High quality early care and education (ECE) supports the healthy development and learning of young children. Implementing and sustaining quality depends on staff contributions and actions. Research from fields such as K-12 education, health, and management finds that quality improvement is more likely to occur and be sustained in the context of…

Purpose: This article examines how early childhood curriculum documents in two culturally different contexts are associated with current concepts of sustainability and principles of early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) in China and Norway. Design/Approach/Methods: Applying critical document analysis, the study explores a number of…

The "tabula rasa" of this article's title is a Latin term meaning "clean slate." For centuries before January 6, 1907, and continuing more than 100 years since, teachers have walked into classrooms of young children convinced they know full well what is good for them, and what should be poured into their minds and by what means. But on that day,…

Over the last decade, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has pursued educational reform in elementary teacher education. Because elementary teachers and teacher education are central to the reform agenda, there is a need to gain empirical evidence about how PNG teacher trainers' understandings about learning and teaching impact on their practice. The study…

The author agrees with B. Spodek that the Kamii-Piagetian framework for cognitive goals is a useful conception for teachers and curriculum workers, but cautions that Spodek's analytic scheme may encourage teachers and curriculum workers to compartmentalize learning. The overriding importance of the classroom teacher in improving programs is…

Explores role of early-childhood practitioners against background of shifts in social context and sociopolitical climate of early-childhood education and care in Germany. Maintains that practitioners are links in the process of repositioning early-childhood centers in quality debate. Discusses need for newly defined role combining family-centered…

Discusses present and future organizational role and structure of OMEP in attempts to preserve the virtues of young children and confront the problems encountered in children's daily lives around the world. The value of early childhood educators in the care and development of young children is emphasized. (DST)

Discusses the role of early childhood teacher educators in recognizing the necessity to advocate for child care staff and its resulting benefits for children. Recommends that such advocacy can be woven into the teacher education curriculum and that students should actively participate and be provided role models to encourage development of active…

A developmentally appropriate early child classroom is described as one offering children organized activity choices, opportunities to explore content areas, and a time structure encouraging learning from one another and from adults in one-to-one and small group contexts. In addition, teachers would employ assessment practices related directly to…

This article discusses the problem of translating research results into special education practices. It stresses that achieving effective research in schools requires extensive collaboration between researchers and practitioners, and outlines the role of researchers, practitioners, faculty in teacher preparation programs, state departments of…

Dichotomies that must be addressed if U.S schools are to succeed in globalizing studies and perspectives are examined and an alternative learning model is presented. The dichotomies are (1) teacher-centered vs. student-centered learning, (2) subject-centered vs. problem-centered learning, (3) disciplinary vs. interdisciplinary learning, (4)…