Currently, a disjuncture exists between the economic literature on young children's outcomes from early education or child care and the literature on schooling outcomes of older children and adolescents. Peer effects have been found to be both theoretically important and empirically significant in school settings, yet the effects of peers have not…

This study explored, with both experimental and correlational designs, the roles of (a) authentic, communicatively functional reading and writing and (b) the explicit explanation of genre function and features on growth in genre-specific reading and writing abilities of children in grades two and three. The genres used for this exploration were…

For the thirty-sixth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Anaheim, California. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…

The Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program promotes school readiness by providing services directly to parents through home visitation. This study describes the outcomes of the HIPPY program for Latino immigrant families in a large Southwestern city. A quasi-experimental design compared 48 families on the program…

School districts are central players in the child care delivery system: they operate a mix of child care centers and programs, serve a range of children of different ages, and fund their programs from a variety of federal, state, and local sources. This report provides a range of programmatic and fiscal information about the federal and state…

This report presents results from a multisite, quantitative evaluation of the international Spirituality for Kids (SFK) after-school program. Despite its name, SFK is a nonreligious program that seeks to build resilience in children by teaching them to access inner resources and build positive connections with others. The SFK program is unlike…

Children with disabilities receive most of their support from families. While most family caregivers are mothers or fathers, grandparents are increasingly providing care for children with disabilities. In addition, family caregivers come from diverse cultural backgrounds that impact their views on disability. This paper reviews the literature on…

Global organizations with personnel in India rank innovation as a primary workforce development objective to stay competitive in the global market (NASSCOM, [2007]). This analysis reviews relevant literature for evidence of cultural factors that stand in the way of innovative performance in Indian personnel and discusses implications for the…

This paper argues that many internationally financed literacy programs do not sufficiently take into consideration important daily life issues of the learners, including nutritional deficiencies that may hinder learning, or of children-parent-society interactions that may improve learning. As a result, many programs have become synonymous with…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of the 1993-94 Reading Recovery program as implemented in the Columbus, Ohio, public schools. The program featured individualized one-on-one lessons provided by 61 specially trained teachers serving 402 pupils. Data included results of administration of Metropolitan Achievement Tests and Scott Foresman text…

A discussion of computer-assisted language learning focuses on management of individual learning processes. As distinct from a reference package, a computer-assisted teaching program has to assure that the student acquires and retains the complete information in the most efficient way, provide accurate and useful material, and pique the student's…

This paper offers six steps for developing and implementing a self-management program to improve children's social behaviors on the school playground. Introductory information provides a literature review of self-management strategies and programs. The self-management program recommended is divided into three broad phases encompassing assessment,…

Four steps are critical in developing cultural competence in students: (1) a supportive training program; (2) a significant number or "critical mass" of culturally diverse students and allies; (3) opportunities to learn about diversity; and (4) development of racial identity. An appreciation of cultural diversity lies at the heart of any…

The Study Group on Violence is recommending the implementation of several initial steps that can begin to alleviate the repercussions of pervasive violence in U.S. homes, individual communities and society as a whole. When the Study Group began examining the impact of violence on very young children, their families and practitioners, it realized…

This manual provides guidelines to educators attempting to comply with California's Hughes Bill, which is intended to ensure the rights of special education students to have positive behavioral intervention plans designed to bring lasting behavioral changes without interventions that cause pain or trauma. An introductory chapter summarizes the…