The goal of ensuring that all children are "ready for school" has become a national priority. As a result, programs that support children's school readiness are becoming more and more important to policy-makers, funders, and parents. It is becoming very clear that efforts to improve school success cannot begin at kindergarten, nor focus…

St. Martin Hall, a demonstration school affiliated with Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, collaborated with the Harry Jersig Center to test students for speech and language difficulties or hearing loss. A significant number of the children were from economically disadvantaged homes. Most of the children were Hispanic.…

How can teachers and administrators steer students toward graduation and away from dropping out? What determining factors contribute to a student's choice to drop out? Why is high school graduation such an important issue in society today? Effective prevention and intervention programs for the most vulnerable students are key to improving…

Although the FPG Child Development Institute's primary mission is to generate new knowledge, this research is in the service of a higher goal: child and family well being. This goal is distilled in their tag line: "Advancing knowledge, enhancing lives." This phrase is not just a tag line--it encapsulates 40 years of striving to be an…

Recently, policy makers have begun to insist on evidence showing whether public investment in programs for children has achieved its desired results. No longer will it be sufficient to show that programs are meeting established standards for practice or that families are satisfied with services. Data are needed to show that services are effective.…

This book explores the challenges of implementing and assessing educational interventions in varied classroom contexts. Included are reflections on the challenges of designing studies for improving the instructional core of schools, guidelines for establishing evidence of interventions' impacts across a wide range of settings, and an assessment of…

In accordance with UNICEF mandates requiring a situation analysis prior to preparing a new country program, this report examines causes and linkages between problems affecting women and children in Iraq, identifies necessary actions to realize the rights of women and children, and contributes to the country program strategy for priority…

In April, 2003, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich presented the fiscal year 2004 proposed budget in the midst of a severe state fiscal crisis. Despite the deficit, the proposal maintains or expands investments in many important programs for children and families, and includes a variety of cuts to programs and administrative costs with unclear…

This publication was written for therapists and their supervisors who may want to implement the adolescent community reinforcement approach intervention, which was one of the five interventions tested by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's (CSAT's) Cannabis Youth Treatment (CYT) Project. The CYT Project provided funding to support a study…

Early Head Start (EHS) is a comprehensive, two-generation program providing intensive services from before birth to age 3 to promote improved outcomes in children's development, family development, staff development, and community development. The second of a 3-volume series designed to share the experiences of the 17 EHS programs participating in…

This report examines the validity of motor intervention practices that have been described as "quality" practices and the extent to which they are appropriate for all families and children. Misunderstandings and conflicts in the areas of motor skills evaluation and intervention can occur between those providing services and those receiving…

Recent school shootings are only one symptom of a greater problem--a toxic social environment that breeds isolation and rage among children. This book looks at the wide range of risk factors and indicators for violence and translates the findings into an effective prevention and intervention system. The Peace Power strategy is based on four core…

This paper summarizes the research on the importance of teacher education and salary levels, provides a snapshot of Head Start and Early Head Start staff credentials and related issues, describes recent legislative history and changes on teacher qualifications, and assesses whether states and higher education systems are ready to address a major…

This paper discusses three Federal programs related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): (1) Part C, the Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities; (2) Section 619 of Part B, the Preschool Grants Program; and (3) Part D, National Activities to Improve Education of Children with Disabilities. An overview of each of…

This final report describes the objectives, activities and outcomes of a federally funded project that was designed to provide a high quality, interdisciplinary graduate degree program in Early Childhood Special Education with an emphasis on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ECSE/TESOL) at the University of Miami, Florida. A portion…