The recently revised NAEYC position papers and the fourth edition of NAEYC's Developmentally Appropriate Guidelines (NAEYC. 2022. "Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Children from Birth through Age 8," edited by S. Friedman, 4th ed. Washington: National Association for the Education of Young…

To provide guidance to governors looking to advance juvenile justice reforms, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices convened leading national experts--state juvenile justice directors, governors' criminal justice policy advisors, governors' cabinet secretaries, juvenile justice experts and academics--to discuss the latest…

At the heart of a mature competency-based learning system lies a fundamental commitment to meeting all students where they are. This monograph explores three driving questions that open the door to a discussion of the relational, pedagogical and structural dimensions of meeting students where they are: (1) How do we know where students are? (2)…

This paper describes a nature-based social-emotional approach to supporting young children's holistic development that can be applied in a range of early childhood settings from forest kindergartens and nature-based preschools to more traditional center-based early childhood programs. "The Social-Emotional and Environmental Education…

In the United States there has been a recent movement to expand access to preschool for children aged 3 to 4 through "universal pre-k" in states that fund programs for all age-eligible students. This has caused an increasing number of preschool programs to be housed in public schools and led by principals who often have little or no…

This article presents developmentally appropriate applications of Motivational Interviewing (MI; Miller & Rollnick, 2002) for use in preparing group members for the working stages of group. Practical strategies are offered for using MI to facilitate an atmosphere of trust, recognize member readiness for change, identify and resolve members'…

Adventure-based learning (ABL) consists of highly structured physical activity with periods of reflection (i.e., debrief) that help promote personal and social development. It can be used as a valid curriculum in physical education to promote intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. This type of curriculum can also help physical educators…

Many educators are already knowledgeable about and skilled in best practices. And much of what is happening in developmentally appropriate programs exemplifies "brain compatible" practices. Being educated in the connections between best practices and brain compatibility is an important part of the knowledge base of early childhood educators. Just…

This article focuses on young children's use of Web 2.0 and social media. A background is provided about the use of Web 2.0 and social media among young children. Strengths and concerns are discussed as well as home and school use of Web 2.0 and social media. Exemplary websites are shared. The article concludes with potential changes in the…

The transition from 2nd to 3rd grade has received little notice in education research--yet the authors' experience in elementary school counseling convinced them that most students undergo a seismic shift during this period. Third grade is not only the first year students will encounter standardized end-of-grade tests, but also a year in which…

For families who might otherwise be isolated--socially, economically, and/or geographically--home visitation can be a highly beneficial family support service. Drawing on her experiences with Family Connections, a home visitation initiative serving families with children birth to age 5, in Fresno County, California, Bouhebent conveys best…

Providing high-quality education in juvenile justice secure care settings presents unique challenges for the administrators, teachers, and staff who are responsible for the education, rehabilitation, and welfare of youths committed to their care. The United States departments of Education (ED) and Justice (DOJ) recognize that while these…

This report provides a brief literature review describing a variety of best practices in middle school education.

Tendencies of a gifted child include intense interests, remarkable memory, abstract thinking, wonderful sense of humor, verbal ability, perfectionism, sensitivity, and curiosity. Gifted children often are not well served by public education, where in some districts the definition of who is gifted has broadened to the extent that even special…

The AIDS epidemic presents a complex of issues that require global answers, involving entire societies. The only sustainable solution is to include all sectors of society in a multidisciplinary collaboration, within which the formal education system plays a key role in delivering a comprehensive response to the disease at the national level.…