Research Findings: This study uses data from a comprehensive meta-analytic database of early childhood education (ECE) program evaluations published between 1960 and 2007 in the United States to examine the incremental effects of adding enhancement program components to ECE programs on children's cognitive abilities, pre-academic skills,…

The last two years of primary school in Trinidad and Tobago are marked by preparation for national standardized tests. The focus on preparing for these tests impacts teaching and learning strategies, as there is a shift to teacher centered classrooms and teaching strategies that depend on rote learning and memorization. This study explored how…

The transition into college remains one of the most formative and complex phases in an individual's life. Institutions of higher learning have responded to the challenges facing first-year students in myriad ways, most often by offering summer orientation programs, dynamic living-learning environments, tailored academic and psychological support…

Infant/toddler teachers take a child-centered, emergent approach, meaning that they observe the children at play, ask themselves what they are interested in learning, and design developmentally appropriate curricula to meet and extend those interests. This curriculum development technique leads to "possibilities for the child to develop deeper…

Curriculum planning emphasizes that education should serve to enable society to achieve its needs and aspirations. One such need in Kenya, which has remained largely elusive, is national cohesion and integration. Research has revealed that education contributes to the development of social capital by increasing individual propensity to trust and…

Educable mental retardation is a delay in acquiring basic reading, writing and counting skills emerging through late speaking and linguistic development along with social, emotional or behavioral problems. It is pointed out that such children have intelligence in the 45-74 range, and that they are incompetent in terms of language skills,…

Social skills in the United States are in serious decline. This decline is seen and heard on television, in movies, in magazines, on radio programs, on the streets, and in the schools. Worcester Preparatory School is alarmed by the decline of social skills. Students at Worcester have increasingly shown difficulty in social interactions. The…

This randomized controlled trial tested whether teaching quality in Head Start classrooms could be improved with the addition of evidence-based curriculum components targeting emergent language or literacy and social-emotional development and the provision of associated professional development support. Participants were lead and assistant…

Current practices in implementing social skills instruction into elementary and secondary curricula are explored in this report. Two issues are addressed: (1) teacher reports of current and desired activities; and (2) the extent to which curriculum availability, other resources, teacher training, and values affect teacher activities.…

A social skills curriculum for learning disabled students involves assessing strengths and weaknesses, choosing target skills, and teaching target skills. In the area of nonverbal communication, suggested activities can help students understand facial expressions, gestures, and vocal intonation. Opportunities should be provided to practice new…

Literacy is seen to be necessary for meaningful participation in society; goals and possibilities of an integrated policy of basic education are assessed; and guidelines given for basic education strategies include components of priority areas, content, financing, and teacher training. (AV)

Collateral teaching offers an alternative to using commercially prepared social skills programs for learning-disabled students, by enabling teachers to instruct social skills that are required of their students as opportunities arise in normal contexts. Strategies for instructing social skills include coaching, modeling, reinforcement, cognitive…

Curriculum content for adolescents with behavioral disorders should emphasize academic learning as well as social and behavioral skill development. "Therapeutic academics" is proposed as a process of teaching academics that is therapeutic in its systematic focus on the behavioral and social needs of students. A therapeutic academic curriculum…

A cooperative learning model was used in Florida to change the state-mandated grade 12 course called Family Life and Sex Education, which had been found deficient in meeting students' educational and social needs. Pretest data before the change in model indicated a lack of knowledge that had a detrimental effect on thinking and problem-solving…

This guide provides an outline of possible course content for a 2-year physical education studies program during years 9 and 10. Teachers will need to supplement the ideas and materials presented in the guide with ideas and information of their own, using the guide as a starting point and resource for developing their own programs. Most of the…