Describes 3 of 17 innovative educational programs funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Southern Governors' Association. Projects were designed to meet at least one of the four National Education Goals important to ARC: school readiness; adult literacy and lifelong learning; math-science education; and dropout prevention. (LP)

Cites demographic figures showing that U.S. children are an endangered species. Educators alone cannot "fix" the problems of education, because dealing with poverty's root causes must involve health care, housing, transportation, job training, and social welfare bureaucracies. The United States has the resources, if not the will, to reduce the…

Reviews four books on issues and concerns surrounding kindergarten entrance requirements, assessment, and curriculum: (1) "Kindergarten Policies: What Is Best for Children" (Peck and others); (2) "Changing Kindergartens: Four Success Stories (Goffin and Stealing, Eds.); (3) "Teaching Kindergarten: A Developmentally Appropriate Approach" (Walmsley…

Examined relationship between school liking, classroom participation, and achievement with 200 entering kindergartners. Found greater support for the premise that school liking fosters classroom participation and achievement than for contention that early participation and achievement increases school liking or identification. Found that…

Explored relations between former Head Start parents' self-efficacy beliefs, beliefs about their children's academic abilities, affective state of depression, perceptions of school climate, and reported level of involvement in their children's education at end of kindergarten year. Parents' views of school climate and beliefs in their ability to…

Compares the 1989 National Curriculum implemented in Great Britain with the National Agenda for Curriculum Reform in Australia. Reports some of the concerns about early childhood education (heavily subject-dominated curriculum and formalized assessment) the curriculum caused in Britain. Urges Australian educators to learn from Britain's experience…

Community mapping is a relatively new technique using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and scientific software to generate visual representations of community characteristics. In North York (Ontario), community mapping provided information about the influence of community resources, including educational, recreational, cultural, health, and…

Relationships between parental report of children's peer play at home and indicators of children's school readiness were examined. Behavior ratings and observational data were collected for preschool children from an urban Head Start program. Play competencies exhibited in the home environment were significantly associated with prosocial behavior…

Reviews variables from several disciplines relevant to understanding and improving inner-city schools. Neighborhood and other sociological variables, such as the concentration effects of living in poverty areas, are significant. So are teacher competence, school climate, faculty sociometry, student background, and entry-level factors, including…

This paper is based on an observational study concerning the effectiveness of elementary education. It was conducted in a rural area near Alotau, the provincial capital of the Milne Bay Province, with a special focus on the Maiwala Elementary School. In this paper, the author first briefly describes what elementary education is and how it has been…

The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning have awarded David Spence, its 2006 Virginia B. Smith Award for Innovative Leadership in Higher Education. Mr. Spence is formerly executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer of the California State University system and now…

This exploratory study examined the relations among characteristics of children's home environments and two school readiness skills: their oral language and social functioning. Low SES Latino mothers of 122 (65 girls; 57 boys) preschoolers (39-49 months (M=45.00; S.D.=5.40) completed questionnaires about their family demography, their home…

This study investigated the contextual, social, language, and learning factors that influence the success of Latino preschoolers transitioning to kindergarten. Data were collected on 112 Latino children who completed a four-week preschool program focusing on English language and school readiness skills. Predictive analyses indicate that their…

Successful preschool transition is important for future educational success. We used brief functional screenings to identify low-income children at risk for difficulty transitioning into preschool. Functional screenings were conducted for 163 children prior to enrollment, in a naturalistic peer setting, and focused on multiple domains important…

This report focuses on the role of the college-preparatory curriculum in improving the academic achievement and college readiness of students from high schools in the member districts of the Council of the Great City Schools. Specifically, the report addresses the following questions: (1) Is taking a core college-preparatory curriculum and…