Most children enter kindergarten when they are 5 years of age and move into first grade when they are 6. This time period is marked by great developmental change (Sameroff and Haith 1996), and children differ in what they can and cannot do socially, physically, and cognitively. Therefore, parents and educators are concerned whether certain…

This chapter examines recent attempts to promote students' transitions into postsecondary education. In particular, it focuses on the evolution of career and technical education (CTE) to promote student transition by coupling more rigorous academic preparation with CTE programs.

Individuals with disabilities tend to experience fewer successful outcomes in postsecondary transition than do youth without disabilities. Ethnically diverse learners have added challenges, such as worldviews, values, language, family involvement, level of acculturation, expectations, decision-making style, meaning of work, importance of money and…

While many schools and boards of education are currently forming viable partnerships with queer community organizations in an effort to build upon existing anti-homophobia initiatives, there has been an erosion of such programs in Ontario, Canada. The education system has felt the effects of almost a decade of a conservative government, including…

America's current systems of K-12 and higher education are based on the traditional view that only an elite group of students attends college. Today, the majority of students attend some form of postsecondary education after high school. These students encounter numerous challenges: many do not complete their programs of study, almost half the…

Using college transcripts, we separate the effects of remedial coursework from high school preparation. For two-year colleges, taking remedial classes was "not" associated with less academic success. In four-year colleges, there "are" negative effects of remedial coursework, but many minority students who complete a bachelor's…

This article describes a privately operated residential program called College Living Experience, a for-profit company, caters to a growing number of students with learning disabilities, Asperger's syndrome, and various emotional or behavioral disorders. The program has a team of full-time staff members helping students with their social and…

This report summarizes the proceedings of two clinics on early childhood clinics and provides descriptions of successful preschool-to-elementary transition programs. The two clinics brought together Head Start representatives, public and private day care personnel, elementary school teachers and administrators, state department of education staff,…

Contributors to this volume address the feasibility of work-based education as a reform for the U.S. educational system and consider whether such strategies will work with large numbers of students. Costs, problems of implementation, and alternative approaches are discussed. The following papers are presented: (1) "Introduction" (Thomas…

This study examined the relationship between transition from elementary to middle school and achievement gaps in math and science in eighth graders with (N=296) and without (N=1608) learning disabilities (LD). An abundance of research suggests that motivation and achievement decline during the early adolescent years, and that this decline is often…

This final report describes activities of a 3-year federally supported program designed to enable school systems to establish and implement systematic transition planning to meet the multicultural needs of preschool-aged children with disabilities and their families moving into kindergarten and other general education settings. The program model…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools), a 3-year outreach project designed to provide training and technical assistance (TA) related to the development of statewide transition systems for children with disabilities, birth through 5 years of age, and…

This digest presents summary information on the characteristics and needs of children with learning disabilities (LD). The federal definition of learning disabilities is given and the existences of differences at the state level noted. Next viewpoints on various issues are briefly considered including the special educational needs of students with…

Project RETAIN (Retention in Education Technical Assistance and Information Network) is a Florida project to assist school districts through identification and dissemination of effective practices that keep students with mild disabilities in school. One part of the project attempted to establish a consensus among experts in the fields of…

This checklist for use with students who have disabilities outlines essential steps in the transition from secondary education to employment, postsecondary education, and independent living environments. The checklist is presented in a sequential approach covering grades 8 through 12, or ages 13-14 through 17-21. Grade 8 activities focus on…