As more and more states make a commitment to specialized middle level teacher preparation, teacher education programs across the country must make the necessary adjustments to ensure middle level teachers are prepared to be successful. Unfortunately, individual state and institutional requirements often make this challenging and can result in…

This article describes collaboration between preschool and university educators focused on adapting the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) standards for Effective Pedagogy for use in early childhood (EC) settings. The CREDE standards are strategies of best practices for culturally diverse K-12 students. Teachers…

For nearly four decades, Sesame Workshop has brought the joy of learning to the world's youngest citizens through the introduction of locally-produced coproductions of the preschool television series, "Sesame Street". Many of these television shows have been specifically designed to forward important prosocial messages directly linked to…

This investigation examined how documenting preservice teachers' work during engaging, authentic classroom experiences influenced their understanding of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). A pragmatic action research design was used to systematically plan, document, and reflect on learning experiences to evaluate the impact of such…

This paper deals with Nurture Groups, which are a specialist form of provision for pupils with social, emotional and learning difficulties. The paper outlines the theoretical underpinnings of the NG approach and describes the practical arrangements and operations features of this form of provision. Evidence from research studies exploring the…

There is abundant theoretical support for the value of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) at the elementary school level, but there has been relatively little research to document its effects. This paper explores the relationship between DAP and student achievement among low-income students in St. Paul, Minnesota, using research from an…

Those who advocate for developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) do so based on the conviction that these classroom practices enhance children's development and facilitate learning. This ERIC Digest examines recent research on DAP and social-emotional and cognitive development, and describes what we have learned about DAP in early childhood…