There is a growing consensus among educators that a major reason why traditional curriculum approaches have failed is that they are not based on knowledge of what is age-appropriate or individually appropriate for young children. This book provides practitioners with a practical framework for making curriculum effective and responsive for children…

A needs assessment was conducted to determine the needs of the Seattle (Washington) community for child care for African-American children. There were 40,194 licensed child-care slots in King County, Seattle's county, in 1990, but it was estimated that 75,000 children needed child-care services. Almost half probably needed child-care subsidies,…

This speech reports on data collected by the Early Intervention Collaborative Study (EICS), which is a longitudinal study following the development of 190 young children with disabilities (and their families) who entered 29 publicly funded early intervention programs in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the period from 1985 to 1987. The…

The report describes the development and implementation of Literacy Is For Everyone (LIFE), an English-as-a-Second-Language literacy program for limited-English-speaking immigrant families of students at Falls Church High School (Virginia). Participating families attended evening classes, groups, and workshops to develop literacy skills and become…

The primary goal of this practicum was to improve the mathematical thinking skills of preschool students in a class of 30. The practicum was also intended to help the teacher improve her skills as organizer and facilitator. Additional objectives were that: (1) students would score at least 50 percent on teacher-made tasks; (2) there would be no…

This paper describes three studies that evaluated the Marvelous Me-Preschool Edition curriculum, a 12-session program designed to enhance the self-concept of preschool children. The program is organized around 6 central themes: feelings, self-image, getting to know oneself, family friends, and community. Children participate in activities such as…

This report describes the activities and accomplishments of second year off its current contract with the U.S. second year of its current contract with the United States Department of Education. The mission of the MRC is to provide training and technical assistance to educators and parents of limited English Proficient (LEP) students, with the…

This booklet focuses on understanding authentic learning and assessment practices and their effect on students and teachers at the middle level. After an examination of what is meant by authentic learning, five guidelines are suggested for use in selecting authentic content for middle level students. Specifically, authentic materials: (1) should…

Parent involvement in their children's schooling declines dramatically as students move through middle school and high school, though students still want and need their parents' help to reach educational goals. This newsletter presents several articles on partnerships between schools and families and between families and community programs. The…

This document reports the findings of a process evaluation of the Saginaw, Michigan Early Childhood Education Preschool program for 4-year-olds at risk of academic failure. As of December, 1992, a total of 279 pupils were attending the program at 8 sites. The goal of the program is to enable 4-year-olds to develop school readiness skills. Program…

The Kansas City, Missouri, School District's Early Childhood Development program consists of the Parents as Teachers (PAT) and Early Learning Centers (ELC) programs. Both PAT and the ELC programs have a screening component, with PAT screening children from 12 to 36 months of age and ELC screening 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children. The ELC…

The six articles in this issue attempt to answer questions that have arisen due to the increase in programs that cross existing or traditional age barriers in literacy education. They draw upon recent and current research and practice both in the United Kingdom and the United States. "Family Literacy: An Intergenerational Approach to…

This document describes the With and For Parents program, a dropout prevention program focusing on parent involvement. Although not a conventional guidebook, this document can serve as a guide to the world of the urban disadvantaged through its recollection of program experiences. With and For Parents began in 1987 with 156 families of incoming…

This book, which consists of 12 chapters, deals with the crisis of stress in American schools, particularly the stress of students. The book: (1) examines ways of combating the debilitative stress of students; (2) frames the problem of stress in terms of the child, school, family, and community; (3) provides multiple perspectives on the problem of…

The Accelerated Schools Project has the overall purpose of creating the best schools for all children so that every child has the opportunity to become a creative, critical, and productive member of society. The project represents a philosophy and a process for transforming conventional schools into accelerated ones where powerful learning…