Successful transition to work is important for all young people and crucial for those with poor basic skills. Research suggests that speaking and listening skills--an aspect of basic skills often overlooked--are particularly important at work. The message from employers can hardly be clearer--good speaking and listening skills matter at work. How…

LifeLink is an innovative college bridge and retention program, developed and run by Good Shepherd Services, a nonprofit community agency providing youth development, education, and family services. Good Shepherd Services partners with the New York City Department of Education to help students who have struggled in school, or who have dropped out…

Parental involvement and parent-school-community partnerships receive wide acclaim for making a positive difference in the educational and transition outcomes for youth with and without disabilities. Although the impact of parental involvement in education remains undisputed, secondary education traditionally emphasizes the emerging adult…

Historical context informs the work of student affairs professionals and others in higher education in striking the right balance in helping prepare students for life after college, but significant new pressures face students, their mentors, and educational institutions today. This chapter discusses the contexts that shape the work of student…

Students' adjustment to the university environment is an important factor in predicting university outcomes and is crucial to their future achievements. University support to students' transition to university life can be divided into three dimensions: academic adjustment, social adjustment and psychological adjustment. However, these…

The transition from eighth grade to high school results in a higher drop-out rate and more grade retentions than any other grade. However, when districts and schools develop and implement a sound transition program, the outcomes for ninth graders are improved. Key points of this briefing paper include the following promising interventions: (1)…

The broad utility of the concept of transition in many disciplines provides career educators and career advisory personnel with expanded opportunities to explore fresh solutions to problems they meet in the course of their work. Further practical solutions become available by continuing to seek applications of the concept. Career transition…

In rural areas, transition planning for young adults with disabilities presents considerable challenges, including linkage to employment upon completion of special education services. Two assessment programs, described in this article, work in concert to assist transition teachers and youth with disabilities in rural areas and include: (a)…

This article documents the development of a protocol that addresses the anxieties and tensions felt by the families of students with disabilities when they face the daunting transition from middle grades to high school. The tool grew out of a study of schools that form meaningful partnerships with diverse families of students with disabilities,…

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…

University Campus School in Worchester, Massachusetts, was extremely successful in helping its graduates get into college, but the faculty realized that many students were not staying on track to graduate. To increase students' chances of finishing college, the faculty decided to revamp its senior year, giving students something similar to the…

The role of universities in contributing to lifelong learning is likely to undergo significant change in the next few years as the higher education sector grapples with the government's overhaul of university funding. Opportunities for progression to university for those studying outside of A-levels are particularly uncertain in the emerging…

Hundreds of thousands of children and youth with disabilities across the country are receiving secondary transition services. Secondary transition is the process of preparing students with disabilities for life after they leave high school, including participation in post-secondary education or training, employment and independent living.…

The goal of parenthood is to raise children to be productive community members who are self-determined. Adults who have freedom over how they want to live their life, spend their money and live in a way that enhances and confirms their importance are self-determined. Overall affection in the family will enhance self-esteem and help children grow…