This monograph, one in a series describing innovative educational practice, presents a case study of the Tools of the Mind project. This project, the result of collaboration between Russian and American education researchers, used the Vygotskian approach to create a series of tools or strategies for teachers to use in supporting the development of early literacy, including meta-cognitive and meta-linguistic skills as well as other foundational literacy skills. The monograph describes the development and piloting of the project, including the creation of the Early Learning Advisor, a computerized assessment system that provides direct advice to teachers on the developmental levels of their individual students, and gives them suggestions about how to apply the innovative teaching concepts in their daily work in the classroom. The monograph also discusses an empirical evaluation of the project, which revealed that the strategies had a positive effect on literacy achievement in young children. (Contains 24 references.) (EV)