Assessing readiness among young children today implies undertaking a broad range of observations and activities in an atmosphere where children can feel comfortable and interested. Until recently, readiness meant readiness for reading. A mental age of six and a half was accepted as the prerequisite for beginning reading instruction. There has…

A second year evaluation of the educational television series "Sesame Street" was carried out. One aspect of the study was a replication of the first year study and an exploration of the impact of the second year's extended and new goal areas. The second aspect was a followup of at-home disadvantaged children who were subjects in the…

Reported was a project studying the school performance of children who had survived laboratory confirmed Haemophilus influenza meningitis prior to 4 years of age without observable sequelae and who were enrolled in regular primary grades. Thirty-nine index children were matched with controls by age, sex, socioeconomic level, and classroom…

One descriptive and one experimental section are presented on prerequisites for learning to read by school beginners. The descriptive part is intended to validate various hypotheses concerning the predictive value of different variables related to reading and spelling ability. By an analysis of multiple regression it is shown that the best…

Detailed descriptions of (1) evaluation of instructional objectives, (2) curriculum development, (3) staff development, (4) community/parent involvement, and (5) project management are presented in this final evaluation report. The sample for this study consisted of bilingual students in 3 groups: 80 preschool children, 2 kindergarten classes, and…

Father-present and father-absent lower class Black kindergarteners were tested in school readiness, and two years later in academic achievement. Predictions of academic deficits due to early and continuing parental absence, as derived from Zajonc's and Markus's confluence model, were only partially supported. (Author/GDC)

Examines the school readiness of a group of poor children enrolled in a Neighborhood Development Center, of a group of middle class black children, and of a group of middle class white children. Also compares the intelligence test scores of the three groups of children. (Author/DEP)

Although several vision screening techniques are available for infants, none is routinely used. Visual deficits are often first detected through required preschool vision screenings, which vary in their comprehensiveness. No standardization for testing or administration exists. Some of the testing procedures used may have inappropriately high…

To improve children's chances of early success, Chesterfield County, Virginia, piloted a junior kindergarten program for children of legal school age who are not developmentally ready for kindergarten. Designed to prevent early failure syndrome, this three-year program emphasizes accurate student placement, high teacher-student ratios, and…

Young children think and learn differently, yet early childhood education is now subject to new pressures. Many believe that early exposure to technology accelerates mental development and improves sensory and mental capacity. There is no factual support for this idea. Children who grow up with technology are not necessarily more proficient with…

Argues that since 17 percent of a child's growth occurs between four and six, kindergarten programs should stress all aspects of child development; cognitive, social, affective and psychomotor, rather than being school readiness programs. (MS)

This report describes six local government efforts to develop early learning systems to achieve the goal of school readiness--efforts that use federal and state resources but are locally owned. These efforts were identified and selected based upon discussions with a number of early childhood experts in the field. They represent some of the most…

In this Education Policy Brief, Indiana University's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy and Indiana Institute on Disability and Community tackle major policy questions regarding publicly-funded prekindergarten programs: Why should Indiana invest in prekindergarten? Who should be served? What should prekindergarten look like in Indiana? And…

The purpose of this study is to compare school readiness of children who had pre-school experiences and children without such experiences on the basis of scientific thinking skills. This comparison is held in terms of variables of age, gender, and socio economic status. The questions of the study in relation to the purpose of the study are as…

Noting that parents play an important role in the school success of their elementary- and middle-school-aged children, this booklet offers research-based tips to provide both practical guidance and information about a range of education-related topics. Presented in a question-answer format in both English and Spanish versions, the booklet provides…