German primary school students' reading skills have declined between 2016 and 2021, with a deficit of up to one third of a school year. The most significant portion of the decline is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic experiences. These delays are critical because children have to catch up on skills and knowledge they should already have while…

The Countdown to Kindergarten (CTK) program was developed to increase family awareness of kindergarten expectations, create a positive relationship with families, and support smooth school transition and kindergarten readiness for children who were from diverse backgrounds and/or had adverse experiences. We used a mixed methods design to study the…

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…

Graduating high school seniors who are college and career ready has become a focal point of our nation. The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program has been preparing college and career ready students who are first generation college-going students, from subgroups traditionally underrepresented in higher education, and from…

Ninth grade is a pivotal year for students. Numerous studies find that academic performance in 9th grade often sets the student's trajectory throughout the high school years, as well as the probability of graduation. The Building Assets Reducing Risks (BARR) model is a comprehensive approach that addresses developmental, academic, and school…

Academic confidence cultivated within the context of learning communities may be an important key to student success. This study examined the structural relationships of four constructs on academic performance and persistence for summer bridge learning community (SBLC) and non-SBLC members. Constructs included (1) student background, (2) academic…

Successful transition for young handicapped children into other programs depends on a variety of factors, including personnel time, development of a comprehensive transition plan, positive teacher attitudes, and careful followup. Problems in transitioning may include weak evaluation procedures, limited social capacity of handicapped students, and…

This paper discusses the impact of Follow Through, a comprehensive program for low-income children in grades 1-3 and their parents previously enrolled in Head Start programs. The program was designed to help families make the transition from preschool to early elementary school. The paper notes that the longevity of Follow Through (over 25 years)…

The transfer to a new school or grade has been identified as a typical transition period for students that is usually characterized by declining academic performance and increased absences. At the close of the 1991-92 academic year 26% of 9th-grade students in a large urban high school were failing 50% or more of their courses. A preventive…

In 1987, a graduate-level program to train transition service specialists was instituted at California State University at Long Beach. The program, known as the Collaborative Transition Services Training Program (CTSTP), is an 18-semester unit program organized into three phases: a 3-unit course on transition programming for youth and adults with…

The Ninth Grade Houses Program of the New York City public high schools is described, and evaluation outcomes and recommendations are presented. The general goal was to help ninth graders adjust to high school. The purposes were to: (1) generate student engagement; (2) provide opportunity for sustained, meaningful interaction with respected…

This presentation summarizes findings from a Maryland case study of policies and practices affecting the transition of students from high school to college. A particular focus is the role of a formal, high-profile statewide K-16 structure, the Maryland K-16 Partnership for Teaching and Learning, in promoting policies and practices that help…

The State University of New York (SUNY) Bridge Program is a federally funded work force preparation program that was initiated in October 1992 to help mothers receiving welfare achieve self-sufficiency by helping them acquire job skills. The program is housed at the Urban League of Northeastern New York and SUNY's 10 educational opportunity…

This paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the effectiveness of the Vermont Best Practices for Educating Students with Serious Emotional Disturbances in Their Local Public Schools and Communities project. The purpose of the project was to use best practices in the development of programs and services for students with serious…

In the past decade, disappointing national outcomes have been reported regarding the transition of youth with disabilities to community and work environments. The transition outlook is even more dismal for rural youth with disabilities, in light of geographic barriers to special education service delivery, lack of jobs in rural areas, and rural…