When children are assessed as being developmentally ready for competitive game play, large group games and traditional low organizational games need to be replaced by an approach that uses small-sided games, modified equipment and playing areas, and emphasizes game tactics. Manipulating factors that affect the structure and understanding of games…

A successful transition from home or preschool to kindergarten is a key component of school readiness. Yet, quite often this major step in a child's life is neither planned nor well coordinated. Thoughtful planning for this transition, however, can have a positive impact on children, families, teachers, schools, and communities that last well…

This paper proposes a theoretical framework for the development of curricula for Japanese heritage language schools. Although these schools provide most of the Japanese heritage language (JHL) instruction available to elementary and secondary school pupils, they have received little attention or support from the academic community. Specifically,…

This study considered the problem of ineffective fieldwork experiences in the English Single Subject Credential Program at California State University, Long Beach prior to student teaching by combining structured fieldwork into a newly established state-mandated assessment, Teaching Performance Assessment Task 1 (TPA 1). This combination of a…

Drawing on Vygotsky's (1997a) concept of "fossilized behavior", this study examines the cultural fault lines between the imagined community (Anderson, 1991) of early childhood education and some Australian Indigenous families. Through creating a social space within which Indigenous families could examine dominant and taken-for-granted…

Although research indicates that early childhood literacy programs can be effective for preschoolers, little is known about the effects of programs on college student mentors. This study explored the beliefs of college students about literacy development in preschool children and whether these beliefs change after their involvement in a yearlong,…

This policy brief shows that, while New Jersey has made a substantial investment in state-supported preschool programs, the link between preschool and elementary education needs to be strengthened. By adopting a broader view of early learning that aligns quality preschool with the early elementary years, policy leaders will reap a better return on…

In this article we explore educators' use of Jean Piaget's theories concerning cognitive development to refute proposed social studies standards in Arizona. We describe the work of Piaget as well as the National Association for the Education of Young Children's developmentally appropriate practices as they apply to primary-grade children's…

"Te Whaariki," the "draft guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice in [New Zealand] early childhood services," constitutes a set of principles which can guide practice, rather than a structure for curriculum planning. The guidelines have the potential to provide a theoretical rationale for the application of the…

This report identifies the components of a seamless child care system for low income families, with attention to consolidating funding streams, simplifying administration, and improving direct services to families. The result of a 1995 study directed by the Minnesota legislature involving meetings of parents, advocates, child care providers,…

Most children do not come home from school empty-handed, but laden with one or more assignments to be completed at home and returned to school the next day. Research suggests that parental involvement with homework can enable and enhance its positive effect. This study investigated middle-grades students' perceptions about parental involvement…

Today, the majority of countries are characterized by multicultural diversity, a factor which has enormous implications for early childhood educators. As we begin to understand the long-term benefits of participation in high quality early childhood care and education, educators must also recognize that their own cultural heritage can and does…

Nongraded education is the practice of teaching children of different ages and ability levels together, without dividing them into groups labeled by grade designations. As the year 2000 approaches and schools are being re-evaluated in light of changing social and economic conditions, nongradedness is the focus of renewed interest. This publication…

Combining developmentally appropriate early childhood practice with current views of emergent literacy and whole language instruction, this book is designed to help pre-service and in-service teachers incorporate new views of literacy into their classrooms. The book includes extensive examples from actual classrooms to assist readers in…

In the course of an ethnographic case study of a rural, Appalachian Head Start program, the researcher became increasingly aware of the bias she brought to the project in favor of the universal applicability of developmentally appropriate practice. The study was an extension of Sally Lubeck's "Sandbox Society" (1985), and focused on…