While the development of children's self-esteem is a worthwhile goal in early education, many practices designed to reach this goal may instead be encouraging narcissism. Such practices include those that direct children's attention to their own inner gratifications, or encourage children to believe their specialness is dependent on trivial…

This paper introduces a document that presents a set of indicators that the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood recommends for early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. The indicators selected are research-based or…

This paper lists practices recommended by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood in the area of family participation in early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. An introduction to the quality indicators points out…

This paper reviews the literature on triennial reevaluation of students with disabilities, discusses the legal requirements of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and the amendments found in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and reports on a study of the triennial review process in Maine. A triennial assessment is…

In examining education systems in Europe, examples show that it is wiser to build slowly and carefully, preserving what is best in existing practice, and discarding what is out of mesh with the times. Using illustrations from 14 countries in western Europe, 4 factors largely determine the size and composition of the independent sector in a…

The four articles in this theme issue provide an overview of assessment in the social studies and the rationale behind the movement for a more authentic assessment of learning outcomes. In the first article, "Thinking as an Unnatural Act," William T. Daly offers a clear rationale for social studies teachers to re-examine the methods of assessing…

A study was conducted to examine and compare, in 10 selected countries, the interaction between current conceptions and theories of assessment and assessment practices. Of particular interest was the nature of changing practice and theory in assessing the learning achievements of students in elementary and secondary education, as well as the…

This report provides Pennsylvania state legislators and educators with policy-relevant information about the distance learning needs of rural Pennsylvania school districts. Two surveys, covering rural and urban-suburban Pennsylvania school districts, examined distance learning programs and technologies currently being used and the possibility of…

The German education and training system has been shaped by a variety of philosophical, pedagogical, economic, political, and societal ideas and events during its historical development. Its main features and trends can be traced back for at least a century; they have proven to be stable and resistant to major changes. The hierarchical structure…

This conference proceedings document on gifted education presents texts of the following papers, among others: "Developing Visual Literacy--Start It Young" (Kay Anderson); "Building Provincial Exams To Challenge the Gifted" (Dennis Belyk); "Advocacy and Lobbying: An Exercise in Persuasion" (Patricia Boyle); "Program Continuity and Curriculum…

This guide examines organized labor's views on adult literacy. It also describes several union-sponsored workplace education programs and suggests how a union can plan and operate a worker-centered literacy program. The book is organized in three parts. The first part examines workplace literacy in four chapters that cover the following: the…

Despite growing interest in children's policy and in research regarding childhood bilingualism and language acquisition, the early care and education of linguistically and culturally diverse preschoolers remains a matter of much concern. Relative inattention at the level of policy to the needs and interests of such children is due to several…

This final report describes a project in Vermont which developed, implemented, evaluated, and disseminated a program development model for establishing new, and for improving existing, comprehensive early childhood special education services to young (birth to 5 years) children with disabilities and their families in rural settings. The model…

A recent model for the design of staff development programs for educators includes 5 stages--readiness, planning, training, implementation, and maintenance--each of which is defined by a set of 4 to 11 practices. To test this model and the relative merits of its 38 practices and its underlying assumptions, a national questionnaire survey of over…

A model is presented for the improvement of compensatory early childhood education through more effective use of student and staff time. A framework for research to test the model is also suggested. Sections of the document prefacing discussion of the model include (1) an overview of the historical antecedents and development of early childhood…