This best practices piece is based on key research into high school transition strategies. It draws on two studies of high school reform models conducted by MDRC, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization, which shed light on promising strategies to support ninth-grade students. Increasing the capacity of high schools to provide extra help…

Regional library consortia and other groups throughout the U.S. are forming collaborative networks of librarians at all levels in order to prepare students to develop the necessary information literacy skills to be successful in college and beyond. This article focuses on an initiative of the Rochester (New York) Regional Library Council (RRLC).…

The complexity of the early intervention to preschool transition process has been highlighted in the early childhood literature; however, the role of independent therapy providers in transition planning has not been described specifically. The present study used survey research methods to gather information about the transition practices of 103…

Dual sector universities (or duals) are a growing international phenomenon that cut across the divide that typically exists in post-secondary education. Duals combine "further" and "higher" education within a single institution providing enhanced opportunities for student transition between post-secondary sectors. This paper…

First-year seminars have increasingly been used as anchor courses in learning communities. This study investigated the impact participation in Freshman Seminar had on the grade earned in a linked learning community course in fall 2004. Grades in the linked course for 1,294 first-year students who were enrolled in 37 different learning communities…

Highly qualified teachers are necessary to establish strong schools of instructional richness in which the student has the greatest opportunity to be academically successful. The responsibility of a teacher is much greater than just teaching academic content in a subject discipline. Schools are complex institutions which require teaching staff to…

Increased class sizes and advising responsibilities are the new realities in California's graduate programs of Educational Administration. In order to effectively meet new challenges, professors must make adjustments in venue, plan meticulously, utilize technology, distribute leadership, and implement alternative grading systems. This is a…

This paper describes a small-scale research project undertaken in July 2007, which focused on a group of students with a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) currently attending a mainstream secondary school. Three focus groups were held with students in Years 9 and 11 and with their parents in order to explore current practice on…

With so much interest around the use of new media, many people concerned with improving college access are striving to master this emerging set of resources in order to better reach students, who without encouragement, are unlikely to pursue higher education. But, how much do individuals understand about the way low-income, first-generation, and…

The Increasing Course Rigor Pilot Project, a joint initiative of the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices and ACT, Inc., is one component of Phase Two of the NGA Center for Best Practices Honor States Grant Program. The project, which began in winter 2006 and concluded in summer 2007, was designed to improve the quality…

Students' high school experiences often do not prepare them adequately for postsecondary education and the world of work. Special attention should be paid to increasing the rigor, relevance, and engagement of the high school curriculum, including for students who have traditionally faced barriers to successful postsecondary transitions. This Issue…

This article considers educational policy and practice in a preschool and an elementary school in Modena, Italy in terms of their effects on children's transition to and progress in elementary school. The study is based on a six-year longitudinal ethnographic study that involved direct observation of teacher-student and peer interactions. The…

Using Astin's I-E-O model, relationships among the input (I) variables of gender, high school percentile rank, Tech Prep participation, and high school course-taking; environmental (E) variables of academic, career and technical education (CTE), and total dual credit and articulated credit; and output (O) variables of college readiness and total…

Universities are encouraged to widen access to a broad range of applicants, including mature students taking Access qualifications. Admissions tutors can find it difficult to compare and choose between Access and A-level applications, and Access applicants for popular courses may be disadvantaged relative to students with good A-levels. In this…

Making the transition from preschool to kindergarten is a milestone in a young child's life, and it does not always go smoothly. Consequently, the authors developed Shared Summer School, a unique approach to kindergarten transition, in which preschool and kindergarten teachers jointly taught children prior to their kindergarten entry. Shared…