A Southeastern school district created freshman academies to assist freshman students with strategies and support they need to combat ninth-grade failure successfully, but little change was observed. The purpose of the study was to explore teachers' perceptions of the freshman academy's transition program structure, benefits, challenges, and…

The transition from elementary to middle school is associated with increases in anxiety and related impairment, yet few evidence-based interventions exist to support students with impairing anxiety during this transition. This study describes the feasibility of a novel intervention, delivered by school mental health professionals (SMHPs), for…

Normative transitions between educational settings can be important life events for young people, having the potential to influence mental health trajectories across the life course. Interventions to target transitions have been used to support children and young people as they transition between school settings, but there is limited synthesis of…

The transition period of a student from middle school to high school is of critical importance because students who can successfully navigate the first-year physical, academic, and social pressures of high school have the greatest chances for successfully completing high school in four years (Allensworth & Easton, 2005). Students who cannot…

Some students with disabilities, particularly those with emotional and behavioral disorders, may struggle with transitions, demonstrating inappropriate behaviors during them. Visual supports, previously determined to be an evidence-based practice for students with autism, is a proactive classroom management strategy addressing transitioning. In…

This paper focuses on exploring the transition South African learners make from Grade 7 to Grade 8, with an emphasis on the experiences of all the role players in two school cultures during this transition phase. This qualitative exploratory research project was placed in a constructivist research paradigm. The data were analysed in an exploratory…

Research demonstrates that pupils do not always have the necessary social and emotional intelligence to cope with the transition to secondary school successfully. This paper explores a context-specific intervention designed to enhance key social and emotional skills after a secondary school transition. The intervention was designed with reference…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) experience some of the poorest outcomes of all students. They are also placed in alternative education (AE) settings more frequently than students in other disability categories. For some of these students, the ultimate goal is to return to the traditional school. A systematic, five-part…

To facilitate students' transition into secondary school, a coping-oriented group program was designed. Pre- and posttest data from three intervention groups conducted over the course of 5 weeks were combined for a total of 56 sixth-grade students waiting to undergo school transition. There was also a test-retest control group (n = 26). Results…

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.…

Middle grades transitions pose challenges to many students who meet these tasks with varying levels of success. Contemporary developmental and strengths-based literature offers Hope Theory (Snyder, 2002), a research supported approach that can mitigate risks in school transitions. This article describes how middle grades educators can apply the…

Transitions are an unavoidable part of life, often conceptualised as 'make it or break it periods'. They are important for personal growth and learning but can also be damaging in terms of our psychological wellbeing. Primary-secondary school transition is no exception and can heavily draw on children's ability to cope. However, support for…

Research suggests that ninth grade is a critical year for setting the course to high school graduation. The transition to high school is a period of special threat to the academic achievement of many students. On average, students' grades, attendance, and attitudes toward school decline, while their behavioral troubles increase. Urban students and…

Student success in postsecondary education depends on academic preparation and on having the nonacademic knowledge, skills, and behaviors to successfully navigate the demands of postsecondary study. While nonacademic competencies are important for all students, rural and high-poverty populations face unique nonacademic challenges, such as access…

In this practice brief, we describe several current examples of approaches that are aimed at improving outcomes for students entering high school. Additionally, we present strategies to disrupt the negative trajectory for students with EBD, who seldom receive coordinated, individualized supports during the critical transition from middle to high…