This reaction paper offers evidence for the effectiveness of nondirective instructional models with special needs young children. The construct of "developmentally appropriate practice" is viewed as a working hypothesis and as a continuous variable, not a dichotomous variable. Relationships between early childhood education and early childhood…

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)

Focuses on the problems and conflicts experienced by a teacher intern who was attempting to implement a developmentally appropriate discovery curriculum into a direct-instruction primary grade classroom. (BB)

Discusses the reasons for mediocre child care programs and how programs could be improved by examining the relationship between high quality care for children and the organizational climate for adults. Shows how research findings are often not put into practice. Outlines Model Work Standards, standards that have the potential to improve programs…

Describes an approach based upon the constructivist model of learning and curriculum development for using the computer as an integrated curriculum tool in early childhood classrooms. Includes discussion of constructivist theory and its application and characteristics of curriculum in constructivist classrooms. (KB)

Reflects upon, and makes recommendations for, teaching young children to read, write, and spell. Focuses on meeting children's emotional needs, essential components of healthy emotional development, how reading is typically taught, and learning letters and phonics. Stresses the importance of paying equal attention to developmental ages and stages,…

Young American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children are four times as likely to live in rural communities as in nonrural communities. The challenge of providing developmentally and culturally appropriate early childhood education to Native children living in rural areas is exacerbated by poverty. The author reviews the historic evolution of…

Drawing on experiences in North America, the United Kingdom, and other countries, this book examines the debate over the overall vision for early childhood education. The nature and quality of the United Kingdom's and other countries' culture is questioned in respect to the future it provides for children. The question of who is able to provide a…

Research concerning the effects of television violence on children--particularly young children under the age of six--has found that it tends to desensitize them to aggressive behavior and, in some children, promotes aggressive behavior in their play and other interactions with children and adults. This guide is designed to assist early childhood…

This book and video are based on a symposium on ways to foster giftedness in children in kindergarten through third grade. Emphasized throughout are DISCOVER projects, federally funded research and development projects to assist Arizona educators in identifying and planning programs for gifted children from diverse cultural, ethnic, and linguistic…

A curriculum is a repertoire of learning experiences, planned and organized according to the program's educational goals. The curriculum development process of early childhood education differs in many ways from that of other levels of education. Intended for curriculum planners, education policy-makers and other early childhood education…

In light of debate about the developmentally inappropriate and culturally questionable use of standardized testing for placement of preschool children, alternative approaches to screening and assessment are required. The impact of a Head Start program upon children must involve documentation of physical and mental health, speech, hearing, vision,…

This report provides an agenda suggested by the Council on Early Childhood Development to guide the new Interagency Advisory Committee for Early Childhood Development and Education in its efforts to improve the lives of children and families in Maryland. Discussion of the current state of children's services in Maryland is followed by a…

This manual for first grade teachers provides suggestions and teaching materials that reflect the multicultural composition of New York City's (New York) public schools. An introduction describes the philosophy that supports a high-quality, developmentally appropriate program through a multicultural perspective. The manual is organized into the…