The last several decades have made clear that large numbers of immigrants still see America as a land of opportunity--and this influx of students has had a strong impact on the K-12 educational system. Most of the million-pupil increase in the public school population in the decade between 2001 and 2011 is due to the increase in English language…

The transition from the security of a middle level school to a high school isn't easy. The new independence, challenging workload, and high expectations are often enough to send freshmen into a whirlwind. To help offset these challenges, Louisburg (KS) High School developed a freshmen transition program that includes a preview of what high school…

Describes a study skills program designed and implemented by high school counselors within the freshmen English curriculum at St. Mary's Academy in Portland. In addition to helping students improve study skills, the program increased counselor visibility and improved counselor-teacher interaction. (JAC)

Vitality in planning, interest in individual students' concern about high school, and meaningful rituals explain the effectiveness of a Columbus, Ohio, transition program. The combined efforts of many professionals result in a stable entering class that feels welcome; has fewer first-day absences, lost students, and schedule changes; and is better…

To help reluctant high school readers, a ninth-grade teacher modified a pedagogy called the Socratic Seminar (the Paedeia Approach) based on the work of Mortimer Adler and Dennis Gray. A Socratic Seminar is a focused discussion on a short piece of writing. The process is explained. (MLH)

Describes Freshmen Awareness Groups, discussion groups designed to unite students, teachers and counselors in sharing ideas and feelings and becoming more aware of themselves and each other. Activities and goals for the five weekly sessions are outlined. (JAC)

Although transitioning from school to school can be challenging at any level, the transition to high school may be particularly fraught with challenge because students are experiencing a change in schools as well as the physical, emotional, and psychological changes inherent to adolescence. Educators and researchers agree that ninth grade is a…

A positive, welcoming environment and well-planned support services let students know they are valued and expected to succeed at a Lincolnshire, Illinois, high school. Programs include freshman transition, a tutoring resource center, guided study, a mentor program, student support teams, peer helpers, and annual student surveys. (MLH)

This report of the writing project at P.K. Yonge Laboratory School, University of Florida, examines the effectiveness of a systematic approach to teaching high school composition. The approach, which focuses on the skills that enable students to write clearly, correctly, and purposefully, includes sequential instructional units, considerable…

When a student tutoring program failed to improve freshmen's achievement, a St. Louis-area high school tried mentoring as a responsibility- and relationship-building model. Almost all freshmen now participate. Many still fail multiple courses, but school atmosphere has improved drastically and disciplinary referrals have declined 40 percent. (MLH)

In this experimental orientation program, peer groups work with potential high school freshmen while they are still in the eighth grade, so that transition to high school will be easier. Groups consisting of two student leaders, and 10 to 15 eighth graders, meet for three 45-minute sessions, and engage in various orientation, visiting day, and…

This article discusses Cathedral High School's peer program that involves seniors serving as mentors to freshmen students to help them transition to high school. Students pour into Cathedral from more than 60 different grade schools, and the administration saw a need to connect these students with their peers in order to retain them. The program…

Personalized learning: Everyone knows it needs to happen, but how? It is one thing to believe in the importance of high school reform. It is quite another to embrace a system that helps every student leave high school with a diploma and plans for postsecondary education or training that lead to productive and self-sufficient adulthoods. This…