In this Education Policy Brief, Indiana University's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy and Indiana Institute on Disability and Community tackle major policy questions regarding publicly-funded prekindergarten programs: Why should Indiana invest in prekindergarten? Who should be served? What should prekindergarten look like in Indiana? And…

A longitudinal study of students' developing understanding of decimal notation has been conducted by testing over 3000 students in Grades 4 to 10 up to 7 times. A pencil-and-paper test based on a carefully designed set of decimal comparison items enabled students' responses to be classified into 11 codes and tracked over time. The paper reports on…

This paper considers whether or not curriculum initiatives within England are in fact leading to qualitatively improved levels of thinking among children identified as lower achievers in arithmetic. Revisiting data from two earlier studies and introducing current data, the paper draws comparisons in the strategies that 8-year-old children use to…

The primary purpose of this book is to provide a core introductory text for the many undergraduate students who are now studying early childhood. Four key themes are emphasised throughout this book: The first is the social construction of childhood. This is the idea that childhood is not a naturally given phenomenon, but the result of social…

We use heterogeneity in the timing of television's introduction to different local markets to identify the effect of preschool television exposure on standardized test scores later in life. Our preferred point estimate indicates that an additional year of preschool television exposure raises average test scores by about .02 standard deviations. We…

Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this Spanish-language pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the sixth month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers advice on a variety of topics,…

Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this Spanish-language pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the eighth month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers advice on a variety of topics,…

In an effort to provide on a continuous basis information on the growth and development of Detroit's preschool students, a procedure for "Preschool Progress Reports" was implemented. The procedure requires teachers to record classroom observations of all students' skills three times during the school year on preprinted scan sheets, which…

In this paper, development during the adolescent period is considered from a counseling perspective. Although many of the issues of young adults continue to confront older adults, this paper discusses the issues that are special to this age group. It suggests that the emotional and social domain is best represented by the theory of Erikson, which…

Children's sociodramatic play is very much associated with their growing ability to use symbols for a variety of functional purposes external to the symbols themselves. Defining such play as "voluntary social role-playing involving two or more children," this paper draws on research on sociodramatic play to: (1) discuss the nature of…

Despite their tremendous tragedy, the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, have also produced a juncture for transformative learning. Several transformative learning opportunities that may enable some adult learners find and use knowledge as the tool to transcend a tragedy into a learning experience have been identified. Although…

One of the ways in which children of depressed parents are affected is in the area of cognitive schemata. In cognitive behavioral theory, schemata drive emotions and therefore influence behavior. Subsequently, a better understanding of the cognitive schemata of children of depressed parents is attempted in this paper. It offers a review of the…

Two studies examined children's first references to the mental states of perception, desire, and belief in themselves and others. In Study 1, children interacted with their mothers in a laboratory setting at 14, 20, and 32 months of age (n=52); in Study 2, children were observed in their homes at 3-month intervals from 18 to 42 months (n=32).…

Neurological research indicates that children's experiences, both inside and outside of school, significantly influence brain development. But little is known about children's out-of-school activities and the influence such activities may have on academic achievement. To better understand this relationship, the extra-school activities of 75…

Based on the view that adults are more effective in teaching positive behavior and in responding to children if they have some knowledge about child development, this pamphlet outlines children's typical abilities and behaviors at various ages from birth to 8 years. The pamphlet is designed to help parents protect their children as they grow up so…