Designed to develop, over a 5-year period, a model K-6 bilingual program, the project provided early childhood bilingual education intervention to facilitate the learning of English and Spanish simultaneously in an effort to effectively develop the child's cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills. Innovative and tested instructional…

To increase traditional school readiness skills and experiences of success among young children at risk of failing at school, an extensive four-week residential group program was developed by staff at Ramapo Anchorage Camp. A major purpose of this present study was to assess the short term effectiveness of the camp's Mild Month Program on three…

This report attempts to measure the first year effects of a local television series designed to increase reading readiness. Kindergarten children enrolled in the Lake Central Schools were subjects for testing the effectiveness of the TV readiness program. Other evaluation inputs included kindergarten teacher rater judgements and a survey of Lake…

This document presents the evaluation design and findings of the second year of operation of the Experimental Bicultural Early Childhood Program, an Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title III project operating in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The major objectives of the program were: (1) to facilitate the development of school readiness…

There is widespread recognition of the importance of early childhood learning, and a strong public appetite for increased public support to ensure that young children enter school ready to learn. National surveys find that 87 percent of voters think state governments should provide funding so that all children can enroll in preschool.…

Commissioned by the Foundation for Child Development, this report examines the state of universal prekindergarten in the United States and the challenges to its widespread implementation. The report describes socioeconomic and ethnic/racial differences in school readiness and maintains that policymakers need to identify mechanisms in addition to…

Smart Start is an early childhood initiative in North Carolina designed to build a statewide system of coordinated services for children from birth through age 5 and their families. At the heart of the program are 82 public-private nonprofit partnerships representing North Carolina's 100 counties, each sharing the mission of promoting school…

Noting that Pennsylvania's current support of policies to promote school success for all children offers an opportunity to assess how well the state serves its children, identifies gaps in services, and enacts effective public policies to meet children's needs, this special Kids Count report describes effective practices to help Pennsylvania…

Child Trends is a organization with the overarching mission of improving the lives of children and families by providing research-based information to inform policy and programs that affect children's lives and their future prospects. This annual report details the organization's accomplishments for the year 2001. The report begins with a letter…

This second annual report details North Carolina's performance and progress since 2000 in the five goal areas: high student performance; every child ready to learn; safe, orderly, and caring schools; quality teachers and administrators; and strong family, business, and community support. Over the years, North Carolina's education system has…

Noting that there are special considerations to take into account when creating appropriate and effective programs for young children, this issue of Progress of Education Reform focuses on early childhood care and education. The report is intended for use by policymakers who are considering implementing and/or reforming early care and education…

While children are ready for school by virtue of having attained the chronological age for school entry established by the state, school readiness refers to the conditions that promote their readiness to succeed in school. Wisconsin is one of 17 states participating in the National School Readiness Indicators Initiative, the aim of which is to…

This paper draws on demographic data on children spotlighted in the 2000 Census (called the Childrens Class of 2000) to examine how forces like poverty and family instability work to prevent equality of opportunity in school and in life. The paper describes some programs and techniques that effectively reduce the effects of these forces and…

Noting that innovative partnerships to give more children access to good quality care and education provide the scaffold for future educational reform, this report details the Partnering for Success project, which identified and documented efforts to enhance school readiness through partnerships among Head Start, child care, and public schools in…

Discusses what three researchers discovered about schools, home environments, and inequitable education, examining the achievement gap between middle-class and poor, minority students and noting that summer school does little to close the gap. Suggests a strategy to boost the summer achievement of poor children that would give them the extra…