Henrico County (Virginia) Public Schools' alternative programs are becoming lifelines for troubled and/or underachieving students at all grade levels. Each program is well structured; stresses high behavior, achievement, and attendance standards; and has small classes, a caring ambience, supportive parents, and clear, consistent expectations for…

Participant observation and interviews were conducted to determine processes involved in person-centered transition planning with six young adults having moderate to severe mental retardation. Initial planning meetings were evaluated in terms of organization; structure; facilitation process; and participation of families, professionals, friends,…

Changes in administrative procedures can help schools achieve their goals. Principals must cultivate the necessary networking and empowerment by providing staff members with training, time to review their philosophies, and access to student data. These approaches helped a Virginia high school adopt total quality management and block scheduling.…

To serve early adolescents' needs, a Georgia middle school offers a comprehensive guidance program that includes individual and group counseling, transitional programs, tutoring and mentoring programs to improve academic skills, a conflict- management program to improve discipline, and an incentive program to recognize student accomplishments.…

This article presents the career/vocational assessment process as a critical component of transition planning for students with disabilities. It provides an overview of career/vocational assessment, methods of gathering assessment information, issues to consider, people involved in the assessment process, and recommendations for career/vocational…

New 9th graders reflect on the worries they had as middle school students about moving into high school. They also suggest ways of easing the transition and providing support in 9th grade. Teens want teachers to connect middle school students regularly with high school students, give them more responsibility in middle school, and focus on…

Belief in the importance of school readiness has mobilized a broad coalition of concerned stakeholders to become organized and act. As a result, a number of programs, policies, and materials have been developed to improve the readiness of children and of schools. The purpose of this article is to examine the context in which these efforts are…

This study examined the use of a palmtop computer running a software program by transition-age students with cognitive disabilities to increase independence on vocational and independent living tasks. The purpose of this research was to test the hypotheses that a palmtop computer utilizing a Windows CE platform with touch screen capabilities and…

Formative assessment in distance teaching is a complex issue, particularly when diverse students are involved. At Unisa many students from previously disadvantage backgrounds need to be accommodated in tertiary mathematics and science. However, many such students have limited entry-level mathematical knowledge and academic skills. This article…

This study investigated the information needs of parents who have children in transition into public kindergarten. The research group consisted of 94 parents who have children with hearing impairment with ages ranging from 3 to 5. "The Scale Parental Information Needs in Transition to Kindergarten" was used in this study. Parents'…

This paper reports on one component of a school-university collaborative in El Paso, Texas, to create pathways to college and the teaching profession for Latino and Latina high school students. As part of the Institute for Educational Inquiry's "Diversity in Teaching and Teacher Education" initiative (1997-2000) at The University of…

Austin Independent School District served more than 13,000 students in summer programs during 2009, providing opportunities for accelerated learning, maintenance of academic skills between school years, course credit recovery, state achievement tests, or school-level transition activities. This report summarizes this information.

This paper presents the research and methodology and analyses used for the "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades" research. This appendix contains the following sections: (1) Overview; (2) Constructing the Survey Data File; (3) Constructing Composite Independent Variables (Subdomains); (4) Constructing Longitudinal Outcome Variables; (5)…

This paper presents a program for counseling students enrolled in an online charter school located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The author presents a review of the process to establish an online school in Nevada and a unique model for delivery of services that combines face-to-face instruction and online education. The author describes the development of…

The transition to primary school is one of the greatest challenges of early childhood. Handled well, it can set children into virtuous cycle of learning. But how can transitions be made more effective? Based on a background paper for UNESCO's Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2007, this paper assesses the literature and draws lessons…