The Alan Rufus Tonelson Teaching and Learning Center was established in 1988 to explore the nature of urban elementary education through research focusing on classroom, school, home, and community variables that affect the education of high-risk urban children. The results are used to train teachers to work more effectively in urban schools. The…

The fourth of eight related documents, this monograph describes the prekindergarten identification and readiness phase of the Reading Instruction and Pupil Personnel Services (RIPPS) program. The document describes the four major components of this phase: (1) a comprehensive registration, (2) parent information presentation, (3) health screening,…

Responses to the 1990 United States census question concerning languages other than English that are spoken at home are summarized. It was found that in 1990, 14 percent of the population 5 years and older spoke a language other than English at home, as contrasted with 11 percent in 1980. Languages spoken most commonly at home in descending order…

Addresses the need for teachers in socioeconomically disadvantaged schools to change classroom practice. Examines the disparity between home and school environments, using critical social theory. Describes curriculum negotiation as an active, relevant process, focusing on creating classroom environments that empower students. Discusses the skills…

"No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) attempts to ensure educational equity for all K-12 students. However, for the conceptual goals of NCLB to become reality, pre-service teacher training models must be modified to include a deeper understanding of individual differences and how these play out in classroom dynamics. The "Three Literacy…

This report gives new recognition to the power and potential of the American family to improve education. Following an introduction that looks at the factors inhibiting parental involvement in their children's education, the report reviews 30 years of research indicating that the starting point of American education is parent expectations and…

This Kids Count Report details statewide trends in the well-being of Maine's children, with particular focus on child health care access. The statistical portrait is based on a variety of indicators in five areas: (1) child health care access; (2) physical and mental health; (3) community and family environment; (4) social and economic…

Discusses four principles involved in teaching beginning reading most effectively, related to: (1) the literacy environment at home, child care, and school; (2) experiences to develop concepts and related vocabulary; (3) developing understanding of purposes of print; and (4) enjoying books and being read to. Discusses how these principles can be…

Children whose homes are filled with books, whose parents read to them, and who have begun to understand the reading process have higher levels of reading skills and knowledge when they enter kindergarten than children who do not have such rich literacy experiences before entering school. This article describes a family literacy project developed…

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care is an ongoing, prospective, 3-year longitudinal study of over 1,300 full-term healthy infants and families from 10 sites across the United States. While the sample is not nationally representative, the subjects come from major regions of the country: the…

In 1985 the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessed the literacy skills of America's young adults. The survey stressed the complexity and diversity of literary tasks in American society rather than using a simplistic single standard for literacy. NAEP convened panels of experts whose deliberations led to this definition of…

This report is the second based on data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) providing a portrait of the well-being of children and their daily activities. The report highlights a variety of indicators that portray children's experiences at home and at school, and includes findings about parents' feelings toward their…

This report discusses the activities and outcomes of Project Coach Outreach, a project to encourage the use of best practices in early intervention for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities and to increase family-centered service options in Mississippi. Specifically, the project focused on the use of natural environments to include…

An approach used to help bridge the distance between home and school for bilingual/bicultural immigrant families is described. First, the various roles of the classroom teacher as cultural storyteller, cultural healer, and cultural worker in the relationship between the schools and homes of bilingual students is explored, drawing on recent…

Describes findings based on a self-rating scale by 38 teaching English as a second language (TESL) student teachers at a Malaysian university, responses to a self-rating scale by 20 TESL teachers, and case studies of 20 bilingual student teachers. Penaflorida's response focuses on strategies for dealing with learners with limited linguistic and…