Between 1991 and 1993, a statewide study of public preschool practices in North Carolina was conducted to determine the characteristics of pre-kindergarten programs and of the children and families they served; short-term outcomes for children; and kindergarten outcomes for children who attended public preschool compared to those with other…

While the literature on the social development of children has increasingly stressed the importance of peer relationships, little research has examined the influence of peers in sex role development. Sex segregation in children's play from preschool through the elementary years remains the norm even though we live in a society that is increasingly…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 25 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: learning outcomes produced by single- and multi-grade primary classrooms; the effect of sex-role stereotyped picture books on children's behavior; word recognition…

In evaluating the effectiveness of a supplementary center for early childhood education it was hypothesized that a nongraded organizational structure would allow for an orderly and meaningful transition from preschooler type play activities to the more formalized learning of the primary age child. It was also believed that a school's primary…

This report discusses the outcomes of a review of the Wyoming Department of Education's Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) in meeting the professional development needs of special education. There were two phases of the 1997-1998 CSPD needs assessment process. Phase One consisted of telephone interviews with both regular (n=26)…

Interviews 40 British parents and their children's nursery school teachers, concerning parental involvement in children's preschool reading and writing. Reveals parents frequently assist and direct their children in language arts activities but do not feel confident and teachers expressed doubts about parental interest. Shows need for greater…

This book relates the personal and professional experiences of a nursery school teacher over the course of an entire school year, focusing on ways that early childhood educators can improve their teaching through self-reflection. Individual chapters address the end of summer and the preparation for the new school year, home visits, setting up the…

Intended as an aid for students on their way to becoming professional teachers and caregivers, This book encourages the student to contemplate his or her own ideas regarding play, including the concept of play and specific memories of play in their own past, and then use these thoughts to reshape the student's ideas about play. This book deals…

The Research About Teacher Education (RATE) project is an ongoing data collection effort to establish a reliable database about institutions of higher education where teachers are prepared, and about the faculty, students, and programs at these institutions. This RATE study is based on a survey of 91 heads of schools, colleges, and departments of…

This document consists of the first five issues of "Notes from the Field," a serial documenting a 5-year study of the implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990 in four rural Kentucky school districts. The first issue provides a brief overview of KERA policies and the status of their implementation in the study…

Evaluation results of 1979-80 compensatory education programs for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children in 75 Baltimore, Maryland public and private schools are presented in this report. The program provided early learning experiences in reading, mathematics, and language for educationally disadvantaged 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds to enhance…

Results of the secondary analysis of data obtained in a study of Head Start graduates in the public schools are presented and discussed in this final report. Unforeseen circumstances prohibited the full implementation of the original longitudinal research design, and, consequently, only one test battery was administered to first-grade students.…

Differing attitudes of researchers and preschool teachers towards research in early childhood are discussed in this paper. These differences are seen as arising from causes such as the special training of each group and the nature of the work they do, the distribution of the sexes in each group and the social institutions which back them. The…

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) is an ongoing, national, longitudinal study of the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of Head Start children; the characteristics, well-being, and accomplishments of families; the observed quality of Head Start classrooms; and the characteristics and opinions of Head…

A survey of 175 speech-language pathologists was conducted to determine the preparation they received to comply with Public Law 99-457's mandated services to infants and toddlers. Respondents reported that important content areas in provision of early intervention services included oral-motor/feeding issues, family assessment and intervention, and…