Suggests new directions in parent involvement emerging in school districts across the country, identifying and analyzing 18 recently developed programs or reforms emphasizing effective parental involvement. Ten programs help parents support children's development, and eight define parent involvement as a central focus of school improvement or…

Public school enrollment is increasing, especially among minority students. Preschool attendance is up. The number of elementary schools has lagged behind enrollment and school size. Teacher numbers and salaries have risen since the 1980s. Local school revenues are surpassing state government revenues. The national per pupil expenditure rate is…

Presents an annotated bibliography of books about the voyages of Christopher Columbus for children, preschool to grade seven. Notes that the five hundredth anniversary of the Columbus voyages will occur in 1992 and encourages teachers to anticipate the national commentoration and develop appropriate learning activities. (NL)

Concludes the excerpts from Ele Monoszon's "The Establishment and Development of Soviet Pedagogy." Notes research done in the Soviet Union on preschool instruction, special education, adult, vocational, and technical education, and briefly mentions comparative research on modern foreign pedagogy. (CH)

Examines spatial and social variations in preschool education in Nassau County, New York. Analyzes how the preschool operation relates to publicly supported primary education. Describes processes influencing historical changes in the number and distribution of preschools. Points out that the location and provision of preschool education is a…

Reviews research results describing students' learning experiences and effective teaching methods. Addresses topics of music selection, influencing student preferences, and developing student perception and descriptive skills. Includes a 26-item bibliography of these studies. (NL)

A total of 318 students in preschool, kindergarten and first grade used the Primary Grade Pupil Report to report on their teachers. Preschool students' reports on teachers were more negative than those of kindergarten and first grade students. Factor analysis identified different significant factors for the two groups. (Author/BB)

Describes two initiatives of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to help children become life-long readers. The AFT/Chrysler Learning Connection Reading Grants program awards grants to schools for family involvement reading programs. The booklet "Helping Your Child Learn to Read" contains activities parents can use. Some booklet…

Used focus groups with 23 Head Start staff from 5 urban programs to identify naturally occurring strategies to cope with children's inappropriate behavior. Found that horizontally managed centers used a more collaborative approach, whereas vertically managed centers required that teachers consult with a gatekeeper before consulting with others.…

Examined the effect of child care attendance on young children's social development, in particular the real or perceived difference in behavior of young children coming from long-day care to attend sessions in kindergartens compared with children coming directly from home. Found no significant differences between the two groups. Offers…

Interviewed mothers of preschoolers with autism about their children's child care programs and factors that influenced program selection. Rated the importance of program features, knowledge of the care settings, and frequency of their involvement at school. Found mothers reported high involvement in activities, conferences, and classroom…

International early childhood research provides hard evidence of the value of preschool for disadvantaged children and for all children. Despite high cost-effectiveness and numerous educational and social benefits of preschool education, most North American governments have been resistant to paying for universal programs. (SAS)

Reports on data from national review of preschool service provision for deaf children and their families in the United Kingdom. Presents families' responses to early identification; information available after identification; perceptions of partnerships with professionals; and value of family-centered services for themselves, for their children,…

This article provides a case study of monocultural personnel preparation, discusses various cultural beliefs about disability, and examines the effect of the dualities and dichotomies of parent/professional beliefs about childhood disabilities. In addition, it discusses intervention concerns in developing countries such as Turkey, Ecuador, and…

In this study, mother-child storybook reading was explored as a context within which to support early symbolic communication of four girls (ages 3-7) with Rett syndrome. Access to communication symbols, assistive technologies, and parent training consistently enhanced children's frequency of labeling/commenting and appropriate symbolic…