The federal Even Start program was implemented to improve the educational opportunities of low-income children and adults by integrating early childhood education, adult education, and parent education into a unified family literacy initiative. Because children's first formal educational experiences may significantly influence the course of their…

With the launch of the U.S. Department of Education's Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, measures of knowledge, skills, health, and behavior of a large and nationally representative sample of American Kindergartners are available. Drawing on data from the study, this report provides a portrait of kindergarten…

The Georgia Prekindergarten Program was established in 1993 to provide the state's 4-year-olds with high-quality preschool experiences. Beginning in the 1996-1997 school year, a sample of 3,639 children enrolled in 1 of 203 randomly selected Georgia prekindergarten classes was selected for a 5-year longitudinal study. The study examined how…

This document consists of four issues of the quarterly report "Alaska's Children," which provides information on the Alaska Head Start State Collaboration Project and updates on Head Start activities in Alaska. Regular features in the issues include a calendar of conferences and meetings, a status report on Alaska's children, reports…

Smart Start is a comprehensive public-private initiative to help all North Carolina children enter school healthy and ready to succeed, and provides children from birth to age five access to high-quality and affordable child care, health care, and other critical services. This document comprises the first two issues of "Smart Start…

This guide is designed to help staff working in a range of early childhood settings to assess the progress of children from 3 to 5 years, particularly those working with "A Curriculum Framework for Children in the Pre-School Year" issued by the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department. Following an introduction, the guide is…

"Policy Matters" is an initiative of the Center for the Study of Social Policy. The "Policy Matters" project is designed to develop and make available coherent, comprehensive information regarding the strength and adequacy of state policies affecting children, families, and communities. The project seeks to establish consensus among policy experts…

Investigates effects of type of kindergarten schedule (full day, half day, or alternate day) on teachers' ability to assess children's end-of-year achievement. (BB)

Research reveals an apparent disadvantage in rural child care that should be explored in terms of the links between child care and public school transition; patterns of child-care choice and utilization among rural families; and ecological relationships among families, child-care providers, schools, and communities in the rural setting. Contains…

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…

Describes the effects of one community's concept of readiness for school on children in a kindergarten class. Of particular interest was the effect on children's understanding of their roles as students. The concept of readiness provided the framework for instructional activities and helped parents understand their children's roles as students.…

Presents one kindergarten teacher's daily classroom experiences in a speech to the National Governor's Association Action Team on School Readiness. Advocates continued and increased state funding for preschool programs, parenting, and health care services to ensure school readiness, especially among high-risk (disadvantaged or disabled) children.…

Assesses the state of U.S. education after a decade of debate about school improvement, and explores what research is teaching us about child development. Children develop a significant portion of their cognitive skills before they are old enough for Head Start, making early interventions crucial. (SLD)

Examined the effect of developmentally appropriate teaching practices on academic achievement of kindergarten and first-grade children participating in the Head Start/Public School Transition Project. Found that achievement was significantly higher in the more developmentally appropriate classrooms for letter/word identification and applied…

The authors introduce readers to the research documenting racial and ethnic gaps in school readiness. They describe the key tests, including the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), and several intelligence tests, and describe how they have been administered to several important national samples of…