Transitioning from Middle School to High School

High school campus tour

It is important to create opportunities for graduating 8th graders to learn about their new high school. One opportunity is organizing a visit to the high school. Middle school and high school administrators and staff can coordinate a campus tour for incoming freshmen and invite families to attend. The visit could include opportunities to meet high school teachers, the principal, and school counselors. It could also include introducing 8th graders to what a high school class schedule looks like and how to understand it. Consider organizing a high school student panel where high school students can share their experiences with touring middle school students and help answer questions. Additionally, a high school parent panel could be organized for middle school parents that consists of a similar format. During the high school visit, hold an “activities fair” to introduce eighth graders and their families to extracurricular activities, clubs, athletics, band, choir, etc. 

After the visit, the middle and high school staff can jointly survey students and families about their visit to the high school. What went well? What could be improved? What additional questions do they have? 

Back to school night

High school administrators and staff can host a “Back to School Night” where students and their families have an additional opportunity to visit the high school. Students can be given their class schedules (if they have registered for courses) and practice locating the order of their classrooms. This event could include a time and place for parents and educators to interact with one another to ask questions and share their expertise. Documents such as school handbooks and other necessary forms could also be distributed at this time. Have translators and interpreters available to help families understand any documents and ensure their questions and concerns are addressed. 

Another model for a back to school night is to hold an abbreviated school day in the evenings so parents could experience their children’s sequence of classes and have an opportunity to interact with each teacher. Teachers could give short presentations about class content and parents could ask questions. 

Helping parents support high school students' learning at home

As discussed in the overview, students face an increased academic demand upon entering high school. During this time, adolescents develop the skills needed for transitioning into adulthood. Independent thinking is encouraged as they apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations. Courses involve more in-depth topics across a wide range of disciplines, and assignments and projects are increasingly complex compared to those in middle school. 

The following strategies for teachers can assist them in helping parents understand increased academic demands in high school, as well as how to support students’ learning at home. For additional strategies, view the “resources” section below. 

• Consider sending families a letter at the beginning of the year to introduce yourself, provide an overview of your course, any special information about the course that families should know in advance, as well as your contact information. Additional topics to include are how to access online resources and materials, how grades will be calculated, and opportunities for tutoring or homework help. Remind parents that you are available to help support them and answer any questions. 
• Suggest to parents the following strategies to support their children’s learning at home
  • Stick to a Routine. Although older adolescents strongly desire independence, having a consistent routine can help parents maintain boundaries and expectations for homework completion. For example, parents and children might agree that they watch TV after 5pm if their work for the day is finished.
  • Designate a Workspace. Similar to younger children, older adolescents benefit from having an established workspace. Having materials such as a planner/organizer can help students keep track of their assignments, activities, work schedule, and social life. 
  • Setting Boundaries and Building Independence. It is important for parents to offer homework guidance and support to their high schoolers. Encourage families to model organizational and problem-solving skills to facilitate homework independence instead of providing the correct answers. Examples of organizational skills include using a planner, using a 3-ring binder to organize printed materials with tabs, using individual notebooks to take notes for each class, and adding into their planner adequate lead time to complete assignments. Problem-solving skills include knowing where to go or who to ask for help on assignments, teaching students to use textbooks as a resource, and helping students break down larger projects into more manageable parts. Offering enough support for teens to solve the current task and then gradually reducing that support helps teens build independence. 
  • Home Chores + Responsibilities. Having a role in the family household through chores and certain duties helps teenagers learn responsibility and accountability, and provides them with opportunities to contribute to the family. Encourage parents to talk with their high schooler about ways they can contribute to the household through chores, errands, assisting/supporting kupuna (including grandparents), or helping cook a family meal. 
  • Addressing Conflict Between Adolescents and Parents. Research has shown that while adolescents may appear not to be listening to parents, they do pay attention to what parents have to say. Therefore, it is important for parents to provide active guidance throughout high school. Conflict between parents and teenagers is normal and should be expected to some degree. For example, there may be arguments when there is a difficult assignment at hand or when the student does not want to complete a task. However, parents can avoid having the same argument multiple times by asking their child to take a break and then discussing ways to break the task down into smaller components so it seems less overwhelming. When parents notice that students are taking small steps toward progress, encourage them to recognize and reward their child’s efforts. 

