What happens to youth in foster care when they turn 18? Many face unprecedented challenges like homelessness, lack of financial resources, difficulty accessing educational opportunities, and unemployment. In this issue brief, The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) document these challenges and opportunities in three distinct yet overlapping areas…

Early college schools are succeeding at our nation's most daunting educational challenge--propelling students from underserved backgrounds to graduate high school and earn postsecondary degrees. These schools combine high school and college in rigorous, yet supportive environments that embrace acceleration over remediation. Their "college for…

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face unique challenges in attaining postsecondary education. However, as awareness of supports increases, such as early intervention programs and evidence-based practices, more students with ASD view postsecondary education as an option. Little research exists of the role of secondary school counselor…

This article features the Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) which serves as the founding credential in the six states and one locality in the Career Readiness Certificate Consortium (Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C.). The Career Readiness Certificate was developed by the small consortium…

A peer-mentoring program was developed for students in an introductory biology course at a university in Ontario, Canada. Students could attend up to five peer-mentoring sessions during their first semester. Quantitative-survey, participation, and academic data spanning from 2003 through 2007 were reviewed for the purpose of evaluating the…

The present study examines the perception of parents and teachers towards the transition process and preparedness of students who are deaf or hard of hearing from a listening and spoken language school in the Northeastern United States to a general education setting in their home school districts. The study uses a mixed methods design with…

The transition from preschool to formal schooling constitutes an important developmental milestone for children and their families. Very few empirical studies investigating the kindergarten transition for typically developing children have been published, and fewer have examined transition experiences from the perspective of caregivers. The aims…

Four students with disabilities enrolled in a secondary transition program located at a community college were interviewed to learn more about their transition experiences. One of the issues they touched on was self-determination. This study is a part of the larger qualitative narrative effort but with a specific focus on exploring participants'…

Since the dawn of mayoral control in 2002, New York City high schools have undergone a major overhaul. Part of this reform effort has been the replacement of underperforming large high schools with new small high schools. This study more closely examines the effects of a transition to small high schools on students who are Latino and students who…

Senior year is the perfect time to offer students challenges that will help prepare them for life after school. The term "senior seminar" has been commonly used to describe a course that is specifically designed to help 12th graders develop knowledge, skills, and habits of mind that will prepare them for their college or work experiences. Senior…

Today, young people are transitioning to adulthood later in life than they were in the 1960s and 70s. Why has this change occurred and what does it mean for young adults, their families, and the larger society? This article discusses the transition to adulthood from an historical perspective. It then explores the challenges of this later…

This study examined the effectiveness of a group art therapy intervention within a school setting to increase coping skills and decrease disruptive behaviors in a group of 6 eighth-grade students at risk for making a poor transition to high school. The mixed-method AB single-case experiment measured each individual's changes in behavior and coping…

The number of women under community-based criminal justice supervision in the U.S. has reached an all-time high. Because of this, there is an increased need for programs meant to address the unique needs of reentry women. In this article we examine a sample of 155 such programs to determine whether currently available reentry programs in the 10…

Student engagement is an essential part of the many transitions adolescents must make on their way to self-sufficient adulthood. Motivating students to learn at pivotal points in their school careers, especially as they transition into high school, is sometimes difficult. The Freshman Transition Initiative (FTI) at The George Washington University…

This study addresses school transition in New Zealand for 15 students identified as mathematically gifted and talented. The findings are drawn from a two-year study that included student, parent, and teacher perspectives, and an examination of school policies, programs, and practices. Students felt well prepared for the transition although not all…