This paper describes the development, administration, and scoring of the Pictorial Measure of School Stress (PMSS). This instrument was designed to describe individual differences in children's feelings about everyday school situations and their coping strategies for dealing with these. The PMSS uses a semi-structured interview to present specific…

This study documented how young children talked about story in a supportive environment. Participants were 22 kindergartners and their teacher, who engaged in extended talk about story after listening to a picture book or chapter from a novel. Data collected included transcripts of videotaped conversations during large- and small-group discussions…

In contrast to standardized tests, which do not accurately reflect the achievement of young students, portfolio assessment is a valuable tool for documenting a student's development. Portfolio assessment can be conducted formally or informally through observation or by interview. Documentation of observations can take the form of checklists,…

Findings from a synthesis of 27 intervention studies that examined the effects of school-based reading interventions for kindergarten students at-risk for reading difficulties are reported. Results indicated that reading interventions were effective for improving reading outcomes for kindergarten students with disabilities and those at-risk for…

In this article, the author describes her experience teaching English as a second language to kindergarten children of varied language backgrounds. Teaching activities, classroom procedures, and materials are discussed. The basic objective of the program is to increase the children's English vocabulary and to provide cultural education. Ideas for…

The High/Scope Curriculum is a developmentally based approach to early childhood education. This curriculum's "Extensions" newsletter, in which the articles in this collection first appeared, informs curriculum users about new development, relating to the High/Scope "open framework" curriculum. This collection divides the…

For the first time since the expansion of the choice program to include religious schools in 1998-1999, fewer K4 students are receiving vouchers than in the previous year. This decrease accompanies the first year of implementation of the Milwaukee Public Schools' (MPS) Neighborhood Schools Initiative, which added full-day K4 to 27 MPS neighborhood…

This report presents statistics of private and of public kindergartens for the school year 1921-22. In 1920 there were 7,835 kindergartens reported, with 10,739 teachers and 510,949 pupils. In 1922 there were 8,889 kindergartens reported, with 11,842 teachers and 555,830 pupils. This represents an increase over 1920 of 10.2 per cent for teachers,…

The current study follows up on Aram and Levin's (2001, "Cognitive Development," 16, 831?852) analysis of the role of maternal writing mediation among low SES Israeli kindergartners. That study's main finding indicated that the quality of maternal writing mediation correlated concurrently with kindergartners' literacy skills after…

This study was designed to examine the effect of different kinds of adult mediation on the cognitive performance of young children who used computers. The study sample included 150 kindergarten children aged 5-6. The findings indicate that children who engaged in adult-mediated computer activity improved the level of their cognitive performance on…

During the 1998-1999 academic year, the authors' state board of teaching changed the licensure configurations in early childhood from Birth to Age 5 to Birth through Age 8. This made early childhood teacher licensure commensurate with the National Association for the Education of Young Children's recommendation that an early childhood program is…

The kindergarten year is quite unlike preschool and not like first grade, either. What should teaching practice look like for this critical year? This book offers a vivid picture of kindergarten children, perceptive discussion of the current kindergarten context and policy issues, and clear guidelines for teaching and assessing kindergartners.…

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), was first launched in 1997 as a periodic longitudinal study of program performance. This report is the fourth in a series that uses data from the FACES 2006 cohort to describe…

This study examined the experiences of students in the six New Zealand colleges of education who undertook a 3-year course of training to work in early childhood centers. The study aimed to find out students' expected employment following their training among child care, kindergarten, or other early childhood services, monitor any changes in the…

During Fiscal Year 1994, the Ohio Department of Education's Division of Early Childhood Education implemented internal structural changes to improve efficiency and effectiveness. The division prioritized program interests and functional activities including: (1) collaboration; (2) curriculum and professional development; (3) standards and…