This paper challenges those involved in early childhood education to reexamine unquestioned assumptions concerning the benefits of early schooling. A synergic effect is posited by bringing together research areas that had formerly remained somewhat autonomous: Neurophysiology, vision, hearing, parent attitudes, affective domain, comparative school…

Drawing upon extensive theoretical knowledge and decades of empirical research, this book traces changes in the structure and content of self-representations from early childhood through late adolescence. Chapter 1 includes a discussion of the self as subject (I-self) and object (Me-self) and describes the historical roots of contemporary issues…

Reviews two long-term case studies examining the art produced by two artistically gifted Down Syndrome patients. Their work shows a unique personal style characterized by flat, nonperspective compositions, canonical and mixed profile shapes, and symmetry. Both artists depict androgynous persons in their untutored drawings. Includes drawing samples…

The ZERO TO THREE Policy Center has three areas of focus: good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences. Effective policies must promote healthy functioning in all domains, including cognitive, physical, and social and emotional development. Comprehensive services are essential to meeting the needs of very young children…

This paper discusses some commonly recognized characteristics of preadolescent and early adolescent youngsters and the needs which underlie them, and describes the variety of resources available to the parent who seeks to understand, guide, and live in harmony with a young person who has begun the transition from child to young adult.…

This paper presents a brief critique of the current failures of schooling to produce healthy psychological growth as well as a rationale for needed new forms for education. A new curriculum for secondary schools is presented, the result of a three year project in public schools. Employing a combination of practicum and seminar experiences in…

The Self-Schedule System is an instructional-learning management "tool" designed to implement the curriculum components of an individualized early learning program. The overall concern of the system is to provide ecological supports which enable the teacher to adapt instruction to individual students, and encourage students to assume…

A 5-year longitudinal study of infant day care programs in New York City is described. Emphasis is on the effects of day care on the child and family, particulary with regard to mother-infant separation. The study is large scale (involving 550 children and families), and it focuses on service-oriented programs that have been developed in the past…

Investigation of the extent to which various factors were associated with observed developmental gains in developmentally-delayed young children (N=83) revealed that potential predictors of overall child progress included test score derivatives, number of assessments and home visits, mother's age, child's age at initial testing, and medical risk…

Presents four articles in the context of workshop discussions on characteristics of environments that promote language development: (1) "Children's Conversations: Why are They Important?"; (2) "Ways of Talking: Respecting Differences"; (3) Paul's Talk: Teachers and Parents Look at a Child's Language"; and (4) "In the…

Asserts that play is an important medium for young children's learning, one that contributes to the child's cognitive, physical, emotional, and social development. Discusses the qualities that distinguish play from other activities, the skills children develop from exposure to a variety of play experiences at home and in the classroom, and…

Considers the ways in which young children, their families, and teachers and staff benefit from older adults' participation in early childhood and day care programs. Discusses the recruitment, screening, training, orientation, and supervision of older adults in early childhood programs. (BB)

Used Thematic Apperception Test to assess complexity of representations of people, affect-tone of relationship paradigms, capacity for emotional investment in relationships and moral standards, and understanding of social causality. Findings from 71 second graders and fifth graders (Study 1) and from 49 ninth graders and twelfth graders (Study 2)…

A study examining the contributions of service learning to students' cognitive, affective, civic, and social development surveyed 801 ninth-grade students in 6 school districts over 2 years. Personal development and civic involvement ratings were significantly higher for students who engaged in all three types of service activity: volunteerism,…

Twenty-two children ranging in age from 2 to 3 years were tested on their abilities to apply weight and distance rules to the balance scale. This study was performed to test the prediction that 2-year-olds would be able to understand either a weight rule or a distance rule, but not be able to integrate the two. The sample group was instructed in…