TWO MAIN METHODS OF APPROACH IN UNDERSTANDING THE SCHOLASTIC FAILURE OF CULTURALLY DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN WERE--THE USE OF SUCH TEACHING METHODS AS TEXTBOOKS, WORKBOOKS, TEACHERS' GUIDEBOOKS, AND OTHER TEACHING AIDS SUITED TO THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF THESE CHILDREN, AND THE USE OF EXPERIMENTS ON THE KINDERGARTEN LEVEL AIMED AT FINDING WAYS TO DEVELOP THE NECESSARY ABILITIES AND TO IMPART THE REQUIRED INFORMATION TO THESE CHILDREN IN AN EFFORT TO BOOST SCHOLASTIC CAPABILITY AND MINIMIZE EARLY SCHOOL FAILURE. THIS WAS CALLED A PLANNED PROGRAM OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE KINDERGARTEN. THE BASIC PROBLEM IN WORKING WITH CHILDREN FROM UNDERPRIVILEDGED HOMES WAS THE RAPIDITY WITH WHICH THEY SHIFT FROM ONE LINE ON THOUGHT TO ANOTHER, FROM ONE ACTIVITY TO ANOTHER, AND FROM ONE FEELING TO ANOTHER. THUS WAYS AND MEANS THAT WOULD HELP THE CHILD EMBODY THOSE SCATTERED FACTS, EXPERIENCES, AND WORDS INTO NEW, MEANINGFUL CONCEPTS WERE SOUGHT. SOCIODRAMATIC PLAY WAS THE BEST AND MOST NATURAL INSTRUMENT FOR HELPING PRESCHOOL CHILDREN COMBINE THEIR SCATTERED EXPERIENCES, FACTS, AND CONCEPTS, SOCIODRAMATIC PLAY WAS A FORM OF SOCIAL PLAY ACTIVITY PARTICIPATED IN BY SOME PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF A CHILD FROM THE MIDDLE HIGHER SOCIOCULTURAL STRATUM DIFFERED IN MANY RESPECTS FROM THAT OF A CHILD FROM THE LOWER SOCIOCULTURAL STRATUM. THE DIFFERENCE STEMMED MAINLY FROM THE QUALITY OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN PARENT AND CHILD, THUS IT WAS ASSUMED THAT DEPRIVATION IN THIS AREA COULD BE RECOGNIZED AND PARTLY OVERCOME IN THE NURSERY AND KINDERGARTEN. THIS LECTURE WAS PRESENTED TO THE AMERICAN ORTHOPSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION (NEW YORK, MARCH 1965).