Assessed the relative effects through age 23 on young participants born in poverty of the High/Scope, Direct Instruction, and traditional Nursery School preschool curriculum models. Found against using Direct Instruction in preschool programs and for using a well-defined curriculum model based on child-initiated learning activities. (Author)

Analysis of questionnaire responses of 44 minority (African American, Hispanic, or Filipino) gifted students attending a high school preparatory program, and follow-up interviews with 24 students, identified themes of locus of control, peer relations, leadership, and community orientation. Responses differed between genders. The role of school…

Recommends using learner-controlled instruction and student sketchbooks in the primary grades as a means of countering institutionalized and standardized expectations of young students' artwork. Maintains that, left to their own devices and gently encouraged, children will produce original, creative, and personal art. Describes examples from a…

Case study reports on the use of language experience and a natural approach to learning languages in a dual-language (Spanish-English) kindergarten class. Descriptions of student writing activities in the classroom illustrate the process of literacy development in the first and second languages. The importance of trained bilingual teachers and…

The author of an article (EC 614 674) on the interaction between mothers and their young children with language impairments reflects on how the topic became of interest to her and what was learned during the course of the study. The need to teach parents to use intervention strategies is emphasized. (CR)

Presents an overview of Gaelic immersion programs in operation in Scotland and of the models in which they are deployed. The article highlights the teaching methods used and outlines the views and experiences of classroom teachers and the parent body. Findings reveal that the teachers want more resources and the parents are highly supportive.…

Describes an early childhood classroom project involving moths that teaches children about moths' development from egg to adult stage. Includes information about the moth's enemies, care, and feeding. Outlines reading, art, music and movement, science, and math activities centering around moths. (BGC)

Notes that reading aloud to children is the single most important activity for assuring success in reading. Describes types of children's books and offers guidelines for book selection. Discusses several guidelines that help early childhood professionals experience successful infant and toddler book reading sessions, and includes bibliography of…

Examined kindergartners' and third graders' recall to test the effects of four learning strategies applied to items involving three conceptual relations--taxonomic, contextual, and unrelated. Found that (using a constructivist framework for interpretation) learner activity and causal processing improved memory when memory was not supported by…

Examines how temporal and status aspects of mothers' jobs during daughters' early childhood, preadolescence, and adolescence affect rate that daughters leave school. Studied 246 white and 188 black daughters aged 18-23. Findings suggest that part-time maternal employment during any point in childhood increases likelihood that black, but not white,…

This article discusses explanations for aggressive biting among young children and describes an intervention for family or early childhood settings. Strategies include avoiding labeling the child, teaching the child to view biting as unsafe, teaching appropriate play behaviors with peers, acknowledging appropriate behaviors, providing…

Surveyed local early childhood coordinators in France and Italy regarding their status, training, and tasks in order to compare the function of coordinating municipal early childhood education and care services in these two countries. Found impressive similarities in services, policies, and the function of coordination. Also found that service…

Describes the scope and circumstances of grandparents rearing grandchildren as gathered by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Grandparent Information Center. Addresses the problems facing grandparent-headed families, avenues of assistance, and public policy considerations. Also addresses major needs including support groups, legal…

Describes Project GUIDE (Grandparents United: Intergenerational Developmental Education), a five-year program for grandparents who rear their grandchildren and the children affected. Notes that the program is designed to reduce stress and enhance self-esteem of intergenerational families and is centered around eight goals. Traced the program…

Asks theoretical questions about child development and how to define quality contexts for it in light of New Zealand's requirement that early childhood education meet quality criteria. Discusses principles that should underlie good programs, including a sociocultural theory of development and children's interactions with both teachers and peers.…