In 1990, federal laws began to focus more on helping students move from school to work. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments required schools to create transition plans to help students with disabilities prepare for jobs or further education after high school. Around the same time, the Carl D. Perkins Act Amendments funded research on effective work-based learning. This work later led to laws like the 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA). Together, these efforts aimed to better connect school and work by offering structured supports, job training, and community experiences to help students succeed after high school, with special attention to youth with disabilities and those facing additional barriers.