Supporting Students in Transition to and from Elementary School

Authors

Meleah Ellison, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Jamelle Simmons, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
David B. Naff, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Taryn G. Traylor, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Meredith Dean, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Sooyean Moon, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Jia Jia Lu, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
LaTonja Y. Wright, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Cameron Parkins, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Dana V. Yarbrough, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Audrina Farrar, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Obed Amoakoh Boateng, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Original Publication Date

2025

Date of Submission

December 2025

Abstract

This report is part of a two-part series focused on supporting students in transition across PK-12 education. Specifically, it explores transitions into and out of elementary school. The report includes a synthesis of recent peer-reviewed literature, analysis of publicly available data (with a specific focus on Virginia and the metropolitan Richmond region), and summary of relevant federal, state, and school division-level policies. It answers the following questions:

1. What are key considerations for supporting students in transition to and from elementary school in the MERC region?

2. How do federal, state, and division policies guide support for student transitions to and from elementary school?

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations. An executive summary is provided at the beginning of the report.

Recommended Citation

Ellison, M., Simmons, J.,* Naff, D.,* Traylor, T., Dean, M., Moon, S., Liu, J., Wright, L., Parkins, C., LoCasale-Crouch, J., Yarbrough, D., Farrar, A., & Boateng, O. (2025) Supporting Students in Transition to and from Elementary School, Richmond, VA: Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium.

Is Part Of

VCU MERC Publications