An important achievement for all students is the ability to function independently throughout the school day. For students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), activities that other students may find easy, such as transitioning from one location to the next, organizing their learning materials, and completing assigned activities, can be very…

This paper focuses on the pedagogical responsibilities of parents and schools, as well as the care provided by socializing agencies and local communities. A review of the literature has been carried out on the tasks of schools and parents and the relations between education, parenting and care in a changing society in eight countries: the…

Education policy makers identify access to quality pre-Kindergarten programs as a critical step in early childhood development. While most agree on access, definitions of quality vary widely. A new study by the National Center for Early Development & Learning (NCEDL) finds that families define quality in broader terms than educators, researchers…

In families with two working parents, fathers make important contributions to children's early language skills. Results from a new study by FPG Child Development Institute show that children whose fathers' vocabulary was more varied when they were two, had greater language skills at age three. Mother's vocabulary was not found to have a…

This article reports findings from a qualitative interview study that examined the provision of integrated kindergarten education for children with disabilities from the perspectives of general education teachers implementing integrated kindergarten programs. Analysis of interviews with eight informants led to the identification of two broad…

More children than ever are in care centers, and child care experiences of infants and toddlers are believed to have a powerful and lasting impact on children's well-being. A team of researchers from the FPG Child Development Institute created a study to examine the effects that transitions have on children's behavior and observable stress when…

Recently, policy makers have begun to insist on evidence showing whether public investment in programs for children has achieved its desired results. No longer will it be sufficient to show that programs are meeting established standards for practice or that families are satisfied with services. Data are needed to show that services are effective.…

Providing families with information about infant sleep can positively impact parents' well-being and infants' sleep habits. Few parents receive professionally based information about sleep, perhaps due to contradictory information found in the literature. This review summarizes: (1) normative sleep patterns for infants; (2) factors that affect…

Family literacy is frequently taken to mean involving parents in helping to teach their children school-type literacy tasks in the home (for example, Hannon, 2000; Poulson Macleod Bennett, and Wray, 1996). This article presents the case for an alternative approach to family and community involvement in school-based literacy tasks by drawing on the…

In this chapter we explore the phenomenon of "girls fighting like guys" by listening to adolescent girls' justification for physical fighting with other girls. We argue that physical girlfighting is a particular kind of gendered performance--a performance of identity that expresses, at least in part, an answer to the question, "Who am I?"--that…

This "snapshot" presents a review of a new family literacy handbook. Edited by Dr. Barbara Wasik of the FPG Child Development Institute, "The Handbook of Family Literacy" provides scholars, students, policymakers and practitioners (both inside and outside the field) with a valuable snapshot of its current boundaries and rapidly growing content.…

Introduces this thematic issue of CHILD DEVELOPMENT which addresses schooling and child development. (PCB)

Reviews the literature on the effects of summer programs, and offers a reinterpretation of the role of summer learning in cognitive development. (PCB)

Reviews research on developmental and motivational perspectives on cooperative learning. Presents a theory which reconciles these perspectives and emphasizes the role of group rewards for individual learning in motivating students to provide high-quality assistance to their group-mates. (PCB)

This study explored the transition from preschool to kindergarten and identified factors that predict children's social and school adjustment in new school environments. (PCB)