Despite years of concern about the toxic effects of high lead exposure and recent knowledge about the less apparent effects of exposure to low doses of lead, a total of 3 to 4 million children in the United States are still being exposed to concentrations of lead that could compromise their cognitive and social development. This paper discusses:…

Many early childhood educators are beginning to experiment with and use portfolio assessment. Teachers are also observing young children at play and documenting their play activities for assessment purposes. Close observation of sociodramatic play gives teachers accurate perspectives on young children across the developmental domains of…

A study examined adolescent and young mothers' parenting competence as a function of the quality of their relationship with their own mothers. The study focused on child-rearing in families of young African American mothers in which multigenerational patterns of caregiving and co-residence were prevalent. Data were derived from a longitudinal…

The study described in this report was intended to provide researchers with comprehensive, longitudinal baseline data on average children and their families. The study focused on positive growth and development by identifying a national sample of children and families for researchers to study. The children were examined in five main areas: (1)…

It is often the case that lip service is paid to the strength of indigenous culture while the implications of indigenous peoples' strengths are disregarded in actual project design. This paper shows that indigenous peoples and societies are able to cope with an extraordinary number of permutations, and that their coping mechanisms are both…

An evaluation of a prekindergarten program was conducted to assess its merit and to assist in the formative revision of program activities. The program operated in a public elementary school in a rural area close to a metropolitan area. Classroom observations, telephone interviews with 25 parents, surveys of 2 elementary school teachers, and…

This resource book was created to address many of the areas that place children at risk for educational and social failure. It consists of handouts and fact sheets that educators and psychologists can photocopy and distribute to parents, teachers, and other educators so that they can more broadly understand and address some of the situations that…

This paper explores the effects on school achievement of the following variables: (1) intelligence; (2) social class; (3) early motor and language development; (4) preschool experience; (5) gender; and (6) composition of household. The subjects were 65 children of 9 to 11 years, in grades four to six, in Puerto Rican public schools. They were…

This annotated bibliography describes studies and reports on issues related to family literacy in multiple contexts. With the exception of five entries, it is limited to programs and studies in the United States. Materials include conceptual discussions, bibliographies, and studies that use experimental, ethnographic, and program evaluative…

This paper offers a framework for the analysis and evaluation of intervention on children's behalf against which to analyze actions upon their environment. The first section looks at the complex issue of defining suitable child development outcomes for intervention programs, noting that because the concept of childhood varies across cultures and…

Current knowledge about adolescent development (drawing primarily from developmental pediatrics and psychology) is reviewed to determine whether research and theory can help deepen understanding of why high school continues to be an alienating experience for large numbers of students, and this question is examined through responses of high school…

This paper describes the development of Turkish Children and Mothers, a project designed to help 5-year-old preschoolers in the Ruhr Valley of Germany develop linguistic, motor, cognitive, and social abilities. The paper also describes various aspects of the project, including those that relate to maternal involvement, educational facilities, the…

This research report provides a critical look at the involvement of corporate America in the resurgence of public education and its impact on the reform movement particularly on early childhood issues. The history of the business-education relationship in this century is the topic of Chapter 1. Chapter 2 describes patterns of involvement from…

Eight children (ages 13 days to 5 years) with a diagnosis of Cornelia de Lange syndrome received audiologic evaluation consisting of immittance audiometry and auditory brainstem response audiometry to air and bone conducted "click" stimuli, as behavioral testing was unreliable due to patient age and/or developmental delay. Developmental…

Twenty countries are participating in the IEA International Study of Written Composition, for which this is a background report. school-based writing in particular, this report discusses the functions of writing from the point of view of culture, cognition, and child development. It also presents a usable model for constructing and evaluating…