Traditional conceptions of civic education for young children in the United States tend to focus on student acquisition of patriotic knowledge, that is, identifying flags and leaders, and practicing basic civic skills like voting as decision-making. The "Civic Action and Young Children" study sought to look beyond this narrow vision of…

An increasing amount of attention and public funding has been dedicated in recent years to the field of Early Childhood Education and the expansion of early childhood programs in the United States. Program quality in early childhood is evaluated based on program-level structural features and instructional support (e.g. problem solving, feedback,…

How important is it that every student in a school is excited about learning? Should a student be allowed to use all his/her strengths in learning? Do you know someone who wasn't a particularly good student but has been very successful in life? What these seemingly unrelated questions have in common is an appreciation for the range of talents that…

The current study evaluated the peer-to-peer interactions of at-risk children enrolled in Head Start who participated in a social pragmatic intervention targeting skills such as initiations, responses, name use, proximity, and turn-taking skills. Eight Head Start classroom teams received two workshops and two coaching sessions and were taught to…

The purpose of this demonstration was to evaluate a universal intervention during teacher-identified routines that were characterized by significant classwide problem behavior. Six Head Start classrooms (seven groups of children, with one classroom divided into two groups) received two workshops and two coaching sessions on universal Positive…

One year after participating in the Research-based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) intervention or "usual practice" Head Start, the learning and behavioral outcomes of 356 children (17% Hispanic, 25% African American; 54% girls; M[subscript age] = 4.59 years at initial assessment) were assessed. In addition, their 202 kindergarten…

Self-Determination is a central concept in special education practice and policy. Research indicates that students who possess specific self-determination skills have better outcomes and enhanced quality of life. Self-determination is a broad term and can be looked at in a variety of ways with differing values of importance. The concept of…

Purpose: Families of dementia patients receiving skilled homecare do not receive supportive services. We evaluated whether a proven intervention, Environmental Skill-building Program (ESP), which reduces caregiver burden and enhances skills managing patient functioning, can be integrated into homecare practices of occupational therapists (OTs) and…

The author, a United States senator, provides background on the problem of unemployment and outlines his plan to guarantee work for everyone who wants it. (CH)

Teachers implementing a local history project in Belmont, California, had help from a federally funded technology innovation challenge grant: the Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project. Sponsored by a Silicon Valley school-business partnership, the initiative illustrates how technology can transform classroom learning while supporting instructional…

Stakeholder evaluation was designed to address widely recognized problems in the conduct of evaluation. However, global propositions about the problems and prospects of program evaluation obscure the circumstances in which social science can contribute to social problem solving. (Author/PN)

Describes the newly proposed federal agency called the National Institute for the Environment (NIE). Discusses the history of the NIE concept; NIE goals; proposed NIE activities involving environmental research, assessment, information, and education and training; and ways in which environmental educators can assist the NIE effort. (MDH)

Discussed is a program that awards money to institutions that want to develop teacher training programs with national significance. Information on how the funds can be used and how the funds are distributed is included. (KR)

A training program that allows scientists and educators to experiment with new ways to improve student performance in science and mathematics is described. Scientists and educators are encouraged to work together to develop projects for in-service education and projects that can be worked on by students in the laboratory. (KR)

Examines shortcomings of the traditional high school special education curriculum and highlights a curriculum designed to assist students with mild disabilities in their transition to adulthood. The curriculum emphasizes problem solving and self-advocacy and includes components on daily living, personal/social, occupational exploration, and…