From ancient times through the early centuries of this country's history, early puberty has been considered the proper time to go to school. Now, however, educators and psychologists have brainwashed the public into thinking that public schools can outparent families. The state has taken over education and removed children from the home at too…

Understanding the condition of children as they enter school can provide clues to help parents and teachers understand children's performance later in their school career. This information can also provide teachers with essential guidance for individualizing the curriculum to help children learn more effectively. Finally, assessment of the…

Clarifies details of research design and procedures in response to critiques of six longitudinal comparative studies from the Early Intervention Research Institute. The institute's investigations examined the effects and costs of early intervention for children with disabilities. (BB)

This paper traces the interface between preschool and elementary school as reflected by public funding during the first 200 years of American education. The paper also covers reasons for changes in entrance age and in funding and indicates the relevance of these changes for current issues in early childhood education. Sections address: (1) the…

If present trends in family life and education continue into the next decade, most children under five will spend substantial proportions of their early years in various types of early childhood programs, most five- to six-year-olds will attend all-day kindergarten, and during their elementary school years they will spend much of their time before…

In response to California Legislation that would change the cut-off for the minimum 5-year entrance age from December 2 to September 1, this paper reviews the literature discussing the appropriate age for beginning school. The review includes a brief history of kindergarten and its place in California law; discusses the possible impact of the…

Examined the opinions of principals and teachers about appropriate school entry age. Found common belief that children should be at least five years of age when they begin school. Younger children have more problems academically and socially and tend to remain behind their older classmates. Results suggest that children be evaluated for school…

In view of the importance of literacy learning, this paper defines emergent literacy and explores how researchers and teachers define it in the 1990s. The paper also attempts to answer the following questions: (1) What is the best way to teach literacy to young children? (2) Is there a correct way to teach it? (3) What does the research say…

In a follow-up study of the effects of early day care on children's cognitive and socioemotional competence, children who entered day care before the age of 1 year were found to have a better academic performance at ages 8 and 13 and to receive more positive teacher ratings than other children on several socioemotional variables. (Author/GLR)

Discussion focuses on teachers' beliefs and values as they relate to working with young children. Specific attention is given to (1) whether the reported blurring of the boundaries between child-life and adult-life has affected the education of young children; (2) parental pressure to provide very young children with persistently optimal…

A survey was made of developmentally immature school-age children enrolled in early childhood services (ECS) in Alberta, Canada. In addition to basic questions of cost, incidence of school-age children's enrollment in the ECS program, and educational impact of delayed or second-year enrollment in ECS programs, questions were raised concerning the…

Profiles current kindergarten policies and practices concerning six issues. Issues include (1) school entry age; (2) length of school day; (3) placement criteria; (4) retention practices; (5) beginning reading instruction; and (6) teaching strategies and instructional resources. Reviews research on policy alternatives and identifies the optimum…

This document is comprised of the two issues published in volume 1 (1999) of "Parent News Offline," a newsletter of the National Parent Information Network (NPIN), designed to introduce those without Internet access to the activities and information available through NPIN. The spring 1999 issue contains the following articles: (1)…

This paper reports the results of a statewide survey of elementary school principals by the Illinois State Board of Education to obtain information on the status of early childhood education in Illinois public and nonpublic schools. Such information has important implications for principals developing policies and programs, for determining the…

This longitudinal study examined the effects on children of three kindergarten schedules: half day, alternate day, and full day. A secondary purpose was to examine the relationship between preschool attendance and subsequent school performance. Two additional variables thought to be related to school success were also explored: children's gender,…