Parental involvement and participation, partnership with parents, and community-focused development are important features of government initiatives such as the Sure Start project for children under four years of age and their families. A common feature of the rhetoric is "empowerment" as a means of achieving this. This article describes…

This article uses data from an ethnographic study that examined the delivery of home-based services in early intervention. Participants were families with an infant or toddler with special needs, and professionals providing early intervention services to these and other families. The study examined an early intervention program that uses primarily…

This double issue of "The Evaluation Exchange" focuses on one of the central components of complementary learning: family involvement. As outlined in the Theory & Practice article, investments in family involvement are important across ages and settings and through the co-constructed efforts and shared responsibilities of many…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Early Childhood Education at a Crossroads: Access to Preschool Has Come a Long Way, but Critical Choices Lie Ahead (Deborah Stipek); (2) Bridging the…

The world has made great strides in providing primary education to the poor, and the donor community has financed much of the effort. However, the standardized achievement tests developed in many countries show unbelievably low outcomes. One of the reasons why such is happening to many countries is that their schools' have lower time on task.…

A reference work that presents a chronology focusing on special education, its development, and the important issues that both positively and negatively affect the field. Updated through current events, this second edition provides an excellent introduction to special education in all of its practical aspects--how it developed, its curriculum,…

"The Opportunity Gap" aims to shift attention from the current overwhelming emphasis on schools in discussions of the achievement gap to more fundamental questions about social and educational opportunity. The achievement gap looms large in the current era of high-stakes testing and accountability. Yet questions persist: Has the…

Due to advances in medical technology more early childhood students who are medically fragile are entering school and being included in general education. The field of special education lacks a broad research base regarding this unique population. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of nine early childhood teachers on the inclusion of…

This article intends to show that contemporary proposals for early child-care and education (ECCE), typical of the modern process of neo-liberal policies, have been familiar to developing countries since the 1960s. Their heralds continue to announce the same news; they have just changed their clothes. These heralds are the international…

On March 10, 2006, the National Education Association (NEA) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) joined forces and convened an Education Summit in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the Summit was to have participants (mainly community activists) discuss and provide information and strategies as to how educators and policy makers…

While the nation's public systems continue to fall short of delivering equitable educational supports to children and youth, youth workers have spent the last several decades insulating and, in some cases, patching the leaks in the "education pipeline"--a term describing the route students follow from early childhood through…

The United States has long been concerned with providing equal, quality education for all its citizens. With state-granted equity funding to needy districts comes the responsibility of wise use of equity monies. This study is an example of how three New Jersey districts invested their equity funding in a highly effective early literacy…

Inclusion is one of five National Priorities identified by the Scottish Executive Education Department. As a consequence, teachers throughout Scotland are presently confronting the progression from integration to inclusion, along with the many changes that brings. This paper recounts the first stage of an on-going case study into the experiences…

This document, British Columbia's Early Learning Framework, is intended to guide and support early childhood educators, StrongStart BC facilitators, early years professionals, service providers, communities and governments in providing rich early learning experiences for children from birth to kindergarten. The document may also be of interest for…

The educational outcomes of Indigenous Australians have improved over recent decades. This is evident across a range of indicators on the enrolment, participation and achievement of Indigenous students in the early childhood education and school sectors. There has also been increased representation of Indigenous students in New Apprenticeships and…