This document is the first report on an evaluation of the Parents as First Teachers Programme (PAFT) in New Zealand, an established parent education and support service for parents of children birth to age three. This preliminary report details the findings of an analysis of a family exit survey completed by 400 families participating in PAFT.…

Noting that prevention is the key to healthy development of the youngest children in Illinois, the Birth to Three Project is working to develop a comprehensive, coordinated system of services for expecting families and children under 3 years of age. This progress report details the first year implementation of the All Our Kids (AOK): Birth to…

Dental disease restricts activities in school, work, and home, and often significantly diminishes the quality of life for many children and adults, especially those who are low income or uninsured. Noting that dental caries (tooth decay) is the most common preventable chronic childhood disease, this Kids Count issue brief considers the extent to…

Discovering the value of after-school programs to school improvement initiatives and student achievement, one school district implemented a parent involvement component. Goals identified for the program were: to provide opportunities for parents and school staff to work as partners, and to share information about parent involvement and assets to…

Over 1,000 colleges and universities have joined the America Reads initiative and have placed Federal Work-Study students in high-needs schools, the majority in urban settings. Few outside the reading field recognize the complexities associated with instruction for emergent readers, particularly for students who arrive at school with few literacy…

Intended for parents and educators of special needs children, this guide highlights current research-based literacy resources available through the U.S. Department of Education which focus on special needs children. The networks of regional educational laboratories, research and development centers, and other education and research organizations…

This paper examines congressional intent regarding the treatment of children with behavior problems and, by examining administrative and court decisions interpreting these provisions, compares those intentions with actual implementation of the mandate. It also includes a brief discussion of the research supporting use of Functional Behavioral…

This report describes practical policy and program development processes and promising program models for preventing and treating female delinquency. The report also provides a profile of female juvenile offenders, the problems they present, their needs, and the need to address them. More girls are entering the juvenile justice system, and it…

This paper examines a program that teaches writing skills to students in an administration-preparation program. The program is broadly aimed at strengthening writing instruction and raising the level of writing competency among students in all departmental programs. The examination focuses on gaining a better understanding of the faculty's views…

This paper is based on a study of four newly created charter schools in North Carolina. It explores the purpose and values that prompted and guided the initial formation of these schools. It opens with a review of the conflicting claims and ambivalent purposes that characterize the policy environment as it pertains to charter-school reform. This…

A peer mentor program was created and implemented to reduce harassment and bullying at a Massachusetts elementary school. With the help of an adjoining district high school, the school counselors selected, trained, and supervised high school students to teach the younger children how to deal with harassment. The mentors were trained to understand…

Using the same approach of family involvement and empowerment that has guided Head Start, Early Head Start offers its services to pregnant women and children, birth to age 3. One of the characteristics that differentiates Early Head Start from traditional Head Start is the mandate to offer full-day, full-year services to infants and toddlers. The…

This paper describes the structured faculty mentoring program at the Pittsburgh Technical Institute (Pennsylvania), which is designed to provide a system of support for new faculty, who encounter many stressful situations on a daily basis, and provide guidance and encouragement. One of the primary goals of the program is to improve the quality of…

In response to Congressional requests reflecting the nationwide attention on early childhood education (ECE) and care, the General Accounting Office assessed the federally funded programs that provide or support ECE and care for children under 5 years. Information was obtained by means of an electronic search of the June 1999 Catalog of Federal…

This bulletin explores the proximal risk factors for juvenile offending, reviews the early developmental precursors to violent offending, and summarizes approaches to prevention. It also discusses components of intervention programs, limitations of single-focus prevention, examples of multi systemic interventions, and limitations of prevention…