A national survey identified key elements of post-1980 position papers on the health, education, and welfare of children up to eight years old. Content analysis revealed consistent themes and a consensus of professional thought on recommended responses to concerns voiced in the position papers. Survey results revealed the need for expansion and…

Examined the association of work-related skills--such as listening skills, cooperation, self-control--to academic outcomes at kindergarten entry and end of second grade. Found that work-related skills predicted variance in academic outcomes at both times, after kindergarten academic score and background variables were controlled. Children with…

Using a new method to measure identity, we attempt to capture salient identities of young children developing into "good students." Using a nationally representative sample of American kindergarteners who advance to the first grade, derived from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, we examine identities based on socio-economic status,…

The transition of young children with autism from preschool to kindergarten is an important event both for sustaining gains made during preschool and for establishing future social and academic development. This article provides a summary of 25 transition elements identified from the research literature as important for a successful transition.…

This paper explores the range of ways in which school districts are using Title I funds for early education through kindergarten and examines how the implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has impacted those investments. It also makes recommendations for local education agencies (LEAs) interested in creating Title I-funded early education…

Although a good beginning is well recognised as the foundation for future development, health and wellbeing, not only in the early years, but also throughout life, policy and practice in early education and care in Australia still lack focus and integration. Using metaphors of patchworks and crossroads, the author discusses this issue, outlining…

A student's entire journey along the educational spectrum is affected by what occurs--and, crucially, by what does not occur--before the age of eight or nine. Yet early learning has never received the attention it deserves and needs. In his latest book, education expert Gene Maeroff takes a hard look at early learning and the primary grades of…

This study explored the priorities of kindergarten teachers in Austria along with the factors determining implementation of their educational objectives. A large-scale empirical survey of the conditions fostering and hindering child development in the kindergarten environment was conducted by the Charlotte Buhler Institute in 1994. A total of…

This three-year study of early learning programs in Washington (District of Columbia) public schools found that the extension of formal educational experiences to preschool and kindergarten classrooms does little to promote academic preparation and can actually hinder future academic achievement and overall child development. The Vineland Adaptive…

One of a series of documents produced by a nationwide network of early childhood education specialists, teachers, parents, and Head Start staff, the unit provides 75 mathematics lessons for kindergarteners. Built around an October theme, the lessons include activities on one-to-one correspondence, money, time, counting, ordering, classifying,…

The study examined how 620 children, identified as handicapped while in preschool or kindergarten, had progressed 3 to 9 years later. The study addressed questions of effectiveness of identification procedures, outcomes of early intervention, handicapping condition and placement level, and educational history. Among results were: Identification…

This book was written to help parents understand and enhance their children's development in mathematics and language. The first section sets forth basic learning goals in mathematics and language for preschool and kindergarten children and students in the first and second grades. The second section provides approximately 100 language and math…

This is a report on government-funded kindergarten programs that were conducted in 1983-84 in more than 110 Chicago schools, most of them in poverty areas. Three funding sources and various instructional models are included in this assessment. The programs differed in format, including half day and all day programs, and in class size. Funds came…

The following hypotheses were tested in this study: (1) boys and girls have an even start at school entrance, but boys' performance and adjustment decline relative to girls by the end of third grade; (2) boys do not attach themselves to school and school tasks with positive affect as much as girls; and (3) thus, the factors related to achievement…

The Children's Attitude toward Reading Test (CHART) is presented, as well as the first draft of a technical manual describing its use. The test booklet consists of 36 unsystematically ordered pictures. Each picture represents a reading situation (instructional, school recreational, home recreational, and outdoor recreational reading) that has…