Tips for parents to help their children with school + work + life balance

As teens enter high school, they often begin to navigate balancing multiple life domains. In addition to increased academic demands, high school students often participate in extracurricular activities including sports, jobs, a growing social life, family time, and their need for alone/relaxation time. Feelings of being overwhelmed and exhausted can negatively impact teens’ mental health. There is often conversation around work-life balance in professional settings, but high school students experience these challenges as well. Additionally, while some parents prefer their children not have a job while they are in high school, other children may have to work at least part-time in order to contribute to meeting their family’s needs. Some children work in their family’s business after school not only to assist with various tasks, but also with the intent of one day inheriting the business. 

Research shows that many teens, especially those who are high achieving, do not get enough sleep because they are too busy. Homework, AP classes, social commitments and social media may consume students well into the night. If teenagers are not supervised, they may develop poor sleep habits that can affect their schoolwork, and mental and physical health.

How can teachers help families support their children’s school + life + work balance?

1. Encourage parents to work together with their children to create a daily schedule to help organize their work, homework, social life, and activities. Tools for this can include a daily planner/notebook, a wall/desk calendar, a phone calendar with set reminders, or an online platform such as Google Calendars or Microsoft Outlook Calendar. Online platforms may be most convenient because families can create shared calendars which can allow for more efficient communication between parents and children. 
2. Ensure that parents know about homework help and tutoring opportunities for students who need extra assistance. These opportunities can be communicated through letters sent home, emails, the school website, and/or online class platforms and resources.
3. Suggest to families that they make sure to connect with their children each day, if only for a few minutes. Nurturing relationships with their children can positively impact their youth’s mental health and creates opportunities for teens to share about their joys and concerns with their families. Research shows that even if teens don’t look like they are listening, they do hear what parents tell them and want to make their parents happy. It is beneficial to both parents and teens to nurture the relationship.
4. Remind families of the importance of their children’s abilities to establish boundaries while maintaining their commitments. For example, a student’s boss or manager may frequently ask them to work extra hours.  In this situation, families can encourage their children to be firm with their responses to protect their work-life balance while they may want to fulfill their work commitments, they also need to make time for school, family, activities, and themselves.

Parents supporting their teens in trying different identities

Adolescence is a time when young people develop their identities through experimentation. These identities can address sexuality, race, culture, school, religion, work, hobbies or interests, and style, such as that relating to clothing, hair, or language. Young people may change their ideas about who they are frequently, or may discover early on what identities make them feel most comfortable. To learn more about adolescent development of identity, see resource #1, below. Different identities may emerge in specific contexts such as home, school, church and social situations. The role of parents and teachers is to support and encourage teens as they try out different roles and identities. To learn more about the role of the school in identity development, see resource #2, below.

The development of sexual identity is discussed further in the lesson on “LGBTQ+ Mafia” in Module 4. Sexual identity often emerges earlier than high school, but teens may not feel comfortable expressing it until high school, or even later. Sexual minorities make up between 4 and 8% of all teens. This incidence varies depending on geographic location, age, and race. To learn more about sexual identity development, see Lesson 4 in this website, or see resource #3, below. 

Teachers can help parents address their children’s sexual or other identities through making written or multimedia materials available. A school counselor could also help parents come to terms with a child’s identity that does not fit the parents’ expectations. Teachers can model acceptance of teen identity, even though this may not affect how parents respond to teens at home. To learn more about the theory around identity development, see resource #4, below.

Holding an evening event focusing on teen identity development could help parents better understand and support their children’s experimentation. Families could learn communication strategies and have the opportunity to apply their new skills through simulated conversations. Guest speakers could include school counselors, local leaders in the LGBTQ+ community, and parents could share their experiences, concerns, and knowledge in supporting their children as they try different identities.