The population of Spanish-speaking preschoolers in the United States continues to increase and there is a significant need to develop psychometrically sound early language and literacy screening measures to accurately capture children's ability in Spanish. In this paper, we describe the innovative design and calibration process of the new…

This paper examines research that can inform policies aimed at building the capacity of early care and education programs to promote parent engagement in linguistically diverse families. The key questions addressed include: 1) What factors affect linguistically diverse families' access to early care and education programs?; 2) What do we know…

Both Nette Londo and Carolyn J. B. Melchert took part in "Ah neen dush" ("Why?" in Ojibwe), a three-year professional development program for Head Start teachers on the White Earth reservation. The program, a collaboration between the White Earth Head Start program and the University of Minnesota, was funded by the Office of…

This article examines the effectiveness of four elementary school math curricula: (a) "Investigations in Number, Data, and Space"; (b) "Math Expressions"; (c) "Saxon Math"; and (d) "Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics" ("SFAW"). These curricula are distinct from one another and represent many…

Describes benefits of an after-school mentorship program involving students in a teacher-education course at Minnesota State University and low-income youths between 9 and 13 years of age in the surrounding community of Moorhead, Minnesota. (Contains 17 references.) (PKP)

Outlines some of the achievements of the Summer Program for Economically Disadvantaged Youth (SPEDY) during the summer of 1978. Four programs in Virginia, Minnesota, Texas, and Washington are examined not because they are exemplary but because they illustrate what is happening in some of the better youth employment programs around the country. (CT)

The PACER Center is advocating for greater involvement of parents whose children have become involved in the juvenile justice system. Coalition for Juvenile Justice reported in January 2004 that of the 300,000 to 600,000 juveniles who cycle through detention facilities after arrest awaiting legal action, more than half are under 16 years of age…

Discusses the Minnesota Early Childhood Family Education program and the Missouri Parents as Teachers program as examples of state-sponsored family education programs. Argues that such programs should use the school as the most approppriate setting for family support and education. (CH)

Researchers conducted focus groups in three Minnesota Head Start programs that provide full-day services. The purpose of this descriptive study was to understand how these programs operated, the strengths and challenges of full-day Head Start programs, and how working parents and those on public assistance described these services. Findings…

In this article, the author describes Neighborhood Bridges, The Children's Theatre Company's (CTC) critical literacy program that gives young people from the most impoverished and troubled neighborhoods in Minneapolis the courage and power to speak their minds both orally and through the written word in such a daunting setting. The 2003-04 school…

This article features Woodland Hills's Neighborhood Youth Services. The Neighborhood Youth Services (NYS) program is a community-based program created by Woodland Hills, a residential program for troubled adolescents in Duluth, Minnesota. Principles for building respectful adult and peer relationships developed in the treatment environment were…