This document responds to issues raised in a Schools Council discussion paper analyzing the first years of schooling in Australia. The document is divided into nine chapters covering the following topics: (1) the national and historical context in which early childhood programs currently operate; (2) conditions that foster teachers' ability to…

Smart Start is a multi-disciplinary, comprehensive, community-based initiative to serve North Carolina children under age 6 and their families to ensure that all children enter school healthy and prepared to succeed. To achieve this, local county partnerships have focused both their attention and their funds on three major areas of service…

This study examined five broad research areas related to first grade in Texas public schools: (1) characteristics of first graders; (2) teachers' views of children's readiness, behavior, and academic growth; (3) programs and practices used in schools and classrooms; (4) the relation of student progress in Grade 1 to student characteristics,…

Smart Start is a multi-disciplinary, comprehensive, community-based initiative to serve North Carolina children under age 6 and their families to ensure that all children enter school healthy and prepared to succeed. To achieve this, local county partnerships have focused both their attention and their funds on implementing child care programs,…

In rural Swaziland, fathers often migrate for work, leaving wives and children behind. The family is denied the presence of a husband, father, and role model, as well as economic support, which fathers often fail to remit home regularly. A longitudinal study investigated the effects of parent availability and other home characteristics on the…

This study documented current early childhood assessment policies and practices, focusing on changes since the 1988 nationwide survey and on changes occurring in response to Goal 1 of the National Education Goals, performance assessments, and integrated services for young children. Data were collected through telephone surveys and in-depth…

A longitudinal early schooling process model was developed for first-year and second-year reading achievement, mathematics achievement, and socioemotional maturity with 1,539 low-income minority children. Data were collected from children and teachers over four time periods. Results indicate that family- and school-related cognitive readiness had…

This study uses data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K) to examine how children's skills and knowledge at kindergarten entry predict their achievement in later grades. It extends previous research by examining longer-term achievement outcomes, namely test scores at the end of fifth grade, and…

This newsletter contains seven articles on developmentally appropriate and equitable practices for use in preschool and primary classrooms and at home. Examples frequently relate to Hispanic or limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. "Parents As First Teachers: Creating an Enriched Home Learning Environment" (Abelardo Villarreal)…

This study evaluated the predictive validity of the Caregiver's School Readiness Inventory (CSRI), a new screening measure developed for use in situations in which it may not be appropriate to employ traditional screening measures to identify preschool children at risk for school failure. The three items of the CSRI concern: (1) children's books…

This selective abstract bibliography cites recent ERIC documents on behavioral differences between preschool and elementary school girls and boys in such areas as moral judgment, school readiness, self esteem, motor performance, aggression, locus of control, and social development. Other documents cited examined sex role development and sex role…

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

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is an ongoing project of the National Center for Education Statistics. The NHES uses random digit dial sampling and computer-assisted telephone interviewing to conduct studies on important educational issues. The information sought through the NHES is the sort that is best answered by household…

This study investigated self-esteem factors related to the transition between sixth and seventh grade for students in teamed and nonteamed instructional organization. Two elementary schools of identical structure, facilities, number of faculty, and student characteristics serve as feeder schools to the junior high school. Site 1's sixth grade uses…

The Class of 1979 project is a longitudinal study of the consequences and implications of variability in school readiness at the age children enter school. The study followed the development of 129 children since 1979, the year in which they entered Kindergarten. Phase one and two of the research covered the years between 1979 and 1991. Phase…