This study evaluated the effect a developmentally appropriate curriculum, implemented as part of a Head Start Transition Project for public kindergarten through third grade to maintain and enhance the benefits attained by Head Start children and their families. Participating were two cohorts of students in demonstration and comparison classrooms…

Thirty-two programs across the country were selected to participate in the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Project. The project's mission was to replicate the Head Start delivery model within the public school in order to facilitate a smooth transition for children and families. Project effectiveness was examined on…

Universities in Florida, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota have been collaborating in an effort to implement a pedagogical model for early childhood teacher education that helps prospective teachers identify their own cultural and ethnic backgrounds and to understand cultural diversity while helping them learn to be sensitive to the cultural…

In the Head Start Public School Transition Demonstration Project, 32 demonstration sites across the country have extended Head Start-like services to help low-income children transition smoothly into the elementary grades. Preliminary evaluation of a demonstration program in two West Virginia counties suggested that Head Start students receiving…

In establishing high quality programs for young children, it is imperative that teachers focus on individual differences, growth patterns, and learning styles while providing educational experiences that develop the physical, social, emotional and cognitive domains without regard to chronological age. Research affirms that a play-oriented approach…

This paper reports on the development and validation of the Assessment Profile: Research Version, an observation checklist containing 87 items that reflect developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood programs. The Assessment Profile provides quantitative measures of classroom environments and teaching practices which facilitate the…

In 1991, the Worcester (Massachusetts) Public Schools received a grant to provide services to maintain the early benefits attained by Head Start children. One part of the program is advancement of a developmentally appropriate curriculum. A study was undertaken to examine the effects of investing substantial resources in classrooms in four schools…

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…

The involvement of parents in schools has been legislated in Spain since 1970, with the main activities being parents associations and school councils, but these partnerships do not represent a particularly friendly situation. A research project was carried out through the University of Oviedo, Spain, Department of Education, to create a mechanism…

This paper reports on the findings of an evaluation of Project Giant Step, a program funded by New York City to provide comprehensive services to all 4-year-olds in the city, beginning with low-income children who are unserved by existing programs. Both the costs and effects of Project Giant Step are examined. Effects of the program on children…

Project Head Start has recently expanded into elementary schools through the National Head Start/Public School Transition Project (NTP), a school-based intervention program designed to improve outcomes for at-risk students. The SDTP (South Dakota site of NTP) is attempting to improve life chances for children by improving home and school…