In this article, the author describes the four characteristics of effective middle schools: (1) Academic excellence; (2) Developmental responsiveness; (3) Social equity; and (4) Organizational Structure. An effective middle school should be a place of learning guided by people who have chosen to work with young adolescents, help them develop…

In the primary grades, literacy teachers often face dual and competing challenges. On one hand, they are expected to provide developmentally appropriate practice in a contextually-sensitive manner. On the other hand, they are often charged with using packaged literacy curricula that contains components that are developmentally inappropriate for…

Although research indicates that early childhood literacy programs can be effective for preschoolers, little is known about the effects of programs on college student mentors. This study explored the beliefs of college students about literacy development in preschool children and whether these beliefs change after their involvement in a yearlong,…

This policy brief shows that, while New Jersey has made a substantial investment in state-supported preschool programs, the link between preschool and elementary education needs to be strengthened. By adopting a broader view of early learning that aligns quality preschool with the early elementary years, policy leaders will reap a better return on…

In this article we explore educators' use of Jean Piaget's theories concerning cognitive development to refute proposed social studies standards in Arizona. We describe the work of Piaget as well as the National Association for the Education of Young Children's developmentally appropriate practices as they apply to primary-grade children's…

The Research in Practice Series is published four times each year by Early Childhood Australia. The series aims to provide practical, easy to read, up-to-date information and support to a growing national readership of early childhood workers. The books bring together the best information available on wide-ranging topics and are an ideal resource…

School counselors need to have accurate and age-appropriate prevention education information in order to counsel teens on drug use. This article presents developmentally specific prevention materials for the most important emerging substances of abuse: Ecstasy, methamphetamine, cough and cold medication, prescription opiates and stimulants, and…

This Curriculum Guide provides practical curricular suggestions that correspond to the best practice indicators included in the Early Childhood Special Education Program Design and Evaluation Guide (EC-SPEED). Developed through funds provided by the Ohio Department of Education as one of several of EC-SPEED materials, it is based on the assumption…

This technical assistance paper answers the question, "How can quality education programs for young children be assured?" by addressing four issues: components of quality early childhood programs, measures to counteract pressures for inappropriate practices, types of early childhood programs, and program evaluation methods. The paper…

Children today are entering day care at younger ages than earlier generations, prompting concern at the differences between day care and home environments. This paper considers the infant classroom in a day care setting, discussing methods of teaching and learning designed to promote authentic learning in a natural educational environment.…

This report provides guidelines for developmentally appropriate school-age child care programming, based in part on standards developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Part 1 outlines and discusses seven principles of developmentally appropriate school-age child care programs, which should strive to: (1) provide…

This sourcebook of over 100 Texas middle-school programs was developed to help educators implement intermediate-grade education concepts and practices in their schools. The volume is a companion publication to "Spotlight on the Middle: Report of the Texas Task Force on Middle School Education." The introduction mentions two offices in…

School-based early childhood centers have the potential for responding effectively to a broad range of child and family needs and to society's demands for more effective schools. They have four defining features: (1) implementation of quality programs and developmentally appropriate practices for young children through age eight; (2) families as…

A teaching master at a community college in Central Ontario implemented a practicum designed to increase the rate of child-directed activities in early childhood education programs. The primary goal was to increase awareness of early childhood educators, parents, and board members regarding the benefits of child-directed activities at early…

This report presents the results of a statewide study of kindergarten practices in North Carolina during 1988. The study was initiated due to concern about the developmental appropriateness of kindergartens. A total of 103 randomly selected kindergarten classrooms were observed in an effort to measure the quality of classroom practices. In…