Comparison using paired t-tests of parent and teacher ratings for 16 preschool children on the Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Scale found no significant differences between parent and teacher ratings of expressive language, but a significant difference on the receptive language subscale. However, interrater reliability was relatively low…

Four articles discuss the child-centered approach of the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy: "Not Just Anywhere: Making Child Care Centers into 'Particular' Places" (Lella Gandini); "Your Image of the Child" (Loris Malaguzzi); "What Can We Learn from Reggio Emilia: An Italian-American Collaboration (Lella Gandini); and…

This study used semistructured interviews to examine the views of 10 teachers in integrated preschool settings for young children with and without special needs concerning integrated program development and implementation at the early childhood level. Findings suggest considerable variation in conditions of implementation, with teachers…

Reports on data concerning language environments in classes with children who had been in the Home-School Study of Language and Literacy Development project when they were three and four years old. Activities and types of talk used in preschool classrooms changed as children grew older. (BB)

This survey of 125 parents and 95 teachers of typically developing children found that respondents perceived important benefits accruing to these children because of their involvement in preschool and kindergarten classes with students with disabilities. The specific nature of benefits centered on changes in social cognition, prosocial personal…

Interviewed 24 early-childhood service managers to study impact of government regulations on daily practices within a range of early-childhood services in southwest England. Found that the majority of respondents considered government regulations to be related to meeting minimum standards rather than to quality assurance and were confused about…

Compared parent and teacher expectations concerning development and learning in 3- to 5-year-olds in Finland and Ireland. Found that both Irish and Finnish teachers consider social skills with peers the most important for preschoolers; however, Irish teachers stressed language and preacademic skills, while Finnish teachers stressed…

This article discusses the efforts of Virginia school divisions as they prepared for and received students with complex health care needs. Findings from four studies that interviewed early childhood special education teachers and occupational therapies are described. The need for team planning and the development of a Health Services Plan is…

This study surveyed 3,595 teachers to determine judgments of prevalence and types of problems children present upon entering kindergarten. Up to 46% reported that half their class or more had specific problems in any of several transition areas. Rates of perceived problems were related to school minority composition; district poverty level; and,…

This study examines how student teachers and teacher practitioners approach cultural diversity in their classrooms, teachers' underlying assumptions about teaching to diversity, and specific strategies used by teachers in their classrooms. The study tested the capacity of five culturally responsive pedagogy competencies to elicit specific…

Most studies on the history of educational ideas have focused on what influential educational theorists and policy-makers have said and written at particular times, constructing a "view from the top." The project from which this article is derived focused on the ways theoretical debates have been "lived" by teachers in New…

This paper relates the experiences of an early childhood professor from the Freie University of Berlin on a trip through East Asia to provide advice and assistance on the situational approach to preschool education. Impressions of the sociopolitical and educational environment and needs of Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and…

In the course of an ethnographic case study of a rural, Appalachian Head Start program, the researcher became increasingly aware of the bias she brought to the project in favor of the universal applicability of developmentally appropriate practice. The study was an extension of Sally Lubeck's "Sandbox Society" (1985), and focused on…

This study examined teachers' perceptions of the nature and extent of behavior problems exhibited by children in nursery classes. A total of 154 teachers from public and private schools in rural, small town, and urban areas in Greece completed a self-reporting questionnaire and an evaluation of their students' behavior. The results showed…

Previous research has not statistically analyzed the teacher and classroom structural characteristics related to the quality of Head Start. This study developed, tested, and validated a model to identify the characteristics and beliefs of Head Start teachers and teacher aides and the classroom structural dimensions associated with Head Start…