"The Leading Edge of Early Childhood Education" aims to support the effort to simultaneously scale up and improve the quality of early childhood education by bringing together relevant insights from emerging research to provide guidance for this critical, fledgling field. It reflects the growing recognition that early childhood…

Each year, approximately 100,000 refugees arrive in the United States (Refugee Council USA). Nearly half of these arrivals are children. The number of refugees worldwide has more than sextupled since the 1950s, and according to the United States Committee for Refugees and immigrants (USCRI) this number is expected to continue to grow in coming…

This article provides early childhood practitioners a way to develop a common understanding of the importance of play in the early learning experience of young children. Meaningful discussion among teachers, parents, administrators, and teacher candidates regarding play in early childhood education programs is critical to ensure the growth and…

Data indicate that for girls, affective dispositional factors (empathy, depressive affectivity, aggression, and self-concept) are intimately linked to cognitive development and academic achievement. (PCB)

Reviews the literature on the effects of summer programs, and offers a reinterpretation of the role of summer learning in cognitive development. (PCB)

Presents a theoretical framework and practical suggestions for incorporating games and simulation into allied health instruction. Discusses research findings that support the use of educational simulation/games as tools for higher cognitive learning and for the improvement of teaching effectiveness as measured by student achievement in the allied…

The paper discusses the major topics of software, examines research on the effectiveness of computer assisted instruction (CAI) for learning disabled adolescents, and suggests specific and creative uses of microcomputers in academic and cognitive skill development. (Author/CL)

Describes a study conducted at Gallaudet University to assess the need for programs to improve the cognitive skills of hearing-impaired college students. Indicates that 91 students who received systematic cognitive instruction had better logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and math scores than students who did not receive this instruction.…

Developed in response to deficiencies in verbal and quantitative skills demonstrated by students entering New Jersey colleges and taking the New Jersey Basic Skills Placement Test, this overview is designed to help interested educators orient themselves to the important and rapidly growing field of thinking skills instruction. The Task Force on…

Long term studies of students who participated in preschool education programs show that the differences and effects are not in test scores but in children's ability to meet teachers' expectations and to avoid being labeled failures.(MD)

The study investigated short-term effects of a cognitive education program (the Instrumental Enrichment program) on school-related behaviors of 197 mildly retarded, emotionally handicapped, and learning-disabled students, compared to 127 controls. Hypotheses were that Instrumental Enrichment (IE) students would show improvement in cognitive…

Research regarding cognitive strategies instruction is reviewed and implications for its use with mildly handicapped learners considered. Approaches to enhance performance in memory and attention; academic learning (mathematics, written language, and reading comprehension); and studying content material are described. (CL)

Investigated was the relation between student ability to translate sentences into equations, equations into sentences, and student performance in formal operational reasoning, proportional reasoning, and introductory-level chemistry. Results indicate that students who lack formal operational skills may experience problems in the translation of…

Compares the effect of weak, flexible, and rigid family structures on the cognitive development of 61 Scottish and 40 Pakistani school children in Glasgow, Scotland. In a problem-solving test, children from flexible environments outperformed those from either weakly or rigidly structured homes. This difference was reflected in the school…

Reports on study of 80 elementary students in grades 3-6 to determine whether tempo perception and performance abilities increased with grade level and musical training. Finds that student performance and perceptions did increase with grade level and training. Concludes that modern technology has made research into tempo perception more precise…