The Nature of “Schooling” in School Transitions

Summary Despite an ecological framework, much of the work on school transitions has focused on the characteristics of children that are associated with poor school adjustment. This paper addresses three levels of complexities about schooling-generic changes in assumptions, roles, and social supports that accompany grade transitions, differentia] demands and opportunities that create different lives within the same school or classroom, and temporal/societal pressures that alter the fabric of schooling. We highlight the complex match or mismatch between different school conditions and particular characteristics of children that determine the ultimate quality of the transition outcome. Finally, we urge greater attention toward environmental intervention, that is, school reforms that enhance the capacity of settings to better meet the developmental needs of children and the diversity of the school population.