This plan for the longitudinal evaluation of a group of five different kinds of preschool programs involves a project conducted in a predominantly disadvantaged Australian community over the period 1975-79. Main project goals are (1) the determination of conditions under which particular preschool programs are most effective and (2) the evaluation…

Pre- and post-tests were administered to three treatment (136 emotionally handicapped, 8 physically handicapped, and 79 trainable mentally retarded students) and two non-treatment groups (11 emotionally handicapped and 70 non-handicapped students) for purposes of assessing teacher, student, and program centered objectives. Administered or…

The purpose of this guide is to present some of the tools used by the teachers of the Brookline Early Education Project in preparing teaching sessions with parents. The material is used during the Infant-Toddler phase of the BEEP program. It is relevant to families with babies between birth and two years of age. During this period, services of the…

Findings of a longitudinal study of early intervention are presented in this report of two case studies of low socioeconomic status black children. A girl and boy, approximately three years old when first enrolled in the educational day care program, exhibited severe behavior problems. Intellectual, emotional, psycholinguistic and perceptual…

Developed by professional educational staff, the curriculum of developmentally sequenced objectives for preschoolers (SOP) is designed for use in infant stimulation programs, for preschool training for all levels of retardation, with severely and profoundly retarded school age children, and for trainable and educable children during the earlier…

This study examined how Chinese children learn social behaviors in families during early childhood, and examined whether there are differences in social behaviors between Chinese children from Taiwan and Chinese children from the United States. The study also sought to glean strategies for parents, caretakers, and teachers to help cultivate…

Because social competency is an important element for adolescents' healthy development, a central question is what can be done to help adolescents achieve and maintain social competency. This report details antecedents of two key aspects of social competency: quality social relationships and good social skills. For each social relationship and…

This report describes an intervention program for improving social skills. The targeted population comprised a kindergarten, second grade, second grade physical education, and trainable mentally handicapped primary aged classes. All sites were located within 60 miles of a major metropolitan area. The lack of social skill development was documented…

Reports on the results of a survey of states regarding support for character education. Discovers that there is broad national support for character education that incorporates varying forms of interpretation and implementation. Includes a copy of each survey question followed by an analysis of the responses. (MJP)

Recounts the successes of Project HAWK (Habitat Alliance and Wildlife Keepers) in Northern California. HAWK consists of various at-risk students brought together for a service learning project constructing and maintaining community gardens. Discusses how the garden was related to traditional curriculum instruction and provides information for…

Briefly discusses Alexis de Tocqueville's observation that the United States is a nation largely defined by its civic and social organizations. Contrasts this with the recent assertion that the nation is suffering a decline in social capital. Proposes a combination of character and citizenship education as a possible remedy for this. (MJP)

Presents a communitarian rationale for character education. Communitarians believe that individual liberties depend upon bolstering the foundations of civil society: families, schools, and neighborhoods. Lists four core areas of focus: character education in the schools, building and rebuilding communities, policies to strengthen the family, and…

Children's publicness is undergoing a substantial change. "Scripts" created by the media and involving intensive consumption influence when, where, and how children's publicness occurs. Particularly important are attempts to develop new ways of integrating medial, sensual-active, body-, space- and group-related actions. This article…

Examined in three studies EuroCanadian and Native Canadian children's memory for stereotypic behaviors attributed to ingroup and outgroup members. Found that outgroup favoritism, typically found among low-status group members, was reversed among Native Canadian children attending a heritage school. Age and cognitive development level predicted…

Studies the effects of social skills training on four behaviorally disordered male elementary school students. Finds that training effects decreased following training, and that there was no increase in positive responses from peers. Discusses the problems of social skills training in special education classes. (FMW)