Transitioning from high school to college can be a formidable challenge, especially for students who are the first in their family to attend college (first-generation) and/or are from low-income backgrounds. The authors' qualitative investigation of a college mentoring program illuminates the potential value of relatable peer mentors in helping…

This article provides an overview of GED holders admitted into the Successful Transition and Retention Track (START) two-year pilot-project. An enhanced college-success course, career and mental-health counseling, and English and mathematics tutoring acclimated GED holders to college. Results suggest that postsecondary educational attainment of…

Universities frequently offer support programs to assist first-year students with the transition from school to the university. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different mentoring styles on mentee academic performance after 1 year and 2 years of study. Participants consisted of 417 psychology students who started their…

Informed by the experiences of former peer mentors, this qualitative study examines the structure of opportunity of a university retention program. Extending the concept of social capital, the study investigates the experiences of students who served as peer mentors, and how their involvement in the retention program has influenced their social…

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…

Examined effects of using peer helpers to ease students in their transition to an overseas school and their functioning in that environment. Participants were 84 high school students enrolled at the American Community Schools of Athens, Greece. Results indicated some positive changes, suggesting that students can benefit from peer interaction and…

Effective services for youth in transition can be delivered through a five-phase process approach to skill acquisition in which the level of intervention is appropriate for the target population. A hierarchical model of self-directed adaptation, consisting of seven levels of intervention, is proposed as a context for program development. (LKS)

This report evaluates New York City's Summer High School Preparation for Raising Educational Performance (PREP) program, which was designed to ease Chapter 1-eligible students' transition from junior to senior high school. The report contains the following: (1) an introduction with information on program background, objectives, and methodology;…

Describes and evaluates the staffing, scheduling, thematic underpinning, activities, and student recruitment efforts of New York City's 1983 summer PREP program for introducing new students to the city's high schools. Also covers site selection, student and teacher attitudes, differences from previous years' programs, and recommendations for the…

A field test was conducted of the "Transition to Independence Curriculum" that was developed in 1987-88 by the Endependence Center in Norfolk, Virginia. The curriculum includes peer counseling and other services to help students with disabilities become independent. During the field test, the peer counselor met with students at each of three…

This practicum project evaluated the effectiveness of a peer counseling, mentoring, and tutoring program to enhance the transition of students from elementary to middle school by reducing behavior problems and absenteeism, and by enhancing students' ability to deal with academic or peer difficulties. The problem of adjustment to the transition…

In response to the closure and down-sizing of fish plants in Newfoundland, Cabot College (CC) established a Student Support Services Unit (SSSU) to offer special counseling and advising services to the more than 100 students expected to undertake vocational retraining at CC under the province's Fisheries Adjustment Program. The SSSU hired two…

An orientation and peer helper program was developed at a public middle school in a rural community to reduce the problems associated with sixth-grade students transferring into the school during the school year. Transfer students and their parents or guardians were provided with a video and brochure that explained the school's services, programs,…

Students around the globe have unique first-year experiences but struggle with many of the same challenges. This monograph focuses on their journeys and provides insights for educators interested in learning about how institutions across the globe provide supports to students dealing with first-year transition issues. Based on the successful…

For the 1986-87 school year, the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) allocated its Education Consolidation Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 2 Formula and Carry-over funds to nine desegregation-related programs: (1) Bus Monitors; (2) Extracurricular Transportation; (3) Outdoor Learning; (4) Peer Assistance and Leadership; (5) Project…