This World Bank Working Paper discusses equity and efficiency issues in secondary education transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its main purpose is to identify and analyze national, regional, and local measures that may lead to the development of more efficient and seamless transitions between post-primary education pathways. In most African countries student transition from primary to junior secondary is still accompanied by significant repetition and dropout. Transitions within the secondary cycle also cause significant losses and should use more effective assessment and selection methodologies. According to global trends, Africa needs to revisit its post-primary structures to provide more diversified (academic and non-academic) pathways of learning which respond better to the continent's present economic and social realities. In the end, the main goal should be to produce young people who can become productive citizens and lead healthy lives, as demonstrated by middle and higher-income economies.

‘Transition’ has numerous everyday and conceptual meanings yet, while certain transitions are unsettling and difficult for some people, risk, challenge and even difficulty might also be important factors in successful transitions for others.

Researching Transitions in Lifelong Learning presents new research from Britain, Australia and North America. The authors include leading scholars with established international reputations - such as Kathryn Ecclestone, Norton Grubb, David Boud and Gert Biesta - as well as emerging researchers with fresh and sometimes challenging perspectives.

Educational Choices, Transitions and Aspirations in Europe analyses educational choices and transitions in eight different European countries/regions and provides an engaging means of considering issues of inequality through international comparisons. The book is underpinned by explorations of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, which share the common goal of highlighting and challenging educational inequalities in relation to political imaginings and discursive constructions of notions of aspirations and choice. Beginning with an overview of the theoretical landscape, the book posits ways of understanding transitional experiences through both a social and a political lens. Comprising of chapters that explore these issues within the context of specific countries and at different stages of young people’s transitions, the collection examines the features of different European education systems and how they frame transitions and choices, before providing an overall analysis of systemic, institutional and subjective constraints on these processes. The book uniquely opens and develops an intellectual conversation about different education systems with similar educational challenges and outcomes. Assimilating key issues and solutions, this volume also makes general recommendations for policy and practice that would help to promote greater equity and social justice. The book covers a range of transition points and countries, which should make it essential reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate students with an interest in international perspectives on education. It will be particularly useful for those working in education, sociology, social policy, geography, and politics.

The breakneck speed of change in today’s societies creates enormous challenges for educational institutions at all levels. This volume explores ways how to manage change in educational processes and contexts, focusing, in particular, on the concepts of transition and transformation. How do we educate a skilled workforce, sensitive professionals and responsive citizens who are able not only to cope with change but also to adopt required roles as agents of change? How do we prepare students and employees to cope adequately with changes and transitions in their careers and personal lives? The first of this book’s three sections deals with the conceptual and theoretical aspects of transition, transformational processes and human development. It defines these concepts and examines the ways in which educational theory and praxis understand concepts of change and development. The second section presents empirical studies that offer differing perspectives on educational transitions, covering the lifespan from early years education to lifelong learning. The third part of the volume focuses on issues of learning and pedagogy and argues that educational practices should change with the changing world. With numerous concrete examples included in the analysis, and with studies taking a range of forms from personal histories to large-scale surveys, this new book is a major addition to the literature in a field that has key implications for our future. The first of this book’s three sections deals with the conceptual and theoretical aspects of transition, transformational processes and human development. It defines these concepts and examines the ways in which educational theory and praxis understand concepts of change and development. The second section presents empirical studies that offer differing perspectives on educational transitions, covering the lifespan from early years education to lifelong learning. The third part of the volume focuses on issues of learning and pedagogy and argues that educational practices should change with the changing world. With numerous concrete examples included in the analysis, and with studies taking a range of forms from personal histories to large-scale surveys, this new book is a major addition to the literature in a field that has key implications for our future.

The transition from early childhood education to primary school is a big step for all children, and a step which more and more children are having to take. Quality transitions Should be well-prepared and child-centred, managed by trained staff collaborating with one another, and guided by ...

This collection addresses issues related to families and transition, and pays special attention to the transition to school, the effect of this on the family, as well as the effect of the family on that transition. It celebrates the roles of families, locating them as integral partners in time of transition and identifying a variety of ways in which families and educators can work together with children to promote positive transitions. The book draws on a range of theoretical frameworks and research projects to provide multiple perspectives of family involvement in education, family-educator partnerships, the nature of collaboration, issues for families in marginalised or complex circumstances, as well as the multiple intersections of families and transition processes. The research projects reported range from in-depth case studies to the analysis of large-scale data sets and all have multiple messages for practitioners, policy makers and researchers as they seek ways to engage with families as their children start school.

Research into early childhood transitions has become a field in its own right. It is increasingly understood that a positive start in any new setting can influence the child's engagement, sense of belonging, well-being, progression in learning, and agency, and may be dependent on the insight of educators and families, and yet there is no research methodology or research methods book dedicated to this growing field of study. Including 27 chapters written by researchers from the UK, New Zealand, the USA, Sweden, Iceland, Australia and Canada this handbook presents an overview of the field exploring its current debates, reflects on its history, and offers suggestions for the future of the field. This book is an essential reference point for anyone studying or undertaking research into transitions in early childhood.