The education system is a failure and must be reexamined. Student teacher relationships and teaching methods must change. In the future, instead of learning by rote, students will have recourse to data banks to obtain the materials to be used as content for the exercise of what Piaget calls operativity. (RM)

Argues that children need play time to explore the world because it is valuable, irreplaceable, spontaneous, and provides situations where children can learn with all their senses. Examines play in terms of its role in exploration, imagination, creative activity, work, learning, knowledge expansion, art, and the culture of children. (Author/SD)

This article presents a framework to be used in studying public policy in children's mental health. It focuses the stages of policy development and implementation, the relationships among different governmental levels, the relationships among different service sectors, and variables affecting the likelihood a policy will achieve its intended…

Reviews literature suggesting that a sociocultural model of infant social development is needed to examine variable influencing infants' interactions with caregivers. Significant variables include familial influences and cultural expectations. Positive development requires that these variables lead to adults who respond appropriately to infant…

Profiles typical characteristics and behaviors of kindergartners. Highlights physical development, including energy and growth, motor development, physical activities, and health; mental development, including Piagetian stages, academic development, mental limitations, and effective classroom rewards; and psychosocial development, including…

Introduces this special theme issue examining the roles of socialization, biology, and culture as they affect adaptive and maladaptive developmental outcomes. Problems of adolescence addressed include antisocial behavior, depressive symptoms, substance abuse, low achievement, and eating problems. Considers factors implicated in successful…

Examined the effectiveness of a 2-year, stage-based alcohol prevention intervention using nurse consultations and parent prevention materials among 6th graders in one neighborhood school and one bused magnet inner-city school. Students received either the experimental program or a minimal intervention. Student surveys and saliva testing indicated…

Background: It has been proposed that ADHD is an executive control disorder. Little is known however about the maturation of executive control in ADHD. Method: A cross-sectional study of ADHD patients compared to normal controls tested on a computerized neurocognitive test battery. Participants: 175 patients with ADHD, age 10 to 29, compared to…

This paper explores the significance of experiential learning in promoting scholarship from a constructivist point of view. Chapter 1 examines the historical perspectives and educational theories that form the basis to experiential education. Chapter 2 explores the work of Jean Piaget, giving a description and explanation of his theories and how…

This trainer's manual covers module III of the Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers (PITC), a four-module video training course for providers of family and center day care. The manual is intended to be used by module instructors and includes an overview of the PITC and instructions for using the manual and its accompanying videos. The module…

This report examines how early educational opportunities affect child development and eventually adult productivity. The report also discusses some implications for developing countries. The effectiveness of educational programs for infants to 2.5-year-olds has not yet been demonstrated. However programs that ensure health, nutrition,…

This technical assistance paper provides preschool planners and staff with information on developmental characteristics of preschool children relevant to planning and providing a quality preschool program. Following a case scenario underscoring the need for understanding child development, a theoretical framework concerning child development is…

A study investigated the emerging journal-writing skills of 16 monolingual Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans and 10 monolingual English-speaking first-graders in San Diego County, California, in a whole-language, two-way bilingual classroom. The research looked for developmental stages in writing in the primary language, similarities or…

Professional practice schools are restructured public schools that are: (1) models of good practice; (2) responsible for education and socialization of teachers for new roles; and (3) designed to support ongoing research directed at improving practice. The seven essays in this book focus on the rationale for professional practice schools and the…

This guide for teachers and parents examines child development knowledge, the origins of developmental curriculum, and approaches to implementing such a curriculum in elementary schools. Part one discusses how children develop, the historical background of developmental curricula, the differences between age level and grade level, and the…