This KIDS COUNT report examines trends in the status of South Carolina children on a state-wide and county basis. The statistical portrait is based on 32 indicators of well-being, grouped into 6 categories: (1) family (family characteristics, child neglect/abuse); (2) economic status (poverty, mean family income); (3) health (prenatal care,…

This report examines the Way to Grow (WTG) school readiness program, which is designed to promote healthy development and school readiness of Minnesota children from birth through age 6 by coordinating and improving access to community-based health, education, and social services. This pilot program began in fiscal year 1990 and was being…

In January 1991, the National School Readiness Task Force was formed to promote the national goal of assuring that all children start school ready to learn. This report presents the Task Force's considerations and recommendations based on research reviews and interviews with practitioners nationwide. Following a brief discussion of the Task Force…

This document consists of a selection of the best articles previously published in the "Harvard Education Letter." It contains the following articles (without citing the issue in which they originally appeared): (1) "School-Parent Relationships that Work: An Interview with James Comer"; (2) "Unpopular Children"; (3)…

Written for parents, this book discusses current practice in preschools, elementary schools, and secondary schools. The first section, entitled "Learning," defines and discusses learning, memory, learning styles, study skills, and homework. The second section, entitled "What Goes on in Schools?," discusses inclusion,…

This booklet describes projects undertaken at American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) institutions in response to the National Education Goals and "America 2000." Following an introduction by Dr. Marilyn J. Guy, AACTE President, the publication is organized by goal as follows: (1) "Readiness for School"…

Preparing America's children to start school ready to learn will depend in large part on the availability, quality, and affordability of early education and care. Research conducted since the 1970s indicates that, despite increases, the supply of formal early education and care programs is not adequate to meet the needs of all families. Many…

Washington State's Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) provides a comprehensive, family-focused preschool program designed to help low-income children succeed in the public school system and help families support and participate in their children's success. Findings from an ongoing longitudinal study of the ECEAP program…

This book is intended to help early childhood practitioners develop the essential understanding they require for appropriate use of assessment and evaluation information and to illuminate many of the issues involved in formal and informal assessment and evaluation. The chapters are: (1) "Assessment and Evaluation in the Early Childhood…

The Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery (CSAB), a school-readiness test, is administered to all public school students at the beginning of Grade 1 in South Carolina. This test is designed to measure a student's readiness to begin the formal school curriculum. The number of beginning first graders tested in 1992 (54,357) represented a decrease from…

This study investigated the school adjustment of 1,300 low-income, minority children in the Chicago Public Schools. Chidren's progress from preschool to fourth grade was traced. Data were collected from teachers, parents, children, and computerized records. The study primarily examined mediated effects of preschool; influences on cognitive growth…

This report presents the results of an external evaluation of a model bilingual program for nursery school through third grade students in the municipal schools of Clovis and Portales, New Mexico. The project is divided into three programs--nursery school, kindergarten, and grades 1-3--designed to reach children with limited English-speaking…

This paper discusses the development and implementation of a model to identify developmental immaturities in kindergarten children preparing to enter first grade and to write remedial educational prescriptions designed to correct these immaturities. Kindergarten and first-grade teachers, as well as special services personnel and principals, were…

In order to meet the need for more educated workers in the state, the Governor's Commission on Higher Education and the Economy (CHEE) has set an ambitious goal of increasing college and university enrollment in Ohio by 30 percent or 180,000 students over the next decade (CHEE, 2004). This goal can arguably only be met if the state takes measures…

Students who fail to graduate high school prepared to attend a four-year college are much less likely to gain full access to our country's economic, political, and social opportunities. In this study, the authors estimate the percentage of students in the public high school class of 2001 who actually possess the minimum qualifications for applying…