Many adolescents are susceptible to negative outcomes associated with sexual behavior. This is particularly true for those who initiate sexual intercourse at an early age, have many sex partners, or engage in unprotected sex because these behaviors put one at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. This article reviews the…

They are adolescents--and those who work with them must understand them, connect with them, and make learning relevant to their lives. This article looks at recent theories and educational practices identified as appropriate for supporting the educational learning experiences of students ages 12 to 15. In this article, the author also discusses,…

This writing is an investigation into the use of action research methods and tools as a means for preparing 26 preservice teachers to effectively link assessment to instruction. Two concepts emerged from the data: the importance of developmentally appropriate practice and documenting and validating student learning. This study suggests the power…

This article provides an overview of medicine ball training. Specifically, it describes "Medicine Ball for All," a physical activity program designed to provide children and teenagers with a meaningful learning experience that is consistent with their developmental needs. The article focuses on developing a safe, successful, and inexpensive…

This book presents for discussion principles and issues that encourage early childhood educators to evaluate their current approaches to programming and planning for young chidren with emphasis on the individual child. The book offers the opportunity to affirm the practice of developmentally appropriate procedures and to suggest directions for…

This digest describes the development of the standard middle school and its impact on rural areas, discusses the original goals of middle schooling, and suggests how rural schools can meet these goals despite their small size. The earliest middle schools were innovative rural junior high schools that enriched their programs with additional…

This digest debunks myths about developmentally appropriate programs (DAPs) and discusses essential characteristics of developmentally appropriate practices. Common myths or erroneous assumptions about DAPs assume that: (1) there is only one right way to implement a DAP; (2) DAPs are unstructured, and practitioners offer minimal guidance to the…

Thai parental attitudes about educational practice was explored in this study. Particularly, the situations between Thailand and the United States are compared. Similar to the struggles over developmentally appropriate practice in the United States, many parents in Thailand have resisted implementation of the guidelines articulated by the Thai…

Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach with the researcher as participant observer and interviewer, this study sought to understand how preservice early childhood teachers construct meaning for Developmentally and Culturally Appropriate Practice (DCAP). Subjects were preservice teachers enrolled in an undergraduate course on the clinical…

In preschools caring for infants and toddlers, outdoor play space is often limited and underdeveloped. When outdoor play space is developed, it is usually geared towards older toddlers, and infants' time in this space is often limited. Measures can be taken to give both infants and toddlers access, in safe and appropriate ways, to the valuable…

This paper describes how a vice principal at a rural Kentucky elementary school successfully implemented curriculum changes to meet the learning needs of young children. The change process also addressed the concerns of kindergarten teachers frustrated with the demands of teaching basal reader activities that eliminated explorative play and other…

This guide describes a program that turns ordinary show-and-tell time into a theme-related sharing time, or "sharing circle." In this program, each child is assigned a special sharing day once a month, with the sharing days evenly distributed throughout the month and with no more than three children sharing on a particular day. Monthly…

This paper outlines 22 principles of practice that serve as criteria by which to judge the developmental appropriateness of an early childhood curriculum. The principles lead to the assertion that young children as learners are greatly supported when a "project approach" is used--e.g., when their early childhood education experience…

Graduate students enrolled in the play-based Curriculum Research Seminar at Pacific Oaks College (Pasadena) observed and wrote about how children began play and carried out various themes in early childhood settings, and how teachers encouraged or discouraged play themes. Findings indicated that some students related play to issues of bias,…

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…