ABSTRACT
It is evident that educators are aware of the importance of school transitions by the way each school seems to find an event to welcome new arrivals. Elementary schools have Beginners' Days for entering kindergartners and their parents each spring. Middle schools welcome field trips of rising sixth graders. High schools conduct open houses and registration nights for rising ninth graders. Many colleges and universities welcome new freshmen with a special seminar during the summer or a few days before the sophomores, juniors, and seniors return. And all educational institutions—be they daycare centers, elementary, middle, high schools, or universities—mark the transition of their graduates with pomp and circumstance. Students, parents, and staff celebrate with pride, smiles, and tears over leaving the past and fears about the future. Schools cannot function effectively without planning these ceremonial tributes to transition. The school community would not allow it. Although parents and educators may have the best of intentions, some students get lost forever in transition.1
