Our nation's K-12 schools are faced with numerous critical challenges that affect student achievement and consequently impact society. Key challenges, such as elevating academic achievement, meeting state and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) standards, high dropout rates, at-risk students, parental involvement, and the recruitment and retention of high-caliber teachers (Kowalski, 2008; Grey, 2010; & U.S. Department of Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, 2008). Based on an extensive review of the literature, a significant number of special education students are dropping out of school or graduating without being adequately prepared to be contributing members of society (Kowalski, 2008; & Carter et al., 2010). Historically, special education statues have been created, implemented and revised to address the critical challenges with providing students with academic, career and social support in order for students to have productive educational experiences (Baer et al., 2003; Bailey, Hughes, & Moore, 2004; Benz, Lindstrom, & Yovanoff, 2000; Carter, Trainor, Cakiroglu, Swedeen, & Owens, 2010). According to Hart (2002), education is frequently perceived by special education students as not being relevant, and consequently, they are not encouraged or motivated to learn the necessary skills needed to be successful after high school. Therefore, a gap exists between educational teaching practices and the work environment, causing education to be perceived by special education students as less applicable and, therefore, less important (Hart, 2002). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a school-based enterprise program on high school special education students' achievement and behavioral issues that resulted in out-of-school suspensions. The 120 participants in this research study consisted of 10th-12th grade students identified as self-contained special education students. They will not receive a high school diploma at the time of graduation. Instead, these students will receive a district certificate of completion. The study also determined if there was a significant difference between the academic achievement and suspension days of male and female students who participated in school-based enterprises. The Conceptual Framework identified six (6) key factors that have been implemented to effectively enhance student achievement and decrease behavioral issues for special education students. The framework addressed a combination of support activities and strategies that would increase the chances of special education students' overall success. The findings of the study were presented, which included the comprehensive analysis of the data, the descriptive and comparative statistics along with the testing instruments utilized to calculate the independent t-Test scores and the Two-Way ANOVA results. The summary and discussion of the findings, implications of the study, the conclusion and recommendations for further study were presented in detail. Five research questions were addressed in this study: 1. Does a school-based enterprise program affect special education students' overall success? 2. Is there a significant difference in the mean Grade-Point Average of the school-based enterprise students than that of their peers who attended traditional special education classes within their home high schools? 3. Is there a significant difference in the mean Grade-Point Average of the male and female students who participated in the school-based enterprise program? 4. Is there a significant difference in the mean out-of-school suspension days of the school-based enterprise students than that of their peers who attended traditional special education classes within their home high schools? 5. Is there a significant difference in the mean out-of-school suspension days of the male and female students who participated in the school-based enterprise program? The sample population of this study consisted of 120 10th-12 th grade self-contained special education students randomly selected from both the school-based enterprise programs, located at the district's career and technology center, and from the seven high schools in the district. The researcher presented the statistical findings relative to the dependent and independent variables. Descriptive statistical t-Test and Two-Way ANOVA results were used to categorize the data. The study revealed that special education students who participated in school-based enterprise programs and received hands on project-based learning had a higher GPA and received less out-of-school suspension days compared to their peers who received their transition services through their home school in a traditional special education setting. The study also revealed that the female students in the school-based enterprise program had a higher GPA compared to the male students but no difference in the suspension days. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]