Policy statements of the last two decades have directed schools to enter into partnerships with parents to enhance the social, emotional, and academic growth of their children. However, in practice and scholarship, parental involvement has been constructed as attendance to school-based activities and needs. This article draws on data from an…

This report discusses the services disadvantaged children need to prepare for school, the extent to which they receive these services from early childhood centers (defined as providing child development, parent, and health and nutrition services), and the reasons early childhood centers may not deliver all the services these children need. Chapter…

This document consists of the four issues of a newsletter published during 1996-1998. This newsletter provides a periodic update on the activities of the Early Childhood Research Working Group (ECRWG), organized in 1995 by the U.S. Department of Education and other federal government departments and agencies to promote interagency cooperation and…

Noting that many communities in the United States have set the ambitious goal of enhancing school readiness, this report is intended to help communities invest wisely in school readiness initiatives. Part 1 of the report summarizes recommendations from the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP) for defining and assessing school readiness. The core…