There is a danger that transition becomes a concept that aids the official reality of a school or education system to mask the unofficial system difficulties. This article distinguishes four very different understandings of transitions that underpin research in education on this issue. Going beyond a typical systems framework for understanding…

Supporting children to successfully transition from primary to secondary school is of utmost importance for several reasons, including to prevent future emotional and behavioural problems. Level Up is a novel, UK-based intervention consisting of five online group sessions, straddling the summer holidays, and providing at-risk children and their…

Background: The primary-secondary transition is recognised as a challenging time for students, and poor transition processes can negatively affect the students' development. School professionals play an important role in enhancing the students' transition experience, but international literature calls for more research concerning their perspective…

Previous research indicates that many children have difficulty transitioning from preschool to kindergarten, which may be attributed to differences between the two settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate preschool and elementary school educators' perceptions of the similarities of and differences between the two types of settings…

This study analyzed the effectiveness of an elementary school Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program during middle school transition in Portugal, and the influence of gender, classroom size and student's perception of two school climate dimensions (student-student relationships and teacher-student relationships) upon its effectiveness.…

Positive transitions across home, ECEC and compulsory school education (CSE) are critical in promoting children's development and educational achievement: this seems especially the case for children from migrant backgrounds. However, as a consequence of entrenched institutional practices and lack of ownership the issues by the different groups of…

There is a growing consensus amongst policy makers, education professionals, researchers, and the public that a modern education system should develop a 'whole child' providing a balanced set of cognitive, social and emotional skills to face the challenges of an increasingly uncertain and volatile world. Social and emotional development are…

This case study explored how teachers and children perceive challenges and opportunities at transition. Using Forum Theatre (FT), an interactive drama approach, children were able to show aspects of transitions they perceived as challenging and how these barriers may be overcome. FT offered a tangible reference point for children to discuss their…

This case study examined the impact of a site-specific intervention for at-risk students in a small rural elementary school in the foothills of North Carolina. The research site uses a small homogenous class setting as a basis for accelerating academic growth for students who are considered at-risk in literacy based on the state-required literacy…

Each year, families across the country take the leap from an early-childhood learning program to elementary school. Prepared families take a poised step forward, confident and knowledgeable about how their child will ease into the school system and develop along his or her learning path. Unprepared families anxiously tiptoe ahead, unsure of what…

As a state with a longstanding tradition of offering bilingual education, Illinois has a legislative requirement for native language instruction in earlier grades through a model called Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE). This model does not truly develop bilingualism, however, but rather offers native language instruction to English learners…

The middle years are crucial to high school success, when students develop skills for navigating the larger world, and discover the direction they want their lives to take. So why, asks noted middle school educator Rick Wormeli, would anyone leave the transition into this phase to chance? Five mind-sets can help educators guide their students on…

Multiage programming is a school reform option used throughout the United States. Much of the current literature focuses on the short-term benefits of multiage programs, particularly at the elementary level, with little consideration for long-term effects or for what might happen to students once they leave the multiage classroom and enter middle…

This study examined programming practices that have identified in the research as critical for school success for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Secondary purposes of the study were to identify the extent to which these practices were used and to examine student social/emotional and academic outcome data in a public day…

This study documents a school district's coordinated response to an elementary student's social transition from a gender variant boy to a female gender expression. Data were gathered through analysis of journal entries, lesson plans, and interviews with the child, guardian, and district personnel. Stakeholders reported a favorable outlook on the…