Developmentally and Culturally Appropriate Practice (DCAP) is a culturally congruent and critical pedagogy that serves as a framework for early childhood education for all individuals. This paper examines young children's gender differences in learning and their gender-oriented culture and promotes developmentally and culturally appropriate…

The first of three interactive staff development units on discipline in early childhood classrooms, this multi-media pack explores how to evaluate the attitudes teachers take into the classroom, and how to "reframe" those attitudes so teachers can effectively manage--rather than try to eliminate--conflict. The 25-minute teaching videotape examines…

These papers reflect the impact that early childhood teachers have on their students when they "stand in front of the classroom" and the effect their performance and characteristics have on children. After "Introduction: Factors that Impact Teacher Quality" (Olivia N. Saracho and Bernard Spodek), 11 papers include: (1)…

Reflecting upon and learning from one's working experiences in order to inform future practice is a mark of any professional. The dynamic structure of the early childhood classroom with its focus on the child within the broader context of the family and community makes the reflective process essential for all staff. This paper reports the outcomes…

This study used interview transcripts, videotape recordings of classroom sessions, field notes, and classroom photographs to examine the theoretical and pedagogical stances of three preschool teachers concerning language and literacy development of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Teachers held differing theories which influenced their…

This article considers the idea of culturally appropriate practice versus developmentally appropriate practice and discusses ways that early childhood educators can create a curriculum that considers the values and beliefs of an increasingly diverse student population. It is recommended that teachers rely on students' families for information on…

This guide for trainers offers a comprehensive child-centered perspective on training field workers in early childhood education. The theme of the role of play in child growth, development, and learning runs throughout the guide while its form, a series of structured exercises to help trainers handle all aspects of the subject, emphasizes the…

This report outlines the Hillsborough County, Florida, Head Start Program's project to field test with young children and their families curricula that were designed to prevent alcohol and other drug problems. A national search conducted by means of computers, individual contacts, and other methods yielded information on 22 substance abuse…

This practicum was designed to strengthen preschool and elementary school teachers' abilities and commitment to working with parents and including them as active participants in the education of their children. It sought to help teachers identify beliefs about involving parents in the classroom and school, and to develop materials and activities…

A twenty-four item inventory was constructed and standardized in order to develop an instrument which measures the degree to which a preschool teacher adheres to Piaget's epistemological belief system. Using two criterion groups of teachers and graduate students--one Piagetian and one behaviorist--the inventory exhibited the ability to…

The SWRL Kindergarten Program was developed by the Southwest Regional Laboratory for Educational Research and Development (SWRL), a federally funded facility located in Inglewood, California. In Birmingham, interest in the SWRL program was stimulated and developed during the Fall of 1971. It was felt that this program would provide the children…

The frame analytical approach was used to explore the frames through which nine Finnish educators in early childhood programs interpret their working situations. Findings indicated that the educators interpreted their work through five different frames: educational, caring, managing, practical, and personal. Frames provided the rules and…

Presents a statement to the Montgomery County (Maryland) Council concerning the issue of all-day "whole" kindergarten--combining education and child care--for five-year-old children. (BB)

Japanese preschool teachers and administrators watched and commented on videotapes of Japanese and U.S. preschools. In contrast to American notions of home-school continuity and the mothering role of the preschool teacher, Japanese educators saw their large preschool classes (of approximately 30 students) as teaching overly individualistic,…

This ethnographic case study examined the socialization of a beginning kindergarten teacher as a means for better understanding the socialization process and the implications for teacher education. Recommends that organizational literacy be incorporated into teacher education programs to help new teachers understand the bureaucratic and…