Longitudinal studies to clarify and validate objectives and standards of preschool education are advocated. Until the result of such research is available, studies of methods and processes have little practical or theoretical use. Preschool goals generally agreed upon by American educators are the promotion of the child's emotional and social…

This paper discusses current perspectives on the education of young children in terms of five interrelated issues rooted in a developmental perspective: (1) the complexities of predicting the long-term developmental outcomes of early experience; (2) how to interpret gender differences in the long-term effects of different approaches to early years…

Programs that represent major curriculum development efforts in early childhood education are described as to goals and objectives, content and materials, classroom activities, parent involvement, professional and paraprofessional training, administrative requirements and costs, program development and evaluation, and program history and present…

A review of Piaget's theory and research on children's cognitive development is presented, including a discussion of the psychological structures of intelligence, developmental constructivism, and the evolution of knowledge as a subject-object relation. Piaget's assessment techniques are summarized, including moral development, number…