Preliminary findings of an analysis of Head Start research evidence amassed from 1965 to the present are reported in this document, along with a summary of conclusions from related studies of preschool programs. Specifically presented are long-term findings of the Consortium for Longitudinal Studies concerning the lasting benefits of preschool…

The author describes a psychological assessment process for use with the disadvantaged preschooler which involves screening (identification), diagnostic evaluation, instruction related assessment (formative evaluation), evaluation of the results of instruction (summative evaluation), and prediction of readiness. Some generalizations which apply to…

Major linguistic, cultural, and social problems posed by the education of the children of migrant workers (more than 1.5 million in 1975) in the European Community Member States are examined. Varying attitudes of rejection, assimilation, or integration of new environments, bilingualism or plurilingualism, anomy, and linguistic interference are…

This paper presents an overview of research literature on second language learning in children. Theories regarding these aspects of second language acquisition are summarized: (1) developmental stages of language acquisition; (2) the role of imitation and practice; (3) differences between oral and written language skills; (4) the ways in which…

Physical education programs at the nursery and elementary school levels should stress the development and refinement of fundamental movement patterns and a wide variety of sport skills instead of dealing with specialized skill development through refined performance experiences. The developmental model of physical education is based on the…

Nineteen projects related to mathematics education issues among minorities, funded by the Learning and Development Unit at the National Institute of Education (NIE), are summarized. It is felt that minorities and mathematics education issues have been largely neglected in recent investigations. This neglect is seen to have the potential to render…

The "back to basics" movement raises questions regarding the nature of reading that is assumed in instruction and testing. Of the three definitions of reading (decoding, meaning-from-page, and intellectual processes) the latter view, which sees reading as a broad range of perceptual, associative, and cognitive elements, is preferred. The…

This paper presents and evaluates the broad results of pre-school intervention experiments and programs aimed at fostering the intellectual and social development of "disadvantaged" groups. Among the general findings discussed are (1) there is a "sensitive," or even "critical," period in child development, an age at…

Research literature on childrens' causal understanding in oral and written settings is reviewed. Results show that maturation and task complexity both influence childrens' causal understanding. However, the findings are contradictory, and no generalizations could be made about which factors influence causal understanding and at which ages they are…

Discussion of the use of video material with younger children focuses on projects in Great Britain that were designed to develop modular videotapes for classroom use by students aged 3 to 11. The use of videodiscs and video recorders is reviewed, and interactions between children, teachers, and television are described. (LRW)

The nature of Federal and state initiatives with respect to multicultural education is examined, and guidelines and standards for the preparation of school personnel are reviewed. Federal initiatives have focused on preschool, elementary, and secondary education, and states have generally followed the Federal lead through state grants to implement…

The implementation of basic research on children's scientific thinking into science curricula continues to be a slow process. This chapter summarizes research on cognitive development that has helped to establish the goals for much of early science education and examines its implications. The chapter begins by describing scientific thinking and…

This article begins by defining family-centeredness and then reviews and integrates available evidence about family-centered practices in early intervention, preschool, and elementary and secondary schools. For each educational level, findings from studies that investigated program models, practitioner behaviors, family-oriented practices rating…

Discusses background information, research, and educational implications related to kindergarten readiness. Topics that receive particular attention are testing, placement, and curricular practices and age of entry into school. (BB)

Argues that the promulgation of guidelines, used in directing early childhood education and based on universalist assumptions, places racial, ethnic, and linguistic "minority" children and parents at a disadvantage and contributes to the very processes that early childhood educators seek to remedy. It concludes that poor scholastic performance is…