Discusses literature concerning why and when adults return to school. Discusses study of 2,000 adults which investigated the concepts of transitions and triggers as possible reasons for returning to school. Findings indicate for 83 percent, learning was a utilitarian means; for 17 percent, learning was an end that justified itself. (JS)

The article presents an interim report on the progress of 39 mentally retarded students in a supported competitive employment training program implemented in 5 school systems and 3 geographical areas of Virginia. Among findings were that 74 percent of the students remained in their jobs longer than 6 months. (DB)

This article proposes a retention system for at-risk postsecondary vocational educational students that coordinates curricula, instructional accommodation strategies, and support systems by making effective use of the full scope of transition services and resources available. Discussed are best practices, assessment processes, and staff…

Job Training and Partnership Act programs can provide schools with a variety of options and resources for building Education for Employment programs to meet the needs of at-risk students. These programs focus on basic academic skills, work maturity skills, and job-specific skills. (Author/TE)

The article describes Project LINK, at William Paterson College of New Jersey, which provides training services to mildly handicapped young adults, links local education agencies and postsecondary service provider agencies, and aims to integrate interagency and college-based components into a broad transition model. (DB)

The child welfare field is uncertain how to best prepare older foster wards for independent living. Research priorities in this area are discussed in five categories: (1) education and school-to-work transitions; (2) formal assessments of readiness for self-sufficiency; (3) provision of transitional supports; (4) support networks; and (5)…

This article reviews U.S. federal legislation mandating collaborative transition planning between schools and adult service providers. The Collaborative Transition Model, a six-stage interdisciplinary approach which relates vocational assessment activities to instruction, is offered as one example of a formal transition system being implemented in…

The fragmentation in many children's homes and neighborhoods is reflected in their schools. To reform the nation's urban schools, educators must find ways to take collective responsibility for students' performance over their entire school careers. Reorganization according to feeder-pattern clusters can help teachers from various school levels…

New York City Technical College designed transitional activities to ensure that high school tech prep students continued for the final two years of the program. Features included shadowing, entrance exam workshops, advanced standing workshops, and preregistration. (JOW)

A program providing preparatory training and integrated primary schooling for blind children in Goroka (Papua New Guinea) is described. Specialized training at the Mt Sion Centre for the Blind prepares students for mainstreaming at the local community school. The center also provides teacher training services and a specialist resource teacher to…

This article describes a model project for promoting interagency collaboration at state and local levels to facilitate transitions of young special needs children and their families from infant/toddler programs to preschool programs. Project Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools (STEPS) has four major components: interagency…

Although financially overburdened, North Brunswick Township School District in Central New Jersey has committed to an ongoing inschool suspension plan aimed at reducing the numbers of at-risk students and providing some badly needed services. The district's high school eventually adopted the successful middle school model to reduce worsening…

Prospective students and their parents need as much information as possible about a school's programs, staff, administration, and expectations. One Missouri middle school begins its orientation program with a school/PTA newsletter and a coffee for parents of fifth graders. Simultaneously, the middle school works with the local high school to…

In Great Britain, recent declarations of the Department of Education and Science and the National Curriculum Council have suggested that the National Curriculum will banish continuity difficulties for students transferring from primary to secondary schooling. The National Curriculum, however, does not address the main issue--lack of communication…

A four-week program at Sunrise Lake Camp (Cold Spring, New York) helps immigrant Russian Jewish children to adjust to their new country. Program components include language enhancement activities, bilingual staff, scholarship assistance, cultural sensitivity training for staff, and cross-cultural education for immigrant and U.S.-born campers. (SV)