Home

Regional Forum: Effective Leadership for Successful Middle to High School Transition

As part of the Regional Project: Leadership for the Middle School Years, The Effective Leadership for Successful Middle to High School Transition Forum was held at the Omni Hotel in Richmond, Virginia on April 19-21, 2006.

The forum addressed one of the factors affecting student achievement in low-performing schools-the transition from middle grades to high school. Participants were drawn from state departments of education and had the opportunity to consider critical issues in the middle to high school transition that affect student achievement.

The event was sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center, the Southern Regional Education Board, and the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center.

Forum Objectives

  1. To examine research on policies and programs designed to raise student achievement and reduce the failure rate in the ninth grade;
  2. To share and discuss new technical assistance initiatives under consideration or in a pilot phase that are aimed at improving readiness for high school and the middle grades to ninth grade transition; and
  3. To consider how the sponsoring organizations can assist states in developing their capacity to provide technical assistance designed to improve achievement in the middle grades and high school and to increase high school completion rates.

Forum Outcomes and Year 2 Plans

Based on SEA participant feedback at the first Middle to High School Transition Forum and on MACC's informal discussions with SEA leadership across the region, district leadership development for middle to high school transition will be MACC's primary focus area for Year 2.

Regional activities in Year 2 will include

  1. a needs assessment of SEA and district-level leaders involved with middle school transition to determine the challenges district leaders face in this area;
  2. an analysis and report on this data;
  3. synthesis of research from the Center on High Schools, and
  4. an alignment of evidence based strategies with need areas.

In addition, a Second Annual Forum on Middle to High School Transition will be planned with ARCC and SREB partners

For more details, contact:
Project Coordinators: Barbara Hicks, Emily Crandall, Charlene Rivera, Yvonne Thayer