cliff between disconnected systems.
How we're supporting Maine youth into self-advocacy and adulthood.
In this federally hosted fireside conversation on the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials, the P2P project leadership team walks through how the partnership operates in practice — and what it looks like for a Maine student.
- Collaboration between schools, VR, and community partners
- Self-advocacy skill-building for life after high school
- Postsecondary education, independent living, employment pathways
- Real-world implementation stories from Maine schools
The goal is not more services. It's services that actually compose into a trajectory — one youth, one plan, one coordinator, from age 14 to age 24.— Maine P2P design principle
The transition cliff, redesigned.
What's different for a Maine youth with a disability under Pathways to Partnerships.
Transition-as-usual
- 3–5 separate plans across agencies
- Cold handoff from special education to VR at exit
- Eligibility re-negotiated at each boundary
- Siloed case records and data systems
- Gaps between high school and anything after
Integrated pathway
- 1 plan endorsed by all four agency types
- VR counselors embedded in schools from age 14
- One coordinator carrying the youth forward
- Shared record, portable across systems
- Apprenticeship-style employer placements
Meet every P2P partner — interactively.
Flip cards, service pathways, and enrollment routes for every core Maine partner. Who does what, how families connect, what's offered at each age.
Open partner directory →Five-year model demonstration.
From federal award to replication toolkit — with statewide scale-up at the midpoint.
Award & design
$2.98M RSA Model Demonstration award. Cross-agency MOU signed. Shared-record infrastructure scoped.
Cohort 1 enrolled
First cohort across three Maine regions. Baselines collected. Fidelity instruments piloted.
Statewide scale-up
All 16 Maine counties. Cohort 2 enrolled. First outcome wave collected. Interim implementation report Q4 2026.
CurrentInterim outcomes
Two-year outcomes for Cohort 1. First peer-reviewed submission. RSA briefing on portable components.
Final & toolkit
Final outcome report. Replication toolkit for other states. Sustainability plan with Maine agencies.
Published from Maine P2P.
Adapting the model in your state?
The Maine P2P team produces implementation toolkits, shared-record technical specifications, and MOU templates for other states interested in a cross-agency transition model. Academic collaborators welcome on evaluation methodology.
Contact project team →