Although readiness is often posed as the answer in early childhood education, there is typically confusion about exactly what question this complex term responds to. In this article, I explore common uses of the term readiness, examine their theoretical and empirical problems, and suggest a more synthetic conception that merges attention to the…

Notes that achieving school readiness for all children by the year 2000 will require a reconceptualization of the concept of readiness. Reviews some of the relevant history of readiness as an area of inquiry, and details the issues surrounding readiness, including school readiness versus learning readiness, and chronological age of entry versus…

Notes that school readiness screening tests can vary greatly in sophistication, and can easily be incorrectly applied and interpreted. Suggests that normal development is highly variable during kindergarten and first grade and that school programs should be flexible and adaptable to individual characteristics. (HTH)

According to William Raspberry, U.S. schools are already doing a good job of teaching children who come to school ready for learning. The problem with America 2000 is that the $700-800 million price tag is too small; billions are needed for establishing child service centers and other support services to ensure optimal learning. (MLH)

In the United States, a psychometric psychology dominates the thinking of educators. For traditional, political, and social reasons, developmental psychology rarely informs educational practices. This is the case even though studies show that the inducing of cognitive learning before a child is ready will reduce the child's learning potential and…

Included in this paper is a sample of comments made by parents in response to the idea of instituting all-day, every-day kindergarten schedules in several suburban and small-town school districts in western New York. Those in favor of all-day programs emphasize that many children attending nursery schools and other programs are in need of a…

Currently, an increasing number of states support school readiness programs, recognizing that high quality early childhood education positively affects all children's success in school and the quality of their future. Recent federal initiatives, including Good Start Grow Smart, the revised guidance for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)…

Discusses early entrance to kindergarten on the basis of whether a child's success in school can be reasonably predicted. Provides an early entrance procedure. (FL)

Discusses ways to reinvigorate public education to enhance democratic values and civic virtues. Argues that school choice (charter schools, home schooling, and vouchers) fragments the current system of education. Calls for public schools and social institutions to work together to prepare children for school and make schools ready for children.…

The author refutes the findings of a study (EC 124 401) indicating a birthdate effect on readiness level and suggests that school psychologists and others should stop blaming chronological age for reading failure. (CL)

Despite the intense focus on the achievement gap that exists between African American, Latino, and other students of color and their White counterparts, the achievement gap discourse keeps us locked in the deficit paradigm. This article challenges us to look at the inherent fallacies of the achievement gap discourse and place students' academic…

This article discusses the topic of early identification and intervention to accelerate learning for young children. It presents the author's reflections on issues and school psychology's role in early care childhood care and education. It focuses on four central themes or issues which require resolution about early childhood care and education…

This paper looks at the increase in preschool enrollment from 1970 to 1985. Family characteristics and how they relate to enrollment trends for three- and four-year-olds are examined. The implications of these patterns of enrollment are discussed in conjunction with expected changes in the demographic characteristics of preschool children in the…

The authors, while supporting the view expressed in EC 124 402 that decisions on school readiness should not be determined by birthdate, express concern over statistics used in the study. (CL)

Maintains that males and females have physiological and psychological differences which cause differences in perception and learning patterns, and that educational and curricular approaches should be geared to those differences. (CM)