To investigate issues in transition to kindergarten for children with special needs, we explored several sources of information (peer-reviewed literature, government websites, parent surveys, and interviews with professionals). We found that administrative issues like lack of integration and the evaluation of services available to children and…

During a career spanning five decades, Edward Zigler has combined scholarly research with public service to promote national and state policies that are good for all children. Often called "the father of Head Start," he served on the planning committee for the program in 1965 and became the first director of the Office of Child…

The usefulness and application of andragogical assumptions has long been debated by adult educators. The assumptions of andragogy are often criticized due to the lack of empirical evidence to support them, even though several educational theories are represented within the assumptions. In adult online education, these assumptions represent an…

This report describes a program for increasing student readiness for and achievement in mathematics. The targeted population consists of third grade students in an expanding suburban community and kindergarten students in a culturally diverse urban community, both located in Northern Illinois. The problems of achievement in and attitudes towards…

The goal of Minnesota's early childhood development and care programs is to ensure that families of young children have the opportunity to choose affordable, high quality child care and participate in developmental programs that promote the skills and behaviors necessary for children to succeed in school. This information brief describes and…

One strategy that can provide immediate results in improving African American kindergarten students' success in school is improving attendance. This study examined the effect of school attendance on African American kindergarten students' learning readiness. Thirty kindergarten students in three classrooms at one Chicago school completed the…

This handbook, which was written by a retired kindergarten teacher with over 25 years of experience, is intended to bridge the gap between home and school. It describes 260 learning activities, each of which is based on a different concept. Most activities require materials usually found in the home. An activity is provided for each week of the…

Discussed are recommendations of California's 1987 School Readiness Task Force for the education of children 4 through 6 years of age. Recommendations call for: (1) provision of an appropriate, integrated, experiential curriculum; (2) reduction of class size; (3) provision of programs that meet the special needs of culturally and linguistically…

Children are generally identified as learning disabled as a result of their achievement and perceptual skills below an expectancy level which is based on mental age, grade level and/or chronological age. Despite its usefulness, Maturity is infrequently considered. The ages at entrance to school of a group of 67 learning disabled (LD) students…

THE BETTER TOMORROW FOR THE URBAN CHILD PROGRAM (BTU) ATTEMPTS TO HELP INNER-CITY CHILDREN BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE CITIZENS, BOTH EDUCATIONALLY AND SOCIALLY, THROUGH THE USE OF ADDITIONAL HUMAN AND MATERIAL RESOURCES. THE GOALS ARE TO RAISE THE LEVEL OF SCHOOL READINESS, TO DEVELOP A GREATER MOTIVATION FOR LEARNING, AND TO IMPROVE STUDENT SELF-IMAGE…

This paper discusses long and short range activities for helping children deal creatively with separation from preschool when they are ready for kindergarten. Long range activities should emphasize creating a positive school climate, involving parents in helping their children adapt to the new environment, and helping children develop…

Minimum language skills for kindergarten success are described and defined as "school readiness language." A school-readiness-language checklist gives a procedure for documenting a child's level of language skill. Specific techniques are presented to remedy documented gaps within the context of the kindergarten classroom. (Author)

The relationships between the Gesell School Readiness Test and standarized achievement and intelligence measures were examined. Children were tested before kindergarten, at the end of kindergarten, and at the end of first grade. Correlation coefficients varied from grade to grade, but did not show a higher correlation between related measures.…

All children should be started in school, and subsequently promoted, on basis of their behavior age rather than on basis of their age in years. Research data support this idea, and some schools that have adopted it as policy find that they can reduce failure by 50 percent. A child's school readiness can be tested with a behavior examination. (KH)