Two authors weigh the evidence on starting to emphasize early literacy skills during preschool, discussing student-centered versus content-centered classrooms, looking at developmentally appropriate education, presenting their differing views on the subject, and responding to one another's opinions. Two sidebars discuss Project Headstart's…

Compared the California State Framework and Head Start Performance Standards for common expectations for early childhood education curriculum. Explored relationship of curriculum and the learning styles of preschool children. Found that High/Scope and Emergent Curricula were most compatible with California framework's objective of meeting the…

Examination of Britain's National Child Development Study data shows that children perform marginally better at 7 and 11 if they spent time with mothers or at a preschool. The British Cohort Study shows that time spent in nurseries effected no mathematics improvement and may have reduced reading vocabulary development. (Contains 20 references.)…

Argues that economic and social disadvantage experienced very early is more damaging than poverty experienced later in life. Asserts that poor children will perform better in school if the condition of their education and families is improved and questions whether the political will exists to change public policies to improve the circumstances of…

This study investigated the contributions of four variables (children's expressive language scores at 30 months of age, mother's facilitation of child language, mother's education, and group assignment) to the prediction of IQ at age 3, verbal IQ at ages 5 and 8, and reading at age 8 for 571 children of low-birthweight. Four separate multiple…

This article presents different views by various professors on the issue of college readiness. Also discussed are the problems encountered by students as a part of college readiness. The discussion stems from a set of alarming statistics about college-completion rates. While nearly three-fourths of recent high school graduates enter some form of…

We argue for the value of postmodernism in illuminating the roles or subject positions of ethnographic program evaluators. Drawing upon data from an ethnographic study of a summer college readiness program for African American, Asian American, and Anglo youth, we explore how postmodern theories can provide insights into the multiple roles of…

Assisting children with delays and disabilities to develop skills that will maximise their chances of success in regular education classrooms has become important with the trend to inclusion. This study examined (1) the essential skills for successful integration nominated by teachers, (2) the relationships between teacher perception and child…

On the surface, it appears that it should be quite simple to identify the characteristics of a child who is ready for school and then to assess whether or not any given child has these characteristics. But readiness is a difficult construct and one that has been the topic of great debate. Assessment of readiness is even more challenging. Policies…

As a society, we have refined our expectations of the education system to include a higher level of academic preparation for even the youngest learners. In past generations, kindergarten was often the first academic encounter a child had, but we have come to regard the preschool experience as essential to preparing an academically ready…

This paper investigates the concept of adjustment to school for a group of primary one (first grade) pupils in Singapore. Pupils rated by their teachers as being well adjusted obtained significantly higher grades at the end of the school year, did not require additional learning support, and exhibited better social skills compared to children…

Although research shows that young children's life experiences impact their kindergarten readiness, there are differences between parents and educators as to what those experiences should be. Schools can help by developing a community-wide understanding of the most important skills and by providing information and education to help families and…

Well-designed, active group games are more than just fun. They can help young children develop essential life skills that impact their development and contribute to school readiness. This article discusses how playing developmentally appropriate games allows children to build listening skills as well as social and cooperative skills, gain enough…

Early learning teachers do a great deal to support school transitions for young children and for their parents. There are also systematic changes that might yield benefits in promoting a smooth entry into primary education. The transition to school is usually an exciting and memorable time for children and their families. This article discusses…

Arguing that limited access to high-quality preschools is a major problem affecting nearly every working family, and as the numbers of working parents increase, is likely to become more acute, this policy brief offers the context and research supporting the American Federation of Teachers' recent call for universal early childhood education (ECE).…