When children are aged around 2 years, many of the early foundations of mathematical skills are developing. Understanding this is important to shed light on theories of mathematical development. Nevertheless, little research has investigated 2-year-olds' early mathematical abilities, with most research focussing on either infants (aged 0-1 years)…

High-quality early childhood programs aim to foster children's learning through developmentally appropriate practices and environments. Early childhood assessments, when well designed and well implemented, can support developmentally appropriate early learning experiences by providing information to guide instruction and support whole child…

School readiness occurs within a broad context that includes the four components of community, educational environment, family and the individual child. These four components function as interdependent systems of support that have multidirectional influences. Early childhood experiences, from birth through age 8, are necessary for school success…

In October 2015, the Kansas State Board of Education announced a new vision for education in Kansas. The Kansans CAN Vision - "Kansas leads the world in the success of each student" - became the branded theme for Kansas education. This initiative motivated the creation of this document. Kindergarten Readiness is one of five Kansas State…

In the push to boost young people's social and emotional learning (SEL), assessment has lagged behind policy and practice. We have few usable, feasible, and scalable tools to assess children's SEL. And without good assessments, teachers, administrators, parents, and policymakers can't get the data they need to make informed decisions about SEL.…

In October 2015, the Kansas State Board of Education announced a new vision for education in Kansas--the Kansans CAN vision. "Kansas leads the world in the success of each student" became the branded theme for Kansas education. The Kansans CAN vision for education calls for a more child-focused system providing support and resources for…

School readiness occurs within a broad context that includes the four components of community, educational environment, family and the individual child. These four components function as interdependent systems of support that have multidirectional influences. Early childhood experiences, from birth through age 8, are necessary for school success…

Early learning matters and can be strengthened and supported through contexts where children spend much of their time. Strong early learning experiences provide young children with opportunities to enjoy exploring their own interests and growing capabilities. Strong early learning also positively predicts well-being across a range of indicators in…

It is difficult to get a good grasp of the topic of kindergarten entry assessment because there are such great differences in the purpose for the instruments, how they are constructed, and how the data is used. Even so, in many states and communities, there is cause for concern. Until the paradigm of education moves from a preoccupation with…

Indicators of the proficiency of teacher candidates at applying knowledge of child development to teaching and learning were examined to see if they predict the overall success of the candidates full-time student teaching. The assessment instrument, the Full-Time Student Teaching Summary Report (FSTSR), was found statistically reliable and…

Examined the efficacy of assessing proximal factors in day care, such as children's experiences, and distal factors, such as caregiver characteristics, in predicting children's development. Proximal and distal quality were equally effective predictors. The validity of the National Association for the Education of Young Children's guidelines on…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) More Than "Making Nice": Getting Teachers to (Truly) Collaborate (Laura Pappano); (2) "Doing the Critical Things First": An Aligned Approach to PreK and Early Elementary Math;…

"Empirically Based Play Interventions for Children" is a compilation of innovative, well-designed play interventions, presented for the first time in one text. Play therapy is the oldest and most popular form of child therapy in clinical practice and is widely considered by practitioners to be uniquely responsive to children's developmental needs.…

This policy brief explores kindergarten readiness observation and its benefits to local and state level stakeholders; highlights efforts by California counties and other states to measure school readiness; and makes recommendations for moving toward statewide use of kindergarten readiness observation tools. Key points include: (1) Early efforts to…

This article examines contextual issues relevant to the application of developmentally appropriate practices to young children with special needs. Appropriate practices recognized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children are compared with those published by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional…