This year-end evaluation report concludes the twelfth year of operation of the Chapter I Early Childhood Education (Preschool) Program in Portland, Oregon, public schools. The purpose of the preschool program is to provide educationally disadvantaged children with the experiences needed to ameliorate their disadvantages. The report is prepared…

This IRCD Bulletin issue contains two brief papers. One, on contingency management, describes the application of this aspect of operant conditioning theory to the manipulation of behavior through reinforcement methods. Examples of the technique of managing high and low probability behaviors are offered as it is used with preschool children,…

A STUDY, IN PROGRESS, IS ATTEMPTING TO DETERMINE THE INTERACTION OF VARIOUS REWARD CONDITIONS AND VARIOUS TYPES OF PRESCHOOL EXPERIENCE WITH DISCRIMINATION LEARNING. THE SUBJECTS ARE 240 4- AND 5-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN WITH THREE TYPES OF PRESCHOOL EXPERIENCE--1 TO 3 MONTHS OF HEAD START, 10 TO 12 MONTHS OF HEAD START, AND NO ATTENDANCE IN A PRESCHOOL…

This study tests the influence of various combinations of housing environments with both the participation and nonparticipation of disadvantaged children in a special enrichment program. Three hypotheses are put forth: (1) children living in public housing will exhibit greater growth and development than children living in substandard housing; (2)…

Research has indicated that teacher age, education, previous training and experience, morale, teaching style and attitudes are related to student achievement. Therefore, this study developed and used an extensive (147-item) questionnaire to collect data on those Head Start and other preschool teachers who were teaching Longitudinal Study target…

This study attempted to determine if significant and lasting cognitive gains could be achieved by focusing preschool efforts upon children younger than those now being serviced by traditional programs--children under three years of age. Thirty-six disadvantaged children, 19-28 months of age, were randomly assigned to two groups: a Home Group…

The Cognitively Oriented Preschool was implemented in West Chester, Pennsylvania as a special program to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of disadvantaged children moving into the area. This report describes the program as it was implemented, including specific daily activities as well as the various kinds of curricula used. Also included…

A prediction derived from cognitive dissonance theory is that children devalue an attractive but forbidden toy when mild rather than severe threat deters them from playing with it. One study found the opposite effect for lower socioeconomic class children, i.e., a harsh verbal threat produced more devaluation than a mild threat. Since the latter…

This bibliography was compiled to alert educators to early language development documents found in the ERIC microfiche collection and in journal literature. Abstracts of selected documents were taken from "Research in Education (RIE)" and journal article citations from the "Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE)". Included are published and…

Results of several studies of cognitive and cultural correlates and determinants of early IE development are discussed, and some implications of the findings are pointed out. In studies of correlations between IE and intelligence test scores, results show that the scores increase regularly with age, from age 4 through 8, and there are fairly…

This book owes its origin to a symposium on "Compensatory Education" which took place at the 1970 Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society. The opening chapter discusses the complex concepts of "disadvantage,""deprivation," and "compensatory education," with illustrations from work carried out…

In a study of ways of preventing mental retardation in the population of a city slum, surveys were conducted. The major finding was that the variable of maternal intelligence was the best single predictor of the level and character of intellectual development in the offspring. The survey also showed that the lower the maternal IQ, the greater the…

Progress during the first two years (1967-1968 and 1968-1969) of a three-year home-based, mother-child intervention program called the Verbal Interaction Project is described. The project was planned for the cognitive enrichment of preschoolers 2 to 4 years old, from lower income families. The program utilized specially trained home visitors,…

In view of the pending reauthorization of Head Start in 2003, this paper presents information on the effectiveness of Head Start, alternatives to Head Start, program funding, performance standards, and other issues germane to its reauthorization. Topics considered in the question-and-answer format of the report are: (1) Head Start benefits for…

This article examines research evidence on the effects of preschool reading practices on young children, emphasizing the role of school-based programs for young disadvantaged children. The analysis notes positive effects from story reading programs and presents practical guidelines related to group size, rereadings, vocabulary instruction, and…