The ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Curriculum is designed to teach students with disabilities the self-determination skills they need to be successful in adult life. It consists of three strands: Choosing Goals, Expressing Goals, and Taking Action. Each strand addresses teaching objectives in four transition areas: education, employment, personal,…

Responding to the need for a universal and comprehensive approach for supporting all families with children from birth through age 5, the Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) was launched by a broad-based coalition of public and private partners brought together by the Cuyahoga County government in Ohio. This report describes the history of ECI,…

As part of a multi-faceted effort, the National Early Head Start Research and Evaluation project examined the nature and extent of implementation in key program areas and the quality of crucial child development services in 17 research programs funded early in the initiative. Implementation data were collected through three rounds of site visits,…

Two-hundred and fifty parents of children with emotional or behavioral disorders residing in Oregon were surveyed concerning the nature and extent of support they received. Parents were affiliated with the Oregon Family Support Network, a statewide, parent-run, information and family advocacy organization. One hundred usable surveys were returned.…

By exploring what school readiness means in the context of work with very young children, program leaders can better understand how they can support the lifetime learning of infants and toddlers in their programs. This book, designed for infant-family program leaders, examines the important role that cognitive and social-emotional skills play in…

Information on early childhood learning and increasing demand for child care services have placed a spotlight on the need to improve the quality of early education and care in the United States. This report focuses on five factors tied to the success of military efforts to develop an exemplary model of quality and affordable care in the Military…

In 1997, the Connecticut State Department of Education awarded a grant Western Michigan University to evaluate Connecticut's charter schools and charter school initiative from 1997-2002. The study used existing databases, site visits, focus groups, and surveys to gather data regarding the movement's effectiveness, progress, and impact, examining…

The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) was the first nationally representative study of eighth graders in public and private schools. It was sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics to provide longitudinal data about critical transitions experienced by young people as they develop, attend school, and embark on…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that examined four factors (academics, peer relationships, personal security, and family acceptance) as they related to the self-esteem of students with and without disabilities. The instrument used to measure these factors was the adapted Self-Esteem Inventory containing 58 questions. The survey was…

Inherent in the nature of community schools is the assumption that many more challenges can be overcome when those involved work together than when working on one's own. This assumption forms the basis of the efforts described in this manual. It describes what community schools are; the challenges they face; and the new realities for schools,…

This document is comprised of the two issues of a biannually published journal featuring research studies, theoretical essays, and classroom practice articles about the development and education of kindergarten children as well as occasional articles concerning preschool and the early primary grades. The Spring/Summer 2001 issue contains the…

This KIDS COUNT data book examines national and statewide trends in the well being of the nations children. Statistical portraits are based on 10 indicators of well being: (1) percent of low birth weight babies; (2) infant mortality rate; (3) child death rate; (4) rate of teen deaths by accident, homicide, and suicide; (5) teen birth rate; (6)…

This article documents home and community visits by early childhood pioneers during the Reform Era (1870-1920). The home-community visitors promoted the development of young children by addressing needs of poor and vulnerable children, their families, and their communities. As the rationale for focusing on the Reform Era, this article identifies…

This study investigated the effects of school-level and individual-level factors influencing the participation and nonparticipation of secondary school teachers in continuing professional education (CPE). Researchers randomly selected 25 out of Hong Kong's 442 secondary schools to participate. All teachers in the schools were invited to complete a…

This paper describes a program designed to increase students' social skill development in order to improve positive peer interactions. The target population was elementary school students in one middle-to-upper class, rural community in central Illinois. Evidence for the existence of the problem of inappropriate social behaviors that interfere…