Ninth grade students who attend Boundary High School (BHS) encounter a host of academic, social and emotional challenges commonly associated with the transition from middle school to high school. To the extent BHS ninth grade students navigate these challenges during this vulnerable time in their educational journey determines their overall…

The transition from middle school to high school can be challenging for some students. Many school districts are implementing practices to ease the transition to high school. The current study examined one school district's practices and procedures for the development and implementation of a ninth-grade center. In this study, I examined the…

Postsecondary access and degree completion are increasingly important concerns for individuals and policymakers. This dissertation presents evidence on three distinct strategies for increasing students' level of preparedness for higher education, rates of postsecondary enrollment, and rates of postsecondary degree completion. The first is an…

This yearlong qualitative multisite case study investigated ways middle and high school transition supports foster a developmentally responsive transition for students. A total of 23 participants engaged in this study, including 4 students, 4 middle school teachers, 13 high school teachers, 1 middle school principal, and 1 high school principal.…

The transition from middle into high school can be perilous for some students. High school freshmen fail at an alarming rate. In a general sense, the environment, expectations, structure, and culture of high schools are different from middle schools. However, school leaders can implement transition programs that may promote success of 9th graders.…

Student engagement is an essential part of the many transitions adolescents must make on their way to self-sufficient adulthood. Motivating students to learn at pivotal points in their school careers, especially as they transition into high school, is sometimes difficult. The Freshman Transition Initiative (FTI) at The George Washington University…

Previous high school research has highlighted the importance of students' freshman year. Limited research has supported the implementation of a smaller learning community, also known as a freshman academy. The theoretical framework of the study was based on stage environment fit, adolescence development and smaller learning community theories. The…

The Portland Schools Foundation's (PSF) Ninth Grade Counts initiative is a network of more than twenty independent summer transition programs targeting Academic Priority (or "at-risk") students. These programs share a common focus on providing academic support, enrichment, and career/college exposure for students who show early warning…

The purpose of this program evaluation was to examine the influences of the Link Crew Transitional program upon transition to ninth grade and the promotion of the developmental assets of bonding to school, safety, caring school climate, and positive peer influences. The research design for this evaluation was qualitative. Focus groups were…

Across the nation, school policymakers are grappling with what to do about the increasing numbers of students who do not advance beyond ninth grade. National estimates put the student attrition rate before tenth grade at between 11 and 33 percent, and only about 70 percent of ninth graders make it to graduation. This policy brief focuses on one…

For big urban districts, it can be slippery work to catch and hold students who are falling off track at a point that derails too many graduations: the transition from 8th to 9th grade. This article reports that the Chicago school district is putting a suite of new data reports into the hands of those who teach and counsel its 30,000 freshmen this…

Concerned that their special education students were not being adequately prepared for the post-high school world, a rural Arkansas school district made a concerted effort to provide a systematic transition program in which opportunities for life after graduation could become a meaningful reality. A significant component of the transition program…

The development and implementation of a Professional Development School (PDS)--sponsored summer program for at-risk secondary students is described. Literature related to PDSs and summer programs is followed by a presentation of data findings and analysis. Attendance and grade point average data gathered on the 17 participating rising ninth…

Research identifies that a percentage of students are less successful than others in transitioning from Year 8 to Year 9. A positive support programme was developed to target some of these students and help them ease from the nurturing climate within the primary system into the multi-faceted secondary environment. (Contains 1 table.)