Full-day kindergarten programs did not survive the recession in some states, where districts reduced them to half-day programs in light of severe funding cuts. Now, with rising tax revenues and falling unemployment rates, the restoration of full-day kindergarten is back on the agenda. However, now that funds are available, is restoring full-day…

?The past decade has seen an increase in research documenting the benefi?ts of children learning through play. However, the amount of play in American kindergarten classes remains on a steady decline. ?This article compares the ?findings from a netnographic study of seventy-eight kindergarten teachers' message board discussions about play in…

This article explains early childhood inclusion in Croatia from its beginnings up to challenges in current policy and practice. The first preschool education for children with disabilities dates back to the 1980s and was provided in special institutions. In the last 10 years, mainstream kindergartens have been enrolling children with disabilities…

Empirical evidence that horizontal alignment of policies and practices from preschool through the early elementary grades sustains the effects of quality preschool and contributes to children's learning is scarce, as discussed above, but there are nevertheless good reasons to expect benefits to such alignment. Moreover, many districts and schools…

This article focuses on the first of the six Education for All (EFA) goal as conceived in Dakar, which calls upon countries to expand and improve comprehensive Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Strong early childhood foundations -- including good health, nutrition and a…

The newly created Conservative Education Reform Network (CERN) at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) invited a group of conservative education thinkers to sketch policy proposals that they would like to see in a new education agenda. The only requirement was that they offer suggestions that would complement the traditional conservative…

This article investigates an innovative approach that has as its aim to ensure that more students complete secondary education. The national program, called "Competence for Diversity," puts emphasis on children with minority language background, that is, children with another first language(s) than the Norwegian national languages. In…

In the past, the Curriculum Development Council in Hong Kong [Curriculum Development Council (CDC). (1996). "Guide to the Pre-Primary Curriculum." Hong Kong: Government Printer; CDC. (2000). "Consultation Document: Learning to Learn: The Way Forward in Curriculum Development." Hong Kong: Government Printer; CDC. (2001).…

This article draws on qualitative classroom observation and interview data from a case study of one native-English speaker teacher (NEST) teaching in a Hong Kong kindergarten. Features of the NEST's teaching are identified, namely their professional limitations, their part-time involvement in teaching, and their limited collaboration with the…

This paper provides a critical analysis of the impact of the "Presidential Decree 200" (1998) regarding the operation of kindergartens in Greece, on children's enjoyment of their rights. It appears that the "Decree" does not respect, protect or fulfil the participation rights of the child whereas it respects, protects and…

What does it take to transform a large, bureaucratic institution with a fractured culture and a compliance orientation into a nurturing, collaborative, vision-directed organization? This report and the accompanying research brief endeavor to answer that question by examining a humanistic and systems thinking approach to cultural change that took…

Data are more than just test scores, and by effectively accessing and using different types of data--such as attendance, grades, and course-taking--teachers, parents, and school and district leaders can help ensure that every student is on a path for success every day, not just at the end of the school year. The 10 State Actions to Ensure…

Research suggests that providing high-quality early education experiences for young learners can support positive outcomes for these children, including higher achievement test scores and even higher graduation rates. Transitional kindergarten (TK) aims to provide an additional year of kindergarten to California's youngest students to help them…

Jordan's education system is currently undergoing rigorous and comprehensive reform processes that focus on improving the status of educational policies and experiences for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Kindergarten education in Jordan has been dominated until recently, by the private-sector. For the past decade, the Ministry of…

Only about one-third of children attending school in the United States can read proficiently at fourth grade, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as "the nation's report card." If that is not dismaying enough, consider the outcomes for the nation's most vulnerable students. The first eight years of…