Argues that it has not been fashionable to value literacy stories from parents as a source of knowledge for interpreting the home literacy environment. Compares teacher descriptions of several at-risk children to their parents' literacy stories. Concludes that understanding multiple home literacy environments can help teachers think critically…

Provides overview of major initiatives in family literacy and argues for fundamental change in the way schools relate to parents and the community. Suggests that schools and communities need to develop more effective partnerships so that parents and teachers can develop a sense of shared understanding. Concludes that such initiatives will lead to…

Scientific illiteracy in society begins in grade school, but preservice elementary teachers typically take only one or two disconnected science courses towards certification. Faculty from four disciplines developed an integrated science course tailored for elementary education majors. Students learn the importance of a well-rounded scientific…

Contends that children should be expected to learn to read throughout their participation in Head Start. Maintains that over-reliance on child-centered educational approaches and developmentally appropriate practices may hinder emerging reading skills. Recommends continuing innovation in Head Start, broadening the theoretical perspectives to…

Describes research on the impact of preschool storytimes on emergent literacy, with the intent of guiding the implementation of such needed research. Discusses the significance of this research to public librarians and describes the methodology, consisting of two phases and a pretest and posttest, and the scoring instruments and data analysis.…

Describes a project in a southeast Michigan high school in which Latino English-as-a-Second-Language students worked collaboratively for 10 weeks with at-risk working-class Anglo counterparts from an 11th-grade American literature class. Describes reading and writing activities that centered around the notion that students should search for and…

Discusses the role of narration in the adapted verbal interactions between child and adult that help children acquire and master language, from birth on. Notes that, when a child attempts to retell stories read aloud, he or she can progressively master the kind of syntactically structured and decontextualized language necessary for access to…

Proposes that once the elements of procedural understanding have been explicitly defined, appropriate teaching strategies can then be used to enable student understanding. Argues that explicitly teaching these concepts may add rigor to GNVQ assignments. (DDR)

Contains two essays addressing the impact of technological development on the economy, job market, education, and management. The use of information technology demands computer literacy and educators must make changes in curriculum that integrates practice and theory. Digital accessibility has changed the flow of information, causing organizations…

Introduces recent ERIC documents on the effects of child care on children's development. Provides citations on eight books and four journal articles with abstracts and ordering information. (MOK)

Describes efforts by Fairmont State College (West Virginia) librarians to use electronic mail and a listserv to instruct registrants in a multipart Internet seminar. The development, implementation, and subsequent evaluation of the program are discussed, along with the advantages and disadvantages of computer-mediated communication as the sole…

Answers teachers' questions about using children's literature and young adult literature with adult students. Offers suggestions for using these books in the classrooms, and for selecting such books. Offers a list of 24 picture books and young adult books useful for adult learners. (SR)

Outlines the most important 20th century developments in reading instruction for young children, analyzing why an approach was tried, and presenting results of these instructional efforts. It is concluded that the current perspective that seems to meet the needs of most children is that of emergent literacy. (SLD)

This article examines research evidence on the effects of preschool reading practices on young children, emphasizing the role of school-based programs for young disadvantaged children. The analysis notes positive effects from story reading programs and presents practical guidelines related to group size, rereadings, vocabulary instruction, and…

Examines current interest in computer technology in education, posing important questions to consider (what computers offer, whether technology use is consistent with contemporary learning theories, whether technology effectively promotes change, whether technology is synonymous with good teaching, whether technology promotes critical thinking,…