This paper probes the conditions of student life and the needs of identity, self-esteem, and sense of personal worth and potency which can affect the students' readiness for learning. A number of crucial factors interact with the teacher's efforts to provide learning opportunities and to stimulate interest in curriculum resources. In creating an…

Materials and methods of instruction, adequacy of facilities, teacher quality, and motivation are influential factors in the quality of learning. Language and verbal ability are functions determining achievement in all subject areas. A reading and social science curriculum was designed from this perspective, using a previously-developed listening…

The educational park environment that the District of Columbia schools are planning is seen as a learning environment consisting of a cluster of facilities, services, technological resources, and staff, and operating within a flexible administrative structure conceived and designed to optimize the advantages of the economies of size. The study,…

The study described here was intended to test Basil Bernstein's contention that different types of speech patterns can be identified for lower and middle class children, and that lower class children may, because of their speech behavior, have difficulty in performing cognitive tasks necessary for success in the school situation. Spontaneous…

The development of an entry skills behavior package designed as lessons to prepare the culturally divergent children of the Southwestern United States for beginning reading instruction in existing school programs is described. The series of 135 discrete lessons teaches auditory discrimination, associative vocabulary, listening comprehension,…

This short paper describes the Parent Readiness Education Project (PREP), a successful innovative effort to ameliorate the deficiencies of preschool children by training parents to enrich their home environment and improve interactions with their children through a specific program of daily home activities. PREP identifies 4-year-old children with…

Project Genesis is a preventative program which tries to identify potential learning deviancies before children enter kindergarten, and which provides individualized programming to offset future learning problems. Clinics held in the spring test each child entering kindergarten the following fall on perceptual-motor abilities, hearing, speech,…

The rationale for a national investment in early childhood learning, the needs to be met, and the costs are discussed. A number of current program models, diagnostic service centers, programs for parent education, and preparent programs at the secondary and college levels are described. Research studies and findings about different early childhood…

This article focuses on the importance of school readiness to school success and long-term life success. Issues relating to school readiness include what constitutes readiness, types of fundamental knowledge, how children approach learning, children's mental and physical health, and how readiness is defined. The article first examines what is…

These hearing transcripts present testimony before the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the 105th Congress on early childhood education and related services. Participants provided different perspectives on early education, focusing on the academic achievement of American students, especially in comparison to students in other countries;…

On the premise that early school transitions affect children's future educational success and that these critical transitions need to be improved, this book explores the research on early schooling and reexamines educational beliefs, policies, and practices relating to the first years of school, including readiness assessment, entrance ages,…

Understanding the condition of children as they enter school can provide clues to help parents and teachers understand children's performance later in their school career. This information can also provide teachers with essential guidance for individualizing the curriculum to help children learn more effectively. Finally, assessment of the…

Many communities across the country have set for themselves the goal of enhancing school readiness. But what does school readiness mean, and how do communities know whether they have achieved it? This research brief is intended to help communities invest wisely in school readiness initiatives. It begins by summarizing recommendations from the…

This study of a middle-class housing estate in Great Britain shows how the women of the community foster a collective culture conducive to the academic success of the children. This reinforcement of social stratification inhibits working-class advancement and calls into question the efficacy of school reform in achieving equity. (SK)

This study examined the views of 176 kindergarten teachers regarding those skills children need to be successful in kindergarten. Teachers ranked 149 skills within 5 domains: gross motor, fine motor, general knowledge and school readiness, language, and social. Findings indicated that items related to academic readiness were not seen as critical…