A literature review overwhelmingly confirms that children can learn economics. However, successful implementation in the classroom requires the effective use of current research on fundamental learning principles. (CB)

Analysis of two high school economics courses illustrates generalizations that could help guide design of other high school courses involving: (1) high-ability students; (2) introductory economic principles in high school courses; (3) personal and societal economic problems; (4) juniors' and seniors' interest in economics; and (5) emphasis on…

The Johns Hopkins University Economic Education Leadership Program developed a summer program for gifted students focusing on economics education. Internship experiences provided the participating students with opportunities to gain knowledge in economics. (CB)

This article summarizes research regarding economics education relating to how teacher preparation and training influence student understanding, the role of instructional materials in increasing economic understanding, and how attributes of students influence their ability to learn economics. (CB)

After presenting a rationale for the interest in economic attitudes and opinions, this article clarifies distinctions among attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and values and then discusses the measurement of these affective constructs and classroom applications. (CB)

This article presents a conceptual analysis of life in preschool and public school kindergarten classrooms, and explores issues and implications related to the following question: Will children differ in the kinds of students they become based upon whether or not their first school experiences occurred in a preschool or in kindergarten? (Author/JL)

This article compares and contrasts a predominantly White preschool and a predominantly Black Head Start program to determine how education might better serve children who come from different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Research and results are discussed, and suggestions for culturally responsive education are made. (JL)

Children's joint production and maintenance of a peer culture in preschool settings is crucial to their development of a social identity. Theoreticians and researchers should consider what it is actually like to be a child to understand better how children's activities model and prepare them for the adult world. (Author/JL)

This article examines the interactions which occur during several curricular activities to reveal the role expectations children develop. The ordinary social processes of the classroom through which the academic agenda is accomplished are examined. The meaning children and teachers ascribe to various activities is discussed. (JL)

This article focuses on young children's perceptions of teachers and mothers and compares the perceptions of preschool and kindergarten children with respect to the roles of these important adults. It concludes that children's perceptions are socially constructed based on their experiences within the school setting. (Author/JL)

This article examines the abilities children exercise in a variety of record-making activities, including mapping, quantification, and music notation. The ways teachers and educational climates promote different versions of literacy are discussed. Children's conceptions of literacy are examined. (JL)

Children's conceptions about literacy at the end of the first grade were studied. Children learned in one of three language arts curricula. Their skill levels were then compared, and suggestions were made for teachers to help children see reading and writing as holistic skills, beyond their functional necessity. (JL)

Fourteen preschoolers and 82 kindergarteners were asked, "Tell us what you do at school every day." Their answers provide researchers with insight about how children become socialized into school. Researchers might better understand the structure of classroom activities and the expectations that develop in the class. (Auth/JL)

The article offers the beginnings of an alternative paradigm that can be used as a stepping stone to develop more humane evaluation procedures for schools. It identifies the theoretical constructs that underpin an ethnographic evaluation approach and describes using this approach with two school-troubled children. (Author/JL)

Project Spectrum is a pilot project to fuse assessment and the curriculum of preschool and daycare programs. The article reviews standard assessment methods, describes alternative notions of intelligence, and examines the implementation of Project Spectrum in detail. (JL)