Presents findings from a new study that will follow a nationally representative sample of 1998-1999 kindergartners through fifth grade. Describes differences in first-time kindergartners' skills, health, and approaches to learning. Demonstrates that differences exist in children's skills and knowledge in relation to their characteristics,…

The greatest benefit of this study is that it provides the first-ever look at a nationally representative sample of the kindergarten population on school entry. Data suggest that most children are better prepared to enter school than many had thought. (SLD)

The profile of school readiness in this report is important both for understanding children's levels of readiness to enter school and for advancing how the concept of readiness is conceptualized. (SLD)

Questioned 4,582 former Head Start kindergartners and their primary caregivers to assess attitudes toward school. Seventy-four percent had extremely positive perceptions, but 7% reported not liking school, not doing well, and that they and their parents did not highly value doing well in school. Teachers' ratings of academic performance were…

Examined the practices teachers employ to help children and families make the transition to school, and the links between school, teacher, and classroom characteristics and transition practices. Discusses findings on factors influencing transition practice, including teacher experience and training, teacher race or ethnicity, class size, and the…

Too many contemporary standards-based tests mischievously represent evidence of "preparation" for subsequent school levels and courses. School leaders must not acquiesce to facile answers, bureaucratic mandates, and slogans asserted to be both "preparatory" and essential. Living richly and learning informally are appropriate…

Teachers and longitudinal researchers have observed that the long-term benefits of participating in a quality early childhood program are more social than academic. Early childhood is a unique stage of life, not an opportunity for intervention and remediation. Kindergarten and first-grade environments should be flexible, activity-oriented, and…

Collected time-use diaries of television viewing from two cohorts of children (ages 2-5 and 4-7) from low-income families and gave annual tests of reading, math, receptive vocabulary, and school readiness. Found that viewing of child-audience informative programs between ages 2 and 3 predicted higher academic performance. Frequent viewers of…

Although readiness is often posed as the answer in early childhood education, there is typically confusion about exactly what question this complex term responds to. In this article, I explore common uses of the term readiness, examine their theoretical and empirical problems, and suggest a more synthetic conception that merges attention to the…

Research conducted in preschool classrooms has long relied on measures of classroom quality that were developed in the 1980s based on theory and data available at that time. They examine classroom quality broadly, provide limited detail about supports for pre-academic instruction, and only weakly predict variation in children's acquisition of…

In 2003, Washington Post Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist William Raspberry attended a reunion at the small, private Episcopal school he graduated from in Okolona Miss, population 3,500. " As a journalist, Raspberry frequently writes about other people's actions. Now the time had come for him to initiate action. Throughout his years of…

The present study investigated Arabic internet websites especially designed for pre-school children. A sample of 136 Arabic websites for kids of different ages was located and browsed. The sample covered websites specialized in stories, songs, games, kids' magazines, drawing and so on. It was found that no Arabic websites for pre-school kids are…

Early development is likely influenced by quality of early parenting and improvements or declines in quality over time. Little is known about how changes in different dimensions of parenting influence child outcomes, nor the relative sizes of associations when considering several aspects simultaneously. These questions are addressed in the Early…

Most of the studies of the return on investment in early childhood education have focused on the big payoffs in reduced public and societal costs associated with child welfare, public assistance, crime and incarceration, and benefits related to increased education and earnings. Several studies focus specifically on costs and benefits within the…

Each year, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) informs policymakers and practitioners of what children know and are able to do when they start formal education in kindergarten. This report, which is unique in its kind nationally, provides a profile of children's skill levels as they enter school based on the evaluation of their…