Third in a series of publications of the New Jersey State Department of Education, Division of Research, Planning and Evaluation, this paper compares and contrasts the historical paths traveled by two contemporary, highly technological countries (the United States and England) in determining a prevailing age for entry into schools. Through…

Contrasts a child not ready for school with a child who is developmentally prepared to enter school and argues that if all school systems could administer and interpret the results of a developmental examination, the number of unhappy children, special needs children, and grade overplaced children would be greatly reduced. (HOD)

Clarifies details of research design and procedures in response to critiques of six longitudinal comparative studies from the Early Intervention Research Institute. The institute's investigations examined the effects and costs of early intervention for children with disabilities. (BB)