This case study examined a collaboration between a college and school district to explore options for constructing systematic early childhood field experiences that would enhance a developing school initiative related to school readiness. Preliminary outcomes relate to continuing to work closely together, conducting additional mutual…

Discusses current issues and trends in kindergarten education, and the social and educational forces that precipitated them, within the context of the historical perspective of kindergarten in the United States. Focuses on developmentally appropriate practice, child-centered programs, parent education and involvement, and quality teaching. (TJQ)

Describes how the young children of the Early Learning Center in the Chelsea (Massachusetts) school district learned about Igor Stravinsky's ballet suite, "The Firebird." Explains that children in three kindergarten classes depicted the ballet's characters in a participatory performance. Highlights some qualitative observations. (CMK)

Movement is essential to the physical and cognitive development of young children. Developmentally appropriate dance and movement activities at preschools and elementary schools in Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska are described, along with connections between movement and literacy and numeracy instruction. (SV)

Learning to read is one of the most critical and powerful achievements in life. Ensuring that all young children reach their potential in literacy development is the shared responsibility of many, though as emphasis is placed on establishing literacy leaders in many schools, literacy coaches and classroom teachers are being looked upon as having…

Play involves unstructured activity that is freely entered into and intrinsically rewarding. When children engage in play there is little intentional learning. There are no lesson plans. There are no daily objectives or specific learning outcomes. Incidental learning can cause relatively permanent changes in the way one thinks; accidental learning…

In this article, the author describes the four characteristics of effective middle schools: (1) Academic excellence; (2) Developmental responsiveness; (3) Social equity; and (4) Organizational Structure. An effective middle school should be a place of learning guided by people who have chosen to work with young adolescents, help them develop…

Dramatic rises in youth violence in the United States beginning in the 1980s coupled with high visibility acts such as school shootings have resulted in a corresponding proliferation of programs designed to prevent aggression and violence in children and youth. Parallel with this increasing programmatic expansion, there have been repeated calls…

This article describes how early childhood teacher education faculty at one university responded in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and used the disaster to enhance their undergraduate and graduate programs. They explain how they modeled developmentally appropriate practices while responding to community needs. Four companion articles…

This sourcebook of over 100 Texas middle-school programs was developed to help educators implement intermediate-grade education concepts and practices in their schools. The volume is a companion publication to "Spotlight on the Middle: Report of the Texas Task Force on Middle School Education." The introduction mentions two offices in…

Describes the enthusiastic support of parents and early childhood educators for including computer activities in programs for young children in Hong Kong. Describes the current status of computer environments in Hong Kong kindergartens, noting the lack of curriculum guidelines for integrating computers into classrooms, the lack of resources to…

Addresses the central issues related to phonemic awareness as a way to articulate the relationship between phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, meta-linguistic awareness, and overall literacy development. Presents key research findings and discusses developmentally appropriate practices for kindergarten and primary education, intervention…

Describes children's early use of oral and written language for different purposes. Advocates fostering early appreciation of a variety of texts to cultivate children's disposition to read and write for enjoyment, information, and communication. Presents ideas for using the talking, reading, and writing done every day by young children to develop…

Identifies some of the inherent problems involved in, and presents a differentiated definition of, "developmentally appropriate programming and practices" that specifically targets the special needs of young gifted children. A Multidimensional Curriculum Model is introduced which can be used to design developmentally-based curricula appropriate…

This article presents a model for describing the range of types of support and instruction necessary to make inclusion successful for young children with disabilities. The building blocks include a high quality early childhood program, modifications and adaptations, embedded learning opportunities, and explicit child-directed instruction.…