In view of the importance of literacy learning, this paper defines emergent literacy and explores how researchers and teachers define it in the 1990s. The paper also attempts to answer the following questions: (1) What is the best way to teach literacy to young children? (2) Is there a correct way to teach it? (3) What does the research say…

A study was conducted at Reedley College to determine whether there were any significant differences between first-time students who applied for admission on time and those who applied late, i.e., from the week prior to the beginning of instruction through the third week of the semester. Involved in the study were the 200 late applicants for the…

In a follow-up study of the effects of early day care on children's cognitive and socioemotional competence, children who entered day care before the age of 1 year were found to have a better academic performance at ages 8 and 13 and to receive more positive teacher ratings than other children on several socioemotional variables. (Author/GLR)

The five chapters in this handbook, intended for parents of children entering kindergarten for the first time, offer suggestions about how parents can help their child get ready for school and make starting kindergarten a successful and happy event. Chapter 1 describes when learning begins and offers tips for helping children who are starting…

Using a subsample of data relating to 4,668 first- and second-graders and their families from the 1991 National Household Education Survey, a study examined different ways of measuring whether a child is behind in grade and compared these measures with data about children who are below modal grade levels. Several profiles emerged. Children delayed…

Discussion focuses on teachers' beliefs and values as they relate to working with young children. Specific attention is given to (1) whether the reported blurring of the boundaries between child-life and adult-life has affected the education of young children; (2) parental pressure to provide very young children with persistently optimal…

This review discusses the literature on developmental readiness for school. Specifically included are annotations of articles on the following topics: academic failure and grade retention, failure and retention for immaturity alone, the concept of developmental readiness, chronological versus developmental age, testing of developmental readiness,…

A survey was made of developmentally immature school-age children enrolled in early childhood services (ECS) in Alberta, Canada. In addition to basic questions of cost, incidence of school-age children's enrollment in the ECS program, and educational impact of delayed or second-year enrollment in ECS programs, questions were raised concerning the…

Profiles current kindergarten policies and practices concerning six issues. Issues include (1) school entry age; (2) length of school day; (3) placement criteria; (4) retention practices; (5) beginning reading instruction; and (6) teaching strategies and instructional resources. Reviews research on policy alternatives and identifies the optimum…

Reviews research concerning the effects of retention of kindergarten and first grade students and alternatives to such retention. (BB)

The National Collegiate Athletic Association through its member institutions has implemented academic standards governing initial athletic eligibility and has led reform initiatives tying the ability to compete athletically to student-athlete retention and graduation. Louisiana State University (LSU), like many Division I institutions, admitted…

Written by members of a consulting team engaged to evaluate a school district's kindergarten program and make recommendations for the future, this report chronicles the district's progress in coming to more fully understand goals and problems related to kindergarten education. Specifically, the report presents the evaluation team's examination of…

This study on secondary education in the Soviet Union examines characteristics of the various kinds of secondary schools--general secondary education, secondary education, secondary specialized education, and vocational education--and aspects of the Soviet examination system. The first section on general secondary education provides information…

This document is comprised of the two issues published in volume 1 (1999) of "Parent News Offline," a newsletter of the National Parent Information Network (NPIN), designed to introduce those without Internet access to the activities and information available through NPIN. The spring 1999 issue contains the following articles: (1)…

Intended as a guide to help parents of children from birth to age 5 teach their children the skills needed to make kindergarten a experience, this book consists of an introduction and seven chapters on various aspects of preparing young children for kindergarten. Checklists for parents are included in each chapter. The Introduction discusses what…