The transition into kindergarten is a challenge for any student, but it can be especially difficult for students with disabilities and their families. In this article, Amanda Fenlon suggests that by planning ahead families and schools can smooth that transition and put students on the right road. She encourages families to work with their child's…

Child development research shows that during the 5 to 7 shift, children make a major transition from early childhood to middle childhood ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. At the same time, their entry into formal schooling thrusts them into new roles and responsibilities, often in unfamiliar settings with unfamiliar people. These challenges…

As instructional coach at Spring Grove Area High School in Pennsylvania, the author realized that too many of the school's freshmen were becoming what one might call lost in transition; they never made it to their sophomore year. He joined with concerned teachers and counselors from the school and its feeder middle schools to create a freshman…

Senior year is the perfect time to offer students challenges that will help prepare them for life after school. The term "senior seminar" has been commonly used to describe a course that is specifically designed to help 12th graders develop knowledge, skills, and habits of mind that will prepare them for their college or work experiences. Senior…

Transition plans for students with special needs provide support for social and academic success while giving students an accurate picture of what to expect in high school. The Texas Comprehensive Center recommends that schools develop a comprehensive transition plan district-wide. This district plan must include the cooperation of staff from the…

For many English language learners, the endgame isn't passing state exams--it's attending and graduating from college. Yet schools often focus on a lower target: proficiency. To support the transition of English language learners to postsecondary success, schools should create formal transition plans, provide differentiated guidance, focus on…

The current educational reform agenda requires that stakeholders in the school community help all students graduate. The U.S. Department of Education's "A Blueprint for Reform: Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act" sends all stakeholders a clear message to take action that results in every student completing high school…

Helping students make the transition to high school and preparing them for postsecondary learning is built into the day-to-day processes at Statesville (NC) High School. The author and his staff members always strive to do what is best for the students. Because statistics indicate that the freshman class is always the largest and the senior class…

To have a meaningful, fulfilling career in the 21st century workplace, students need technical and academic skills as well as the ability to think and work collaboratively with others. Career education must begin in middle school or earlier to allow students time to develop the aptitudes, skills and attitudes necessary to develop an awareness of…

Over the past decade, there has been an increased emphasis on transition planning for students with exceptional needs. This is in part the result of the mandates contained in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. This increased emphasis has revealed a number of shortcomings with how transition planning is done…

Recent publications raise three concerns about the traditional senior year: it lacks rigor, it fails to provide students with clear pathways to work and postsecondary education, and it does not prepare students for a successful transition from high school to post-secondary experiences. These documents suggest that high schools should transform the…

The diverse higher education members of the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education independently partner with the Hartford Public Schools and deliver more than forty programs in the schools. These programs are varied and include such areas as college access, professional development for teachers, technology initiatives, tutoring, and science…

The problem of organizing human labor resources has suddenly emerged, like so many other social and economic problems, from the realm of the academic into that of the immediate and practical, largely under the stimulus of war necessity. Through the selective draft act, the Federal employment plan, and specialized training under the War Department,…