In response to parent complaints about the curriculum at an urban child care center, a procedure was developed to provide parents and teachers with an understanding of developmentally appropriate practices for young children. A curriculum that was developmentally and culturally relevant to the children at the school was also developed. The entire…

This practicum report describes an intervention designed to increase opportunities for children in a day care center and preschool to practice gross motor skills, and to help teachers gain confidence in their ability to foster children's maturation. It was expected that as a result of the intervention, 50 of 70 children would participate in gross…

An observational study of peer dynamics found three very different systems of peer interaction among Hawaiian children at three preschools. The children were demographically similar: part-Hawaiians from lower to lower-middle class backgrounds. Sixty children were studied in videotaped sessions. In Preschool 1, children usually play as dyads; in…

The experiences of a white teacher in an integrated private kindergarten illustrate the consciousness of race that permeates our society. The doubt felt by many African Americans that African American children should attend predominantly white schools is explored, as are the doubts felt by an African American teacher who thinks she might be more…

This study examined the role of public preschool teachers in the construction of classroom literacy environments. Using qualitative methods for data collection and analysis, the research was intended to generate knowledge of teacher thinking and decision making for social and cultural phenomena taking place in a classroom. The study included ten…

This study explored how early childhood practitioners perceive young boys and girls in the classroom. Specific research questions addressed include: (1) Are the perceptions that practitioners have of young boys and girls significantly different?; and (2) If there is a difference, what is the nature of that difference? The study identified whether…

The purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate the operational theories of six early childhood teachers in a child care center and kindergarten in New Zealand. It is suggested that teacher educators have a responsibility to address the significant gaps in some teachers' theoretical accounts of their own practice, and that practice is most…

The case study of the use of a classroom observation technique to evaluate the abilities and performance of a bilingual kindergarten student previously assessed as a low achiever is described. There are three objectives: to show the validity of the ethnographic monitoring technique, to show the value of teachers as collaborating researchers, and…

This technical report discusses the development of a framework for identifying a battery of measures to be used in evaluating Head Start program effects on children 3 to 7 years of age. The report consists of an overview and five chapters, and provides eight appendices (in two additional volumes). Among the topics addressed are background…

The 12 studies that constituted the 1971-1972 evaluation of the Let's Be Amigos program are presented together with the evaluation findings. The three components of the Bilingual Program, serving 1,813 students by the end of the third year, were the Model A program (prekindergarten to grade 3) with teams of English- and Spanish-speaking teachers…

In this evaluation study, two groups of children who attended kindergarten either one-half day every day or full-day on alternate days were compared. An opinion survey was conducted to obtain the observations of parents, kindergarten teachers, and elementary principals in relation to the all-day alternate day schedule in 55 school districts. Data…

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…

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…

Interviewed teachers and parents concerning newly developed school services for 6-year olds in Stockholm, Sweden, where the traditional age for starting school will change from 7 to a flexible 6 or 7 in 1997. Results from ratings done by teachers indicate that the new services have had a positive influence on the children's adjustment and peer…