Find out what the research says about common early childhood program practices, such as playing "Simon Says" or holding children while feeding them—time-tested activities you intuitively know help young children. Social and Emotional Development explores the effectiveness of these early learning tools and helps answer the question, "Why do we do what we do?" Children in child care centers often spend large chunks of time on activities without an obvious academic component, such as learning to dance to different tempos. Research shows, however, that these activities promote children’s social and emotional development. This practical and accessible book explains the research behind many common, wise early childhood practices, as well as the shortcomings of others. Key topics include: How to help children form a strong attachment with an adult and foster