Building bridges

Most young people leave elementary school and move into some form of secondary school during early adolescence. At precisely the time that young people are navigating multiple developmental challenges (social, intellectual, academic, physical), they are expected to move between these intuitions of public education. The transition is commonly associated with dips in academic achievement, dips in self-esteem, and increased social anxiety, and has long been recognized as a stumbling point for students, particularly those at risk. Dr. Bruce Ferguson and the author, both members of the Community Health Systems Group at the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto), conducted an international review of literature to inform their current, three-year, Ontario-based research project "Mapping the Pathways and Processes of Transition from Elementary to Secondary School." This project is engaging a team of expert researchers and educators to examine the ways in which young people, parents, and educators experience and negotiate the transition by following twenty-six "families of schools" across the transition point from elementary to secondary school. The literature review yielded over 100 articles, reports, and studies, including lengthy literature reviews from New Zealand, UK, Ontario, and the United States. This article presents the summary and discussion of their findings. The full report provides an annotated bibliography of the most significant sources. (Contains 14 notes.)Accession Number: EJ782702; Acquisition Information: Canadian Education Association. 317 Adelaid Street West #300, Toronto, ON M5V 1P9, Canada. Tel: 416-591-6300; Fax: 416-591-5345; e-mail: publications@cea-ace-ca; Web site: http://www.cea-ace.ca/home.cfm; Language: English; Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Journal Code: JAN2008; Level of Availability: Not available from ERIC; Publication Type: Journal Articles; Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Entry Date: 200