In global terms, 2005 was not much different from the years before, as it was again not a happy time for the world's children. The trend of many countries sinking further back into poverty continued, with people living shorter lives, fewer children going to school and more children dying than ever before. Wars keep raging on, taking heavy tolls on…

Supports for families of young children with disabilities--as provided by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act--are vital, according to a study that assessed family outcomes at the end of early intervention near their child's third birthday. This report summarizes the main findings of the study in response to the five broad…

Parent involvement in Head Start has been key since its inception in 1965. In contrast to other early childhood intervention programs in the early 1960s, the program broke ground by viewing parental participation as essential to both children's and families' growth and development. Research has demonstrated that greater parent involvement links to…

Anticipating Congressional hearings related to reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act, this report provides an analysis of preliminary hearings and related reports and proposals. The specific focus is on whether the reauthorization process is likely to include a substantive discussion of what is needed to enable all children to have an equal…

Help young students master concepts of print, phonemic awareness, and alphabet knowledge--the key predictors of early literacy success and school readiness. This resource will show what children need to know about print in order to become successful readers, how to connect children's development with learning about print, and how to provide a…

Understanding the effects of maltreatment and trauma on a child and their impact on development is an essential aspect of every teacher's job. It is as critical as the curriculum to the child's learning ability and overall well-being. But the issues involved are not easy, the answers not always clear-cut. And guidance is often hard for teachers to…

Over the last quarter of the 20th century, the counselor role moved substantially from one that focused primarily on remediation to one that focused on prevention. This chapter discusses the possible move toward a third role shift focusing on a developmental framework. The shift to this developmental focus rests on the premise that counselors need…

The purpose of this paper is to encourage state and local family and youth organizations, mental health agencies, education entities and schools across the nation to enter new relationships to achieve positive social, emotional and educational outcomes for every child. This paper offers recommendations and encouragement to family and youth…

Research by Nathan Fox and other scientists shows how changes in environmental conditions can help temper the negative effects of a child's predisposition toward fearfulness and anxiety. If certain negative triggers are eliminated or modified, a child's genetic tendency toward inappropriate fearfulness and anxiety may be overcome--or not expressed…

By bringing together neurologists, developmental psychologists, pediatricians, and economists, the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child offers a unique knowledge base from which early childhood policy and practice can be informed. By communicating how and why early experiences have a lasting impact on brain architecture--and what…

The paper is focused on recent researches in neuroscience and developmental psychology regarding mathematical abilities of infants. A model that tries to explain these findings is developed. The model underlies the mental operations that could be systematically trained to generate efficient school learning. The model is built from a cognitive…

Twenty-four Piagetian-based written items representing different forms (stages) of thought and different logical operations were solved by 553 participants from required introductory logic classes in a state university in a medium-sized midwestern city and from a suburban school district of that city. Responses to each item were scored by quality…

This document consists of the two issues of this newsletter published during 1994. Issues contain articles and employment notices of interest to Montessori teachers and school administrators. Feature articles include: (1) "Meaningful In-Service Comes from Within Our Own School" (Anne Blickenstaff and Nancy Hildick), which discusses one…

Previous research on childhood temperament has produced complex and largely unexplored heuristic models with which to understand the etiology of childhood psychopathology. Such research may help in the diagnosis of regulatory disorders in infancy and childhood, which is the focus of this paper. The recent formulation of regulatory disorders by the…

This paper describes a classroom exercise for college human development or developmental psychology classes that allows students to observe developmental differences in several children simultaneously and to teach others about the application of developmental concepts. In the exercises, the class is divided into subgroups, representing different…