Describes the development of a Head Start-public school partnership in Oregon from space sharing and mutually planned activities to coordinating a seamless transition between programs. Focuses on the joint use of the First Steps reading, writing, spelling, and oral language developmental continuums. Concludes that the newly articulated curriculum…

Presents information on physical activity levels in young children. Provides guidelines for appropriately promoting physical activity in early childhood classrooms, focusing on movement concepts of body, space, effort, and relationship. Includes appropriate teaching strategies and activities. Concludes that guided movement instruction helps…

The skills of self-determination and self-advocacy are essential for success in adult life. As educators, we want students with disabilities to participate and be significantly involved in the development and implementation of their IEPs, including involvement in IEP and transition planning meetings. By planning, preparing, and presenting an…

In this article, the creator of the transactional model and a colleague give an overview of how the model emerged as well as its principal elements. For most of the 20th century, scientists believed that brain damage was the cause of a child's cognitive, social, or emotional problems. Later, researchers found that babies were likely to have…

In this article, the authors consider the conditions under which participation in organized out-of-school activities contributes to positive development. They center their discussion on what is known about the "processes" in organized activities that affect the development of young persons. By using the term "organized activities", they wish to…

Early childhood educators are facing the challenge of creating quality educational programs for young children from an increasingly diverse mix of racial and cultural backgrounds. Programs that, in the past, have largely ignored the diversity of their participants must re-examine approaches that emphasize the universality of linear lists of…

Talking about religion in public middle schools has moved from taboo to necessity during the past few years. Although some middle schoolers hold knowledge of their own religion, most remain uninformed about any of the world's religions, including, for many, their own. The purpose of this article is to make the case for religious literacy--the…

In 2005, an estimated 48 million children aged 0-18 years--12 percent of all children in sub-Saharan Africa--were orphans, and that number is expected to rise to 53 million by 2010. One quarter of all orphans are orphaned because of AIDS, and about 2.6 million children are currently infected with HIV. Untreated, most children born with HIV will…

This final report discusses the outcomes of a federally funded study of nine toddlers and preschoolers (ages 29-63 months) with a variety of disabilities. The project investigated the effectiveness of embedding systematic instruction within inclusive, developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), play-based environments to teach young children with…

This final report describes activities and achievements of a Texas project to facilitate inclusive programming for preschool and primary children with disabilities using the High/Scope approach, which provides for developmentally appropriate programming for young children with and without disabilities. The project focused on capacity building…

At the elementary school level, promising new early intervention programs, such as the Reading Recovery Program (RRP), show ways to succeed with students in the primary grades. The RRP targeted the poorest readers in a first grade class, who were given supplemental, one-to-one planned lessons for 30 minutes each day by a specially trained teacher.…

Stark County is the 7th largest county in Ohio. In 2001 the researchers formed a P-16 Compact and began looking at the accomplishment of two goals: raising the high school graduation rate and increasing the number of students going from high school to college. Then as now, it was important for them to know the context of Stark County in Ohio and…

This annual report highlights the grantmaking program of the Foundation for Child Development (FCD) over the past 6 years, reflects on lessons learned, and shares emerging directions for the foundation. The report begins with messages from the chair and the president highlighting the organization's commitment to universal prekindergarten in the…

The apparently simple question of whether there are commonly accepted "best practices" for infant and toddler care leads to further questions regarding the nature of childhood and the impact of cultural values. This report reviews recent theory, training, and practice in the care of children outside their homes. Section 1 of the report…

With public demand and recent federal legislation calling for high standards and improved student performance, virtually every state in the nation has created and administered statewide tests that measure student progress over time. The requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 will result in increased use of these tests. After careful…