Difficulties in teaching students whose general knowledge is limited are discussed by a teacher at the Nofe-Golan Regional High School. Suggestions are offered regarding obtaining information about each student, preparing first lessons, student and teacher ground rules, readying students for tests, and special activities. (LB)

President Clinton's projected "Goals 2000: Educate America" legislation is a national blueprint for helping principals build partnerships, revitalize curricula, expand community and parental support, and actively participate in the educational excellence movement. The legislation will provide schools, districts, and states with incentive…

The Bracken Basic Concept Scale, for use with preschool and primary-aged children, determines a child's school readiness and knowledge of English-language verbal concepts. The instrument measures 258 basic concepts in such categories as comparisons, time, quantity, and letter identification. This paper describes test administration, scoring and…

This article describes one set of parents' decision to enroll their child in school early. Problems finding someone to test their child and other institutional and social obstacles are described. Tips to guide the decision-making process are offered and the parents' attitudes a year after their daughter's enrollment are presented. (PB)

Nine commonly occurring activities were identified in mainstreamed kindergarten and first grade classrooms, the necessary skills for participation were analyzed, and a curriculum was developed. Evaluation of the curriculum showed that 15 handicapped preschool children learned the necessary skills, even when the instructions, environment, and task…

Describes nature of first-grade transition and studies investigating how children's schooling proceeds over this period. Highlights study using Beginning School Study data to examine effects of full-day rather than half-day kindergarten, living in different family arrangements, and other circumstances such as Head Start participation. Found that…

Reviews Pianta and Cox's book, which covers the significance of early school transitions; the ecology of transitions into and through kindergarten; facilitating transitions for children from diverse backgrounds; and implications of the kindergarten transition. Cautions that while the book provides a strong empirical foundation, it does not provide…

Used data from the National Household Education Survey to examine parents' conceptions of kindergarten readiness and home learning, noting relationships with race and ethnicity. Racial/ethnic differences existed in parents' attitudes about readiness. Parents considered several academic and behavioral skills important for kindergarten success.…

Three studies evaluated the impact of the Home Instruction Programme for Preschool and Year One Youngsters (HIPPY) on New Zealand children's reading ability, school readiness, and school behavior. Findings indicated that HIPPY children showed consistently better performance that control group children on all measures used, with differences…

One of the main goals of recent education reform efforts, including NCLB, is to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their wealthier, white peers. In this article, the authors present data showing that closing those gaps once they have emerged is no easy task. (Contains 10 endnotes.)

Preparing foster children for school entry by focusing on the skills necessary to succeed in kindergarten calls for early intervention. However, existing programs to enhance school readiness have not been tailored to meet the educational, emotional, and psychological needs of foster children. This is the rationale behind development of the…

In this article, the author discusses how important kindergarten is and how important it is for the parents to choose a kindergarten program that will be appropriate for their child. Most parents understand the importance of education and its relationship to their child's success in later years. However, today is a confusing time to be raising a…

This article highlights the centrality of language in early childhood development and the potential for language delays to negatively affect long-term outcomes in educational and social domains. Given the high rate of language delays in the foster care population, an emphasis should be placed on assessing language skills among children ages 6 and…

Because too many children experience the transition to school as a culture shock, during the past decade teachers have implemented so-called transition activities in order to bridge the gap between preschool and school. However, transition to school also calls for a development of higher mental functions, among others the development of children's…

Historically, the school psychologist's work in early education has been restricted primarily to providing services to young children with special education needs. A more contemporary model calls for an expanded role with a focus on school readiness and the provision of services to all young children and their families in a prevention-oriented…