Prior to the pandemic, a survey of Pennsylvania parents found that for every child that was enrolled in an afterschool program, four more would participate if more programs were available. The pandemic has only emphasized the need for out-of-school time (OST) programs as students across Pennsylvania and the country cope with learning loss and…

Animal-assisted interventions intentionally incorporate the power of the human-animal bond into the therapeutic process. Research findings indicate that therapy dog programs can reduce student stress and build connections within the school, strengthening student response to school-based interventions and providing a foundation to achieve a diverse…

When used informally, talent development refers to the deliberate cultivation of ability or giftedness in a specific domain. However, recent discussions have used talent development to refer to a particular framework for viewing giftedness and the education of gifted children. In this article, the authors will present their views on the meaning of…

California's Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 established transitional kindergarten (TK), the first year of a two-year kindergarten program for students affected by the change in the birthdate cutoff for entry into kindergarten from December 2 to September 1. This brief, the sixth in a series highlighting findings from the "Study of…

This article reviews the extant literature on the links between peer victimization and academic performance and engagement among children and adolescents. Although most of the research on this association is based on cross-sectional investigations, research using longitudinal designs is starting to point to the fact that peer victimization does…

There is little doubt of the educational and social merits of developing children and young people's social and emotional capabilities. But there lacks consensus on what these capabilities are; what should be assessed or shown to have developed over time; and the most appropriate methods for doing this. Through the conceptual framework of…

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of an Emotional Education Program, which is based on the PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategy) developed by Domitrovich, Greenberg, Cortes and Kusche, on six year old children's emotional skills (identification of emotions, understanding emotions and expression of emotions). In this study,…

This article reviews the contributions of the Oregon Resiliency Project, an effort to enhance positive social-emotional development of children and youth through social and emotional learning (SEL). The project was launched in 2001 as a collaborative effort between faculty and graduate student researchers at the University of Oregon. The primary…

In 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Kindergarten Readiness Act into law, which changed the kindergarten entry age so that children must turn 5 by September instead of December to enroll. The new grade level was put into place to promote school readiness for California's youngest learners. It also established a new grade…

Addresses attitudinal and logistical roadblocks to launching social and emotional learning programs. Debunks ideas that such programs are either faddish, ineffective, "New-Age," or detractions from academic learning. Stresses conceptual origins in the work of Daniel Goleman, Howard Gardner, and Robert Sylwester. Notes educators must work…

This report provides an overview and description of social and emotional learning (SEL) and service-learning (S-L) as tools to improve the lives and academic performance of students. It describes how the two practices are interrelated, and cites research evidence that supports the expanded use of both practices in the classroom. Also provided are…

This report describes the development, implementation and evaluation of an Australian follow-through kindergarten year one program for children who had participated in an individualized, experience-based preschool program. Follow-through program development focused on planning a program that offered experiences compatible with those offered at…

This report outlines the national and state environmental context for the SECCS Initiative in supporting MCH strategic planning in early childhood systems building. This strategic context has implications for roles, relationships, and activities within a planning process and ultimately an implementation process. It summarizes the opportunities and…