This paper reviews research on the assessment of parental empathy and considers data relevant to the relationship of parental empathy to other parental and family attributes. Three studies that relate parental empathy to the child's adjustment and personality characteristics, including empathy in the child, are then examined. The first study…

The second year of the International Academy for Bilingual Education and Bicultural Studies program in New York City is described. The program provided instructional and support services to 40 Chinese- and English-speaking students in one pre-kindergarten and one kindergarten class at P.S. 1 in community school district 2. Half of the students…

This document presents a synthesis of research on the assessment and identification of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) based on literature published between 1980 and 1992. After an introduction and a section providing background information, individual sections review the literature on: the instruments used to assess ADD; the…

The identification of learning disabilities (LD) in preschoolers in inclusive settings presents a number of obstacles related to the federal definition in the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This definition appears to emphasize school performance, which is not an appropriate measure for preschool-age children…

This study compared different strategies (questions, comments, reformulations, and repetitions) used by an adult in dialogue with 17 language impaired and 24 control preschool children. Two types of co-production (a tale and a personal account) were analyzed. The stability of the distribution of the various strategies in both situations is seen as…

A practicum was designed to provide an intervention for preschoolers who were at risk for academic difficulties. A developmentally appropriate curriculum was used to increase the developmental levels of the children, and training was provided to parents to enhance their parenting skills and knowledge, and consequently to guarantee the stability of…

Ways to approach the evaluation of South Carolina's Parent Education Program are examined. The program's purpose is to improve children's school success by strengthening the family, particularly during the children's first 5 years. Program goals are to: (1) demonstrate effective methods of parent training and support that will enable parents to…

Between 1991 and 1993, a statewide study of public preschool practices in North Carolina was conducted to determine the characteristics of pre-kindergarten programs and of the children and families they served; short-term outcomes for children; and kindergarten outcomes for children who attended public preschool compared to those with other…

A study investigated low-income children's book reading experiences with their mothers and in group reading in preschool when the children were 3 and 4 years old. At the age of 3 years, the primary focus of book readings in both settings was immediate information. Mothers were significantly more likely than teachers to use extending comments, and…

This position paper addresses the creation of a new category of eligibility for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, "Developmental Delay," which would only be applicable to children ages 3 to 5. Such a classification would address concerns about labeling young children, lack of confidence in assessment…

By January of the 1991-92 school year, 428 children were being served by the Chapter 1 Prekindergarten Program of the Saginaw, Michigan school district. A process evaluation was conducted to monitor the program and assess whether the program was being implemented as planned. The process evaluation for this year consisted of a half-day classroom…

The purpose of this study was to discover who constituted the significant others of 101 rural, Caucasian children of 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 years of age. The study was also meant to determine what family demographic variables might predict a child's selection of significant others and the possible relationship between a mother's perception of her…

The development of strong reading competencies in educationally at-risk preschoolers in the Early Childhood Day Care Center (University of Alabama) was established through intensive training with a synthetic phonics approach. Subjects' reading performance was assessed on the basis of criterion-referenced tests and standardized reading tests,…

This paper describes the problem and consequences of preschool poverty and outlines the potential contributions of high quality preschool child development programs towards lessening the magnitude of the problem. Data indicate that among children under 6 years of age one in four is now living in poverty, and in 17 states more than one fourth of…

IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL EDUCATION AS COMPARED WITH NON-MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL EDUCATION, PHASE I OF THIS STUDY MATCHED 2 GROUPS, EACH OF 21 PRESCHOOL CHILDREN, ON INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT AND CERTAIN SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS. ONE GROUP ATTENDED A MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL AND THE OTHER A NON-MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL. THE…