In a 2018 study conducted by Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), school mental health experts screened close to 3,000 LAUSD students and determined "almost half (48%) of the students were found to be at-risk for traumatic stress, which manifests in behaviors [such as emotional outbursts, arguments and defiance] that impede…

Literacy is the foundation of education, and so modern education devotes significant school time to promoting and developing literacy. Yet we also need to ensure that young bodies and minds are ready to absorb their literacy lessons. Integrating physical exercise with reading activities in unique ways can be a great benefit to young learners.

As young children enter formal schooling, they are at various points along their individual developmental paths toward literacy. Generally, their egocentric speech is becoming more social and they are building their capacity for logical thought and concrete problem-solving. This is a gradual development and teachers can support children's literacy…

Provides two lesson plans, one appropriate for kindergarten and one for fifth grade, emphasizing the role of the learner. Both plans include components addressing motivation, content, closure, and application. (RH)

Reports a study of a retention procedure in Texas in which children are placed in prefirst grade classrooms rather than promoted to regular first grade after kindergarten. Discusses the procedure's effectiveness and appropriateness, reasons for children's placement, children's behavioral problems, parental motivation and approval, and student…

Describes one teacher's experience with looping between first and second grades. Highlights responses to surveys, whereby parents and students demonstrated positive social, academic, and emotional advantages to looping, including improved student-teacher relationships, less anxiety, and improved teacher's understanding of students' strengths and…

Presents an account of the project approach used by American first graders to study Japan. (BB)

Reviews research concerning the effects of retention of kindergarten and first grade students and alternatives to such retention. (BB)