A qualitative approach was utilized in this study to examine four transition programs' best educational practices in building transition programs for eighth to ninth grade. An analysis of a retrospective study of the four transition programs provided data to support recommendations for best educational practices to build a transition program for…

While the transition from middle school to high school symbolized the coming of age, it is a time in a young person's life that can create feelings of isolation, disconnect, and an immeasurable sense of loneliness (DeJong & Locker, 2006). The organizational structure found in most public high schools presented problems for many ninth graders…

The Success Project was a multi-year effort that aimed to better prepare middle grade students for the transition to and success in high school and beyond. Underlying this initiative was a belief that many urban public middle grades students in the United States enter high school without sufficient social supports and academic skills to succeed in…

This case study focuses on one district's process of continuous improvement in family engagement. The improvement effort addresses the point at which family engagement tends to decline precipitously and students are particularly vulnerable--the transition into high school. In this article we analyze the implementation of a continuous improvement…

This study used comparative interrupted times series analyses to assess the impact of a continuous improvement-focused family engagement intervention on ninth grade attendance and course passing rates. The intervention, conducted in an urban district, sought to improve middle and high school family engagement practices during the transition to…

This case study focuses on one district's process of continuous improvement in family engagement. The improvement effort addresses the point at which family engagement tends to decline precipitously and students are particularly vulnerable--the transition into high school. In this article we analyze the implementation of a continuous improvement…

Although career and technical education (CTE) Programs of Study (POS) were introduced in the Perkins IV legislation, neither the spirit nor the elements of POS are new in the history of CTE as a vehicle for high school reform. POS have evolved over several decades of efforts to create effective transition programs from secondary to postsecondary…

The Early College High School (ECHS) initiative developed in response to calls to significantly decrease the number of first-generation college and underserved students of color and from poverty who are high school dropouts or marginally graduates (i.e., ill prepared for college). The ECHS model is different from other educational reforms in that…

This qualitative study explores career counseling and guidance services as provided to students engaged in career and technical education programs at three sites in the United States. The sites, consisting of high schools and community colleges, were part of the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education's 5-year studies of…

Emerging in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the concept of individual student planning developed as a component of school guidance counseling programs. The underlying significance of these plans, such as the Individual Career Plan (ICP), is that "it gives [students] a chance to tell and develop their story" (N. Gysbers, personal communication,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate and explore the differences, if any, between North Carolina high school principals' and counselors' perceptions of the implementation strategies of their freshmen academies. The results of this study provide additional knowledge to educational administrators, policymakers, and district leaders, as they…

Rising remediation rates among college students are leading to increased time for completion of degree, additional costs for students and colleges, and financial aid being used on courses that do not count towards a degree. In response to these issues, in 2007 the state of Illinois passed the College and Career Readiness Act, Public Act 095-0694,…

A Maryland middle school helps students navigate passage to high school with 10 crossings: parent engagement, mentoring transitional opportunities program, a middle-school exit form, a special assembly, a closing ceremony, a unification process, departmental articulation, a roundtable involving middle- and high-school principals, and a high-school…

The development and implementation of a Professional Development School (PDS)--sponsored summer program for at-risk secondary students is described. Literature related to PDSs and summer programs is followed by a presentation of data findings and analysis. Attendance and grade point average data gathered on the 17 participating rising ninth…

This report presents findings on the implementation and impacts of Project Transition, a research and demonstration program implemented at Pulaski High School in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) during the 1995-96 and 1996-97 school years, and in Schlagle High School in Kansas City (Kansas) during the 1996-97 school year. The program was deigned to test the…