This research compared the relative impact of different preschool activities on the development of bilingual students' English-language skills. The study investigated whether bilingual preschool children would engage more, and use more of their second language (English), during free-play (non-academic) versus teacher-structured (academic)…

Playing with peers is one of the most important contexts for the acquisition of social competencies in early childhood. This study examined the relation between children's play behavior, social acceptance in the peer group, and number of reciprocal friendships. One hundred and twenty eight children, aged between three and five years, participated…

The American educational system currently yields disappointing levels of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) engagement and achievement among students. One way to remedy this may be to increase children's motivation in STEM from an early age. This study examined whether a social cue--being part of an experimental "minimal…

While current Spanish dual-language immersion (DLI) programme models frequently promote strict adherence to structured Spanish and English times, we present an alternative approach, which frames children as language acquirers rather than as language learners. The approach, situated within a Spanish, DLI preschool, framed with a Reggio-inspired,…

Although parents and preschool play important roles in developing children's behavior and attitudes, little is known about their influences on children's learning of environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainability. This study investigated the influences of home- and preschool-related practices and factors on children's declarative and…

Young children have been taught simple sequences of alternating shapes and colors, referred to as "patterning", for the past half century in the hope that their understanding of pre-algebra and their mathematics achievement would be improved. The evidence that such patterning instruction actually improves children's academic achievement…

In November 2014, New York voters approved the Smart Schools Bond Act, which authorizes up to $2 billion in state general obligation borrowing to finance school district purchases of computers and other classroom technology; improve schools' high-speed and wireless internet links; install "high-tech smart security features" in school…

With expulsion rates three times higher in pre-K classrooms than in K-12 classrooms, behavior is one of the biggest and most pressing challenges faced by early childhood educators and providers. Find research-based guidance and strategies in this book, an essential resource for professionals working with children from birth to age 5. You will…

The purpose of the 2015-2016 NC Pre-Kindergarten (NC Pre-K) Evaluation study was to examine the long-term effects of participation in NC Pre-K at the end of kindergarten. Two groups of children were compared--those who attended NC Pre-K (treatment) and those who had not attended NC Pre-K (comparison). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to…

In September 2015, Commissioner Candice McQueen and senior leadership at the Tennessee Department of Education laid out goals and priorities for Tennessee's students and a plan to reach these goals. This strategic plan, Tennessee Succeeds, aimed to give a clear, overarching vision for the key strategies the department would focus on in order to…

This "Report Card to the Public" is a useful, yet limited, resource for families, communities, and policy makers to determine if Alaska's schools are working as well as they should for all students. Through Alaska's Education Challenge, Alaskans expressed three commitments toward the shared vision for an excellent education for every…

We discuss oral history interviews with academics who laid the foundation of research and pedagogies in daycare for under three-year-olds in Europe and North and South America since the 1970s. Their work is clearly embedded in the social-political context of their country: the left-wing programmes for disadvantaged families in the U.S.A.;…

The PPIC Statewide Survey delivers nonpartisan, objective, advocacy-free information on the perceptions, opinions, and public policy preferences of California residents. PPIC invites input, comments, and suggestions from policy and public opinion experts and from its own advisory committee, but survey methods, questions, and content are determined…

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and a public health emergency by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in March 2020 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2020). In the following months, families in the U.S. experienced financial hardships such as job and income loss, increasing food insecurity, and loss of…

Social demand for higher education has more than doubled in the past 20 years. However, only one-third of all countries' higher education systems are enrolling more than 50% of the traditional age cohort. Despite major advancements in achieving higher levels of access and participation, inequalities and inequities in higher education persist and…