School Transitions, Impact, Intervention, and Policy

Edward Seidman

Transitions in life represent a time of potential transformation in self-definition and interpersonal relationships, which may, for better or worse, have a long-term impact on academic performance, mental health, and future life opportunities. Transitions often represent turning points where either dramatic growth or destructive patterns of growth and development ensue (Ruble & Seidman, 1996). School transitions are critical transitions that occur during childhood and adolescence. One common differentiating feature of school transitions is whether they are normative or nonnormative. Nonnormative school transitions include unscheduled transfers to a new school at the beginning of or during a school year, often as a result of a family relocation. Normative school transitions, on the other hand, are scheduled transitions that large cohorts of students make at the same time, such as the transition to elementary school, the transition from elementary school to middle grade schools, the transition from middle grade schools to senior ...

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