Presents a case study of the process of change as two university-based child care programs move toward full inclusion of special needs children. Describes the critical patterns of change that emerged, focusing on the impact of change on staff and program. Highlights themes of change that indicate there are some conditions necessary for change to…

Presents findings from a comparative project in China, Korea, and Japan, exploring the views of preschool teachers on children's' right to play. Reviews three papers and one symposium presented on this theme. (JPB)

This study surveyed 160 preschool teachers in 4 countries regarding views of moral and social conflict resolution, autonomy and a group sense, and general aims of preschools. Findings revealed that all hold similar beliefs regarding intervention in children's conflicts and importance of autonomy in the classroom. Additionally, all viewed the…

This study compares perspectives about benefits and risks of inclusion of 237 parents of children with and without disabilities and 118 providers in the same community-based reverse inclusion preschool program, using the same measures. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed a two factor structure, risks and benefits, based on scale scores from the…

Responsibility is one of the core values of individuals in a democratic society. This publication presents research findings that address whether responsibility can be learned or taught, and what factors affect its development. Chapter 1 includes seven articles that examine the concept of responsibility, concluding that responsibility is a learned…

A survey of 184 regular classroom teachers at a summer workshop at a state university in the Rocky Mountain Region investigated teacher knowledge and attitudes about linguistic diversity in the classroom. Data was gathered on the teachers' background, kind and amount of assistance provided to teachers with limited-English-proficient (LEP) students…

After six decades of supposed equal resource sharing among all cultural groups, in 1982 the first Maori-initiated and operated child care center opened in New Zealand. Called a "Kohanga Reo" ("language nest"), it inaugurated a new movement, and by 1990 there were 612 such centers. This paper first describes the characteristics…

This document reports on the 1991-92 Teacher Recognition Program honoring exceptional teachers from rural and small schools in the New England states, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The program was intended to enrich the quality of education in the Northeast United States and its Caribbean jurisdictions by sharing information about…

This practicum was designed to reinforce the importance of meeting the needs of the whole child in the classroom--the social, emotional, and psychological needs, not just the intellectual needs. The practicum was implemented in the Montessori Learning Center, a small private preschool and elementary school located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by…

This report is the sixth in a series of evaluations of the Queensland (Australia) Pre-School Correspondence Program (PSCP), a preschool program conducted by mail for families living in remote or isolated areas. This report represents teachers' perceptions and evaluations of the program. The introduction to the report outlines the administrative…

Various types of early childhood education programs, supported by Title I funds, are assessed in this report. Factors considered in the assessment of overall program implementation and effectiveness include: (1) children's performance; (2) the roles, attitudes and perceptions of teachers, teacher-aides and parents; and (3) the commitment and…

Comparing Maine to Appalachia, the author describes the similar educational problems related to school facilities, administrator and teacher attitudes, and practices. A discussion comparing American education to the English system notes the influence of Piagetian psychology and the importance of educational change beginning at the preschool level.…

The expressed attitudes and reported behaviors of 130 teachers toward parent education and parent involvement in early childhood education programs are investigated. The data suggest that teachers in publicly funded programs hold more positive attitudes toward parent education and encourage more parent involvement than do teachers in privately…

By the time a child reaches kindergarten age, this suburban St. Louis school district knows all about his or her learning needs and is prepared to meet them. (Editor)

In its 80 years in Iceland, preschool has evolved from caregiving to the first level of schooling in the nation with a national curriculum organized by the Ministry of Education. This study used a cultural psychological perspective to examine whether Icelandic core cultural beliefs such as freedom and independence are evident in the daily…