Educational Transitions
Creating positive educational transitions with confidence
Transitions are a natural part of every student’s experience.
From changing schools, moving across countries, and going to university, students regularly face academic, cultural, and social shifts. These transitions aren’t just one-time events—they’re ongoing experiences that shape a student’s growth.
For international students, there are specific challenges. Moving across borders and adjusting to new cultures adds layers of complexity that require thoughtful support.
Changing moments of challenge into opportunities
Every transition a student makes is a critical milestone. When handled with care, these moments can strengthen a student’s academic trajectory and personal development. With proactive and effective planning, transitions become more than just hurdles—they become opportunities to build resilience, adaptability, and life-long skills.
Studies indicate that the most resilient individuals prepare for challenges by developing their emotional and practical skills during times of calm. Intentional transitions-care refers to the support provided to students, their families, and staff while navigating transitions between different educational stages, schools, or learning environments. By equipping students with proactive coping strategies, institutions can effectively prepare them for managing transitions in various contexts.
How CIS can help
We understand the importance and power of well-supported positive transitions. With experience working alongside thousands of schools and universities worldwide, we’re uniquely positioned to help institutions:
- Support the development of comprehensive transitions-care practices in your community
- Improve institutional practices to support students through key academic and social milestones
- Consider the needs of the community—leaders, families, and faculties—as they manage transitions to support their educational institution
- Mobilize cross-departmental collaboration within an institution to create effective transitions-care support initiatives
- Form effective connections between schools and higher education institutions to pave the way for a supported educational transition
- Foster environments that nurture socially responsible leadership
We have researched and defined international education standards, facilitating student mobility across the world. Intentional transitions-care bridges schools and higher education institutions, helping students thrive at a crucial moment in their educational journey.
Transform transitions together: a collaborative, whole-institution approach for effective educational transitions
Consistent transitions-care across institutions helps to sustain a student’s sense of belonging, resilience, and confidence as they navigate new academic, social, and cultural environments. It also enables families to feel supported throughout the entire journey, knowing that both sending and receiving institutions prioritize well-being and community integration. By fostering dialogue and partnership between educational institutions, educators can build mutual understanding and create a continuum of care that supports the student transition from school to school and school to higher education—preparing them not just for academic achievement, but for lifelong adaptability and global citizenship.
The Foundations of Transitions-Care course will help you discover the transformative power of positive transitions-care, whether you are an individual educator or part of a dedicated team. Throughout this five-week course, you will gain essential insights into how transitions impact learning, well-being, and a sense of belonging. Explore how supportive, proactive approaches to transitions-care can reduce potential risks to learning and prepare students for life's many transitions, both within and beyond the classroom. CIS members can register now in the CIS Community portal.
Supporting students in their transition to Higher Education
The transition from school to university can be a challenging time for any student. For many, it will be the first time they live away from home and begin to look after their basic needs on their own.
International students face specific challenges as they transition across cultures and figure out how to look after their basic needs in a completely new context, and sometimes, in a new language.
Students, as well as the educators and staff who support them, have described a gap in expectations and related support as students move from secondary to higher education. This gap contributes to the ‘disconnection’ that students experience during their enrolment journey, as well as initial stages in their higher education experience.
To bridge this gap, we are excited to announce the Secondary to Higher Education Transitions Support Pack is now available to CIS members in the CIS Community portal. You will find research-backed guidance and practical strategies for your institution to develop programming that will your support students making this transition. We are confident this support pack will facilitate cross-sector collaboration allowing schools and universities to work together to ensure a smoother transition for all students.