The Rural Appalachian Infant Temperament Project followed a group of 80 low-income rural Appalachian children from birth to kindergarten, focusing on two areas of child development: social/emotional functioning and cognitive skills. Subjects were recruited at a Lincoln County, West Virginia, clinic; all were white; and 73 percent had family…

This book explores the process and characteristics of children's personal and social relationships. To determine what relationships mean to children and how children manage those relationships, a recursive interviewing technique was used with nearly a thousand children to detail children's social rules. Those rules cover a range of social issues,…

This report presents findings from the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study, a 5-year, ongoing longitudinal study examining the effects of child care in 4 states. The report focuses on the emergence of the quality of children's early relationships with their teachers in childcare as an important predictor of their social relations with peers as they…

This workbook is designed to help children learn about Asperger Syndrome and high functioning autism and to help parents talk with their children about autism's profound effects. Chapter 1 introduces the term autism and explains the techniques used in the workbook. Following chapters each focus on an important aspect of life: ways of thinking, the…

The first of three interactive staff development units on discipline in early childhood classrooms, this multi-media pack explores how to evaluate the attitudes teachers take into the classroom, and how to "reframe" those attitudes so teachers can effectively manage--rather than try to eliminate--conflict. The 25-minute teaching videotape examines…

This digest describes the challenges of social skills instruction and provides three strategies for improving the social competence of all students, including children with disabilities. It begins by emphasizing the importance of teaching individual social skills within the context of establishing a school-wide culture of social competence. To…

This booklet provides an overview of the characteristics and needs of young children with autism spectrum disorders or pervasive developmental disorders. It addresses: (1) different disabilities under the classification of autism spectrum disorders or pervasive developmental disorders; (2) characteristics of autism; (3) characteristics of children…

This publication contains an overview of the school-organizational partnership programs created in Germany to fill the role of promoting the development and socialization of students beyond the measurable degree of school performance. The following five general articles are included: "Schools and Youth Welfare"; "Common Features and…

This study compared the perceptions of Boise State University (BSU) students with those of other four-year college enrollees in the areas of importance of educational outcomes, college contributions to reaching educational outcomes, personal growth in a variety of areas, and college contributions to personal growth. The study used the American…

This study outlines several critical issues confronting junior and senior high school students in Taiwan (Republic of China). Stories from school administrators and teachers depict the qualitative and personal nature of the adolescent experience as seen through the eyes of school personnel. An overview of the social and educational setting in…

This paper examines the importance of the electronic community and its conversation for educators. Highlights include: (1) connections in electronic communities, including listservs, World Wide Web-based discussion groups, and the "conversational web"; (2) cyber-collaborative learning, including virtual classrooms, developing student…

Literacy is embedded in social practice and has social meanings. Research and practice in adult literacy are demonstrating that, in order to bring about cultural and social transformation, literacy must be seen as an activity embedded in social and cultural practice. The traditional paradigm, which considers literacy as input for development and…

With over half the nation's infants and toddlers in regular, non-parental child care, the quality of that care is a priority concern for policymakers. Many studies show that high-quality child care supports the positive social, emotional, and cognitive development of young children. The research summarized in this policy brief identifies factors…

This bulletin contains the third section of Harold W. Foght's report on the rural schools of Denmark. This section of the report pertains almost wholly to the folk high schools, which have by common consent been the most important factor in the transformation in the rural life of Denmark and in the phenomenal economic and social development of…

This bulletin is one of a series that tells how teachers, pupils, parents, and other citizens have worked together to improve the quality of education for the children of their communities. "How Children Use the Community for Learning" describes the work of a city school of 450 pupils with no regular supervision, the Garfield School of…