The "Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century" provides a mandate for discussion of the spiritual within secular state schooling, but this discussion has never occurred. This is a serious omission given what could be called an "undercurrent of concern" for the ways in which young people…

The number of children diagnosed with autism is on the rise, and teachers are seldom prepared to teach children with autism in their classes. However, it is possible to successfully include children with autism in general physical education settings by understanding inclusive physical education, individualizing instruction, targeting…

It is generally acknowledged that a child's primary caregiver acts as a spring board to independence. By encouraging the child to explore their world, parents and guardians are instrumental in developing the child's sense of self-esteem, self-worth and sociability. Less fortunate, however, are the increasing numbers of young children born with a…

Criteria for the design and selection of literacy and thinking tools that allow educators to justify what they do are described within a wider framework of learning theory and research into best practice. Based on a meta-analysis of best practice, results from a three year project designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a secondary school…

Guidelines for 4-H programs for 5-8 year olds are as follows: (1) activity based, short term; (2) cooperative learning; (3) noncompetitive; (4) safe; (5) developmentally appropriate; (6) focused on the age group; (7) success oriented; (8) fun and positive; and (9) consistent with the experiential learning cycle. (SK)

Argues that programs that are most appropriate for young children: (1) are based on developmental principles; (2) employ familial uses of space, time, and language; and (3) share information between home and school. Identifies sources of continuity and discontinuity between home and school and offers suggestions for improving the home-school…

Teachers of very young children have the awesome task of providing rich information and experiences that build skills and understanding in the context of every day routines and within intentionally-designed play opportunities that capture children's interests, wonder and curiosity so they want to know more. Pennsylvania's learning standards join…

Early childhood teachers face a daunting task when trying to incorporate so many important ideas into curriculum planning. Fortunately, standards are not prescriptive in how they are to be implemented. Teachers who are well versed in standards and developmentally appropriate practices "can" provide meaningful experiences for children. How can…

The purpose of this study was to assess the developmental progression of preschoolers' abilities to draw and paint. Over 3 years, 68 children were observed easel painting 595 times and 65 children were observed drawing 545 times. Results of hierarchical linear modeling indicated that (a) the complexity of children's drawings and paintings…

The Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) model for crisis intervention was developed for use with emergency service personnel. Research regarding the use of the CISM model has been conducted among civilians and high-risk occupation groups with mixed results. The purpose of this study is to examine the social validity of the CISM model for…

Demographic change in industrial countries will influence educational spending in potentially two ways. On the one hand, the decline in the number of school-age children should alleviate the financial pressure. On the other hand, the theoretical/empirical literature has established that the concomitantly increasing proportion of elderly in the…

Because the development of healthy eating and physical activity habits during early childhood can prevent disease and support a lifetime of good health, nutrition services are a critical component of early childhood programs. This publication provides guidance to preschool programs to help them meet the Connecticut state goal of practicing…

These four newsletter issues provide information on current research and practice to early childhood professionals teaching in the primary grades in Colorado, focusing on readiness of schools for children entering the public school system. The Winter issue focuses on standards of quality for primary programs, and includes discussion of…

This study focused on one southern state's efforts to implement developmentally appropriate practices through a training program for elementary principals. The purposes of the study were to describe the extent to which developmentally appropriate practices were used in grades K-3 in four schools, and to describe the role of the principals in…

Provides several tips for scientists who work with children. Points out the differences between audiences of adults and children and includes a chart of some general characteristics of children by grade levels. (DDR)