The paper presents the social capital as the essential element of success of the Reggio Emilia preschools known for their unique approach to the early childhood education. The collaborative effort is introduced through examples of the currently ongoing "Reggio Narrates" project of Reggio preschools, the "Dialogue with the…

Forty years after the establishment of democracy in Italy, democratic values need to be reinforced in the younger generations. This paper discusses democracy in post-World War II Italy and specifically addresses: (1) dissenting political parties' activities; (2) a qualitative change in political participation; and (3) the Italian perception of…

This paper describes the the Reggio Emilia Approach and recommends adopting the curriculum for teaching science in U.S. schools. The underlying philosophy of this approach is its uniqueness within the constructivist paradigm and its potential as an exemplary early childhood program that can be adapted to teach young children science. The educators…

This report is the second to appear in a series of studies carried out by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) during the past 5 years. The first report concerned the integration of handicapped young people into ordinary schools. The present report deals with what happens…

The basic premise of this paper is that decisions about children and their early educational experiences are culturally situated and, by definition, will reflect varying interpretations of appropriate educational aims and strategies. Drawing upon three decades of experience in the Italian culture as well as preliminary findings from a…