Not long ago, both city and country children grew up mostly outdoors, with direct experience of plants and animals and of the ways in which the necessities of daily life were grown, made, and used. When they weren't helping with household work, children spent much of their time exploring and puttering around in the outdoor environment, relatively…

This book aims to interpret recent research on dyslexia into practical information for those who work with individuals with dyslexia. Chapter 1 summarizes new information about how genetic codes determine brian development and how differences in brain structure cause dyslexia. Chapter 2 explains the perceptual and emotional nature of dyslexia.…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report examines how child health services can be improved to support two related…

Recent advances in neuroscience show clearly how experience can change brain neurochemicals, and how this in turn affects the way the brain functions. As a result, early negative events actually get built into the growing brain's neurochemistry, altering the brain's architecture. Research is continuing to investigate how children with genetic…

The information in this booklet is intended to respond to common questions and concerns heard from parents of about-to-be kindergartners. It is based on research about the growth, development, and learning of young children and about the kinds of learning experiences that are most likely to promote their success in school and beyond. Topics…

As demand for after-school services has grown, the public has responded with support for growth in federal, state, and local funding for these services. As in other successful grassroots movements, this high level of support is evident across groups with diverse objectives. Some after-school advocates are mainly interested in increasing the supply…

Once again, early education has emerged as a major policy and program topic. And, while the importance of early education is undisputed, the increasing calls for "Universal Preschool" and full-day kindergartens have yielded considerable controversy. Our specific interest in public policy for preschool programs stems from our concerns about…

Research into children's measurement conceptions is discussed, presenting a review of the literature in the field that includes studies conducted by J. Piaget and his colleagues and training programs that have been designed to support the development of measurement skills. This literature is used as a background to argue that new investigations…

This study examined how collaborative processes of communication and knowledge construction over time and space are structured and organized utilizing two-way video conferencing strategies for distance education in undergraduate child development courses at two universities. Several qualitative research methodologies were employed to document…

The Carnegie Corporation's mission is to continue Andrew Carnegie's philanthropic preoccupations with promoting education and world peace. In this essay, retiring Carnegie Corporation President David A. Hamburg provides a detailed accounting of his stewardship of the foundation since 1983, when he set forth new program directions in the context of…

This study examined the lifestyle of children from a sedentary grouping of 20 homeless families living under a viaduct in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The study particularly focused on issues related to this lifestyle, including dimensions of housing and cultural variations in housing related to child development and child rearing. The lifestyle of the…

Every educational theory has behind it a particular image of human beings and their development that supports a particular view of the learning process. This paper examines the image of children underlying Waldorf education. The paper identifies the individual and unique Self as the "third factor," that together with heredity and…

This project delivered traditional parenting skills to participants at area family centers through reading and critically examining issues raised in children's literature. Recruitment efforts were unsuccessful at two Arsenal Family Centers; sufficient participants were recruited at the Providence Family Support Center where the 16-week course was…

This study quantified the benefits to children and parents participating in nine early intervention programs and conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the Perry Preschool and the Elmira Prenatal/Early Infancy Project (PEIP). The findings indicated that early intervention programs led to the following advantages for program participants relative to…

This comprehensive guide to alternative, authentic assessment in early childhood education provides discussions of the most current research and practical ways to integrate assessments into teaching. It shows assessment as a process that teachers can use in their own classrooms, using the latest procedures, such as portfolios, standards,…