Research on environmental strategies to increase positive peer interactions has been conducted on a wide range of children, including 2- to 5-year-old typically developing children and children with a variety of developmental and social disabilities. Intervention efforts have been successful with both typically developing children and children…

This paper describes five promising remedial reading intervention programs. Each program has its own strengths and weaknesses, but all show evidence of high standards, effectiveness, replicability, and support structures. Direct Instruction is a highly structured instructional approach, designed to accelerate the learning of at-risk students.…

The early literacy challenge in Indiana is to increase the literacy skills of students in Grades K-3 who are at risk for school failure. In 1997 the Indiana Department of Education began implementing the Early Literacy Intervention Grant Program (ELIGP)--close to half the ELIGP funding supported professional development for teachers and teacher…

This brief paper discusses the use of mediation as a method for resolving disagreements between schools or early intervention programs and parents of children with disabilities. It identifies benefits of mediation such as maintenance of an ongoing and positive relationship between the school and family, simple resolution of conflicts arising out…

A study compared and contrasted various early intervention reading programs, examining 12 early intervention programs in 10 school districts within 60 miles of the Denver metropolitan area. Programs selected were considered to be district-wide, had been in place for at least a year, had coordinators who agreed to be interviewed, were designed for…

In Scotland, the Early Intervention Programme (EIP) aims to raise standards of literacy and numeracy in the first 2 years of primary school with an emphasis on overcoming disadvantage and inequality. As part of this initiative, one local authority, Aberdeen City, has introduced Baseline Assessment on entry to primary school with a follow-up…

Even Start is a federally funded program addressing the literacy needs of children and parents by offering parenting education, early childhood education, parent and child together time, and adult education. Noting that recent research on brain development and learning prompts a reexamination of beliefs and practices related to child rearing,…

While recent research in cognitive development suggests that the period from birth to age 3 provides a unique opportunity for interventions to change the life-course of children, there is great disagreement regarding the best means of allocating public funds toward early childhood intervention. Further, there is little research into the long-term…

Many states have initiated prekindergarten programs to better prepare young children to enter school. A "blueprint for quality" was used as the basis for evaluating state prekindergarten initiatives; the blueprint focused on four components: (1) ensuring the availability of prekindergarten; (2) ensuring high quality prekindergarten; (3)…

This policy brief is the fourth of a series of analyses of Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) data by CLASP. Head Start, a federal early education program for low-income children and families, was scheduled to be reauthorized by Congress in 2003 and may still be considered in 2004. Today, these programs provide, directly or through…

Describes a parent-focused, home-based early intervention program known as HIPPY, the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters. Explains the program's basic philosophy and elaborates on programmatic tensions as it gains a national scope and presence. Offers an insider's view into a few inherent tensions and issues associated with home…

A study of 105 parents and 30 state-level administrators from six states investigated the state-level policy- and organization-centered strategies that are compatible with the needs identified by families of young children with disabilities. Results found parents identified access to services and the need for improved coordination as continuing…

This response to a paper on teacher communication in cases of dual enrollment of preschool children in both early intervention and day care stresses the need for formal mechanisms to ensure collaborative planning and ongoing communication among the multiple adults involved in the child's day. (DB)

Two studies compared the relative effectiveness of a developmentally based language facilitation program, a direct language facilitation program, or a combined developmental/direct program for 52 preschool children with disabilities. Both studies indicated that no program was better overall. Differential effects of the interventions could be…

Young children with hyperactive and disruptive behavior problems have a variety of risk factors, including environmental, constitutional/maturational, and interactional concerns. Following a description of general principles of intervention, three case studies illustrate use of the "Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental…