For more than 40 years, concern has been expressed over the attrition rate of students in Ph.D. programs in American universities. Although there are a number of significant factors at work, attrition of doctoral students in sciences such as anatomy may lead to a dearth of trained teaching anatomists as well as research scientists in the…

This chapter examines the scope of the mathematical content educators expect students to understand after they have participated in mathematics courses. It is organized under four headings: (1) Traditional School Mathematics, to clarify what the shift is away from; (2) Mathematics as Human Activity, to portray the direction the shift is toward;…

Describes North Carolina's efforts to develop a school readiness definition and assessment plan, focusing on differentiating readiness from eligibility and giving equal weight to schools' capacity to educate all children. Presents selected findings from the statewide assessment. Describes dilemmas faced by the state and their resolutions.…

Definitions, theory, and educational practice relevant to school readiness are discussed. Strategies to promote school readiness in the future should (1) redefine readiness and set performance standards; (2) redefine the assessment of readiness; and (3) reallocate the responsibility helping children get ready for school. (LB)

These three colloqium papers focus on math readiness and the young child, the use of games in teaching basic math skills, and the teaching of math concepts through informal day care activities. The first paper discusses notions about math readiness. It points out that mental age has little to do with readiness to learn basic concept skills and…

In order to better establish baseline information on the social, physical, linguistic, and cognitive skills of children entering Maryland kindergartens, the state selected the Work Sampling System (WSS), a component of the Maryland Model for School Readiness, as the early childhood assessment system for evaluating entering kindergartners' skills…

Discussed are the problems of teaching and learning fractions in the upper primary and lower secondary schools. Recommendations for teaching fractions are made and defects in various methods of fraction instruction are identified. It is suggested that fractions not be taught in upper primary and lower secondary schools. (Author/DS)

Keeping Options Open is a community college-high school partnership that provides a series of career development/academic readiness workshops for high school students to help them make career and life plans. The program increased communication among school counselors and helped parents focus on career/life planning. (SK)

Developed by the Women's NETWORK, a group representing women serving in state legislatures in the United States, this report examines how the private sector is involved in promoting learning readiness at the preschool level. The report begins with an introduction and a discussion of the importance of learning readiness as a national goal. The…

This document describes the design and implementation of a screening procedure for a first grade readiness class which was receiving inappropriate referrals. The class was intended to serve normal children between kindergarten and first grade who seemed to need an extra year of maturation. Because students who exhibited discipline, emotional and…

This book synthesizes the implications of research done by the National Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences (NCRMS) by integrating two bodies of research: the study of teaching and the study of learning mathematics. This research was organized around content domains and/or continuing issues in education such as equity and assessment of…

Interest in early education and school readiness gives rise to opportunities for promoting health development as well as addressing barriers to development and learning. This brief highlights the need to approach early education and school readiness from a perspective of addressing barriers. The brief discusses the marginalization and…

Conducted a management and organization development program in eight mental health agencies. Describes the stages and activities of this 18-month effort and the results of its evaluation. There were significant, positive results for almost all the participating management teams as well as for their organizations. (Author)

Ensuring that children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, start school ready to learn is an important goal. This paper presents lessons learned from the state of Ohio's multi-year program to develop a standards-based assessment system for programs delivering state-funded early childhood education (ECE) through programs receiving…

This paper describes the mental model children have of their own learning, derived from their behaviors when learning a song. The basic assumption of the study is that behavior is an outward expression of a psychological entity. The song chosen for the study was a complex, unfamiliar Zulu song. Thirty-six children in three age groups participated…