The seminar on "Functional Illiteracy" was planned as a follow-up to the "Workshop of Specialists in Europe on Functional Illiteracy" held in December 1986, organized by the United Nation's Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Institute for Education. Representatives of 17 countries and UNESCO, the…

The All-Day Kindergarten (ADK) Program was implemented in the Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools in January 1972 to provide a full day of instruction to prepare underachieving kindergarten pupils for first grade. The ADK is an individualized, language-based program that reinforces the skills, concepts, and educational experiences taught in the regular…

In the early childhood field, the word "transition" is used to describe the period of time that falls between two different types of activities, as well as the time periods in which children move from home to school, from school to after-school activities, from one activity to another within a preschool, or from preschool to…

This document summarizes the deliberations of the Commonwealth Pacific Regional Workshop, which focused on the cost effectiveness of small schools. Advantages of small schools include equity for disadvantaged groups, opportunities for rural development, preservation of cultural traditions, and the potential for educational advantages. One task…

Because the assessment needs of young children and infants with handicaps are often quite different from those of the school-age populations with which child study teams have the most experience, this manual addresses issues relevant to the pre-kindergarten population. Chapter 1 provides an overview of general issues related to preschool…

This publication, a Spanish translation of "Right at Home," is a family involvement program in the form of easy-to-read cartoon-style letters to be used at home by parents or other family members with their preschool or kindergarten-age children. The book is designed to be used independently by parents, or to be reproduced and distributed to…

The forms of parent involvement explored by researchers are varied, ranging from parents' encouragement of their children in the home to intense parent-school partnerships in which parents are involved in every aspect of the educational process. This paper summarizes selected studies of parent involvement which fall within the following three…

This book describes the history of the Head Start program. Encouraged by Sargent Shriver, director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, in February, 1965, the Head Start Planning Commission presented a proposal for a program to the Johnson administration, which promoted it as a nationwide program to serve half a million poor children. By the…

Findings of a study that examined the impact of parent involvement on student performance in Catholic and public schools are presented in this paper. Methodology involved regression analysis of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) database, which contains information on 1,035 schools (802 public and 233 private schools) and…

Bringing together the home, school, and community in the task of developing children's abilities to read and appreciate literature, this book presents annotations of over 400 books suitable for children ages two through seven. Titles annotated in the book represent classic and contemporary picture books, story books, and concept books, as well as…

This booklet is designed to help parents understand how Washington schools are raising their academic standards. It also points out questions parents should ask about their children's schools and describes some at-home activities that will help a child make the most of time in and out of the classroom. The educational improvement effort in…

Estimates suggest that 20 to 25% of U.S. students change schools each year, and this figure is higher in school districts with a relatively large immigrant population. The guidelines in this technical assistance packet provide strategic suggestions for welcoming newcomers to a school or district, something that has become an essential facet of…

This guide provides educators with information and resources for gaining a better understanding of immigration and the immigrant experience and suggests strategies and techniques to meet the educational needs of immigrant students within regular classrooms. The first section provides a brief overview of the history and current status of…

More than 230 educators from 125 schools and communities around the country gathered for the national conference of the Foundation for Excellent Schools to exchange ideas and strategies for educational improvement. The conference theme, "Achieving Educational Excellence through Collaboration," was featured in sessions exploring the possibilities…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of Project REALIGN, a three-year model inservice training project to expand the capacity of early childhood staff, administrators and families to work together toward improved education for all young children and maximizing the inclusion of young children with disabilities in the school…