The book describes the setting, objectives, program, evaluation and achievement of six innovative action-research early childhood education projects for Aboriginal Australian children, traces various previous attempts to provide education, and provides an historical background of the estimated 140,000 Aboriginal people who make up 1% of Australia's total population. Based on the North American compensatory education model, the Bourke Project, in 1969, chose an experimental methodology and then devised an appropriate teaching program to fit the methodology. Also begun in 1969, the New South Wales van Leer Project established 12 centers, now operated by Aboriginal people, where parents provide learning experiences for themselves and their children. Functioning between 1969 and 1972, the Victorian van Leer Project developed experimental Aboriginal preschools in contrasting rural and urban settings. The South Australian van Leer Project established two preschools in 1969 to prepare children for more effective entry into the formal school setting. The Katherine Project, operating from 1970 to 1973, emphasized development of language and communicative skills by Aboriginal children in the first four primary grades. The Queensland van Leer Project, initiated in 1968 and since implemented in all Aboriginal schools throughout the state, developed a sequenced language teaching program for the first three primary grades. (NEC)