Best Practice Program for Low-Income African American Students Transitioning from Middle to High School

Abstract

On the basis of systematic evaluation of three program databases, totaling 246 programs, this article provides a discussion on a best practice program for low-income African American students transitioning from middle school to high school in urban school settings. The main research question was “Of the programs touted as best practice, is there one that could produce positive middle school transition outcomes for low-income African American students in urban school settings?” To allow for the examination of as many programs as possible that targeted African American students, no subcategories of African American students were made, for example, low income. Using specific exclusion criteria, the author chose four programs as best practice (School Transitional Environmental Program [STEP]; Skills, Opportunity, and Recognition; Positive Action through Holistic Education; and Fast Track). These four programs were further evaluated with an eight-point inclusion criteria. The results suggested that STEP was the best best practice program, from those examined, for working with low-income African American transitioning from middle school to high school.