Transition postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities create supported environments to help students with intellectual and developmental disabilities transition from high school to gainful employment and independent living. In effort to be inclusive, transition programs often include an option for students to…

The study of student transfer has been researched since the inception of the community college. It was not known how community college students interested in transfer and community college administrators perceive the transition into a four-year institution. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how transfer-interested…

The transition from 8th to 9th grade, from middle school to high school, is considered one of the most challenging experiences in an adolescent's life. Ninth-grade transition programs, often referred to as freshman academies, have been developed and implemented over the last decade to address the needs of 9th grade students. The purpose of this…

This dissertation encapsulates a qualitative study that explores the identification and educational experiences of Third Culture Kids living abroad. A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is an individual who has spent a significant part of their developmental years outside of their parents' culture and country of nationality. This study specifically examines…

This dissertation is an exploratory study on self-determination in students with disabilities in a postsecondary environment. Two questions were asked on self-determination levels in higher education students with disabilities and vital self-advocacy skills in higher education. A survey with closed-ended and open-ended questions was administered…

Early care and education (ECE) programs for children prior to kindergarten in California are provided through a mixed delivery system that includes licensed home- and center-based programs as well as school settings. The requirements, experience, and supports for educators vary widely across settings, depending more on funding sources and…

After being identified as a school in need of improvement, one struggling inner city high school implemented an evening school alternative program to reduce their suspension, failure, and dropout rates. In its first year, the program graduated 100% of the student participants, all of whom were in danger of dropping out, or being kicked out of high…

College is one of the most formative times in an individual's life. Its intense living-learning environment can promote students' extreme self-confidence and positive development, or alternatively, can result in low levels of well-being. The first year in college is an opportunity for faculty and staff to engage with students to help them build…

How can local education agencies (LEAs), elementary schools, and teachers make sure the kindergarten year deepens and builds on children's previous learning? What are the best ways to keep children and families connected to school and engaged in learning? And how can LEAs, schools, and classroom teachers provide the smoothest transition possible…

A group of public education institutions throughout the Salinas Valley came together in 2016 to help more youth in the valley prepare for and succeed in college. In this brief, we draw from interviews with faculty, staff, and administrators, as well as with student focus groups, in order to answer the following question for those interested in…

Long Beach and the Salinas Valley joined Bridging the Gap to smooth transitions for students from high school to postsecondary education. Due to policy reforms at the state and system levels, working across systems increasingly became an immediate and practical need for those seeking to improve student transitions from high school to postsecondary…

Often the biggest transition for students with disabilities and their families is from the supports and services provided in the preschool-12th grade (P-12) public education system to a college or university. At the P-12 level, three main federal laws impact students with disabilities: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),…

The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University explained, "Across the country, 10- 40% of seemingly college-intending students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, fail to enroll in college the fall after graduation. This phenomenon is known as "summer melt" (Castleman, Page, and Snowdon, 2013). In order…

Purpose: This exploratory study advances personnel preparation research through the investigation of the transition content found on the institutional websites of U.S. universities with Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Master's Level Personnel Preparation grants for transition planning and services (OSEP, 2015) or master's-level Council…

Transition to middle school in Portugal is associated with increased levels of stress for students, as well as an increase in grade retention. This study investigated the impact of a school adjustment program designed to support students during this transition, and its differential results by gender and fourth-grade class size. Multilevel linear…