The expansion of early childhood education for American Indians and Alaska Natives has reflected the trend in the larger society. While efforts are being made to improve early childhood care and education for all children, deeper issues must be considered by Native Americans. First among them is the long history of forced assimilation and…

The question of what schools should do about individual differences among learners is discussed with reference to the cognitive theories of Piaget. Historically, teachers were not expected to adjust to individual differences; the child who could not adapt was at fault. Around the turn of the present century, educators began to turn their attention…

This report summarizes a study conducted by the New York Family Services Project (NYFSP) of Bank Street College. The study's principal objectives were the following: (1) to document the developmental status of preschool-aged homeless children in comparison to a group of poor housed children, and the special contribution of exposure to early…

The report describes the population of children in Australia with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus, notes their needs and characteristics, reviews their school placement and social circumstances, and considers future educational services for them. Initial chapters review the literature on medical, psychoeducational, and social-family aspects of…

A controlled study involving 60 randomly selected 4- to 5-year-old children from Guyana (South America) assessed whether providing the opportunity for fantasy play to children in nursery schools that do not provide such opportunity would have an effect on the children's level of symbolic, language, and cognitive ability. Subjects included 20…

This newsletter issue contains four articles all addressing aspects of intervention with infants and toddlers having communication disorders. The first, "Assessing the Communication of Infants and Toddlers: Integrating a Socioemotional Perspective" (Barry M. Prizant and Amy M. Wetherby) describes a new instrument, the Communication and Symbolic…

A study examined how children's understanding and use of written language and graphic/constructive art are embedded in the social world of their classrooms and how they explore the potential of communication systems (specifically, what socio-psychological strategies they use). Subjects were 21 3- and 4-year-old children of faculty and staff at a…

Developed by a multidisciplinary group (convened by Project Zero to Three) of 17 experts in the identification and evaluation of high risk infants and young children, this manual presents basic criteria for tracking at risk infants and toddlers. The first section answers such questions about the criteria as the following: What is a tracking system…

Nationally, interest in family life and parenting programs has grown amidst concern for "basic education." Parenting education in today's schools may be justified because of increased family stress and deteriorating family support systems. Most parenting and family life courses are offered within home economics departments, have a narrow…

This series of 19 newsletters is designed to be distributed monthly to parents of premature or high risk infants on their child's adjusted age birthday from birth through 18 months. Each newsletter describes activities and behaviors of infants and toddlers appropriate to the month of age and discusses issues of concern to the parents. Regular…

This book consists of 28 letters that child caregivers who work with children aged 3-6 can send to parents. Letters are organized into eight categories: (1) self-concept; (2) reading and writing readiness; (3) math readiness; (4) imaginative play; (5) motor development; (6) social development; (7) oral language and concept development; and (8)…

This special issue of the "CEDS/Newsletter" is devoted to the theme of "preschool, early childhood, and infant assessment." It emphasizes the need for early assessment and intervention with young handicapped children. An article by Linda Pearl, "Issues in Infant Assessment," covers the purpose of infant assessment,…

These coordinated components focus on the career cluster of child care and guidance, management, and services. The reference book provides information needed by employees. Each chapter begins with competencies to develop and objectives to achieve. Within the text, bold-faced vocabulary terms are defined. Each chapter concludes with a content…

Two studies investigated behavioral problems in childhood. Study 1 longitudinally investigated similarities and differences in enuresis and nailbiting among Japanese and American children. Incidences of enuresis decreased as subjects' age increased. Socio-cultural and family tolerance were related to incidences of nailbiting. In Study 2, changes…

This document describes the progress made by the California public education system after the passage of Proposition 98 that established a stable funding base for education. The first of three sections discusses reforms made in the areas of accountability, curriculum, teaching, partnerships, and underrepresented students in colleges. The second…