A pretest-training-posttest design assessed whether training to improve spatial skills also improved mathematics performance in elementary-aged children. First grade students (mean age = 7 years, n = 134) and sixth grade students (mean age = 12 years, n = 124) completed training in 1 of 2 spatial skills--spatial visualization or form…

A pretest-training-posttest design assessed whether training to improve spatial skills also improved mathematics performance in elementary-aged children. First grade students (mean age = 7 years, n = 134) and sixth grade students (mean age = 12 years, n = 124) completed training in 1 of 2 spatial skills-spatial visualization or form…

State-funded prekindergarten (preK) programs are increasingly common across the country. This study estimated the effects of eight state-funded preK programs (Arkansas, California, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and West Virginia) on children's learning using a regression discontinuity design. These programs vary with…

The sharing of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) cultures and lifeways provides opportunities for helping young children form deep connections to their community, which, in turn, aids in the development of their early language and literacy skills. This issue brief--based on interviews with eight Tribal Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home…

Every year 1.3 million U.S. high school students drop out of school with one quarter of female students failing to graduate on time. Female dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, to earn less when they are employed, to become pregnant before the age of 20, to become obese, to smoke, and to drink more heavily than their male counterparts. This…

"Childhood Programs and Practices in the First Decade of Life" presents research findings on the effects of early childhood programs and practices in the first decade of life and their implications for policy development and reform. Leading scholars in the multidisciplinary field of human development and in early childhood learning…

Background: A music education program with a goal of enhancing cognitive development of preschool-aged children enrolled in local preschools is evaluated by The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. The budget for the evaluation was small, and therefore presented several challenges to the evaluation team. Purpose: Through a case study…

Since 1980, the number of state pre-kindergarten (pre-K) programs has more than doubled, with 38 states enrolling more than one million children in 2006 alone. This study evaluates how five state pre-K programs affected children's receptive vocabulary, math, and print awareness skills. Taking advantage of states' strict enrollment policies…

I focus on the role of preschool intervention and developmental psychology researchers in defining the concept of the "disadvantaged child" and in designing and evaluating remedies to alleviate educational "disadvantages" in young children. I argue that preschool interventions concentrated especially on compensating for…

The Michigan Department of Education's 1972-73 Title III evaluation reports on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Title I Open Concept School program for Indian education in the Sault Sainte Marie Area Public Schools. Of the 190 students in the school, 103 were of American Indian origin; 59% were from low socioeconomic groups. The…

The 1987-88 Saginaw (Michigan) Prekindergarten Program, funded under the Education Consolidation Improvement Act Chapter 1, served 479 children at 13 elementary schools, and attained ten (62.5 percent) of its 16 achievement objectives. A list of the objectives is included in Appendix A. The program is designed to prepare inner-city 4-year-olds…

This booklet describes and evaluates an experimental home teaching program based on Piagetian developmental theory. The project was designed to stimulate infants' cognitive development and help mothers become more effective teachers of their children. Sixty-five infants, primarily from low socioeconomic status homes, were enrolled in the program…

The Michigan Department of Education's 1971-72 Title III evaluation reports on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Title I, Open Concept School program for Indian Education in the Sault Sainte Marie Area Public Schools. Of the 185 students in the school, 100 were of American Indian origin; approximately 1/2 were economically and…

A series of structured experiences in a wilderness setting was used to generate changes in the feelings and attitudes of students and faculty in the 7th grade classes in the Battle Creek, Michigan Public Schools. The objectives of the project were to reverse racial separatism; reduce racially related, negative black/white incidents, to increase…

The Saginaw Prekindergarten Program is designed to provide four-year-olds with an environment that will enable them to develop skills needed for future success in school, and to prepare inner city children for entry into kindergarten. The objectives of the program include specific achievements in 16 cognitive skills, psychomotor skills, and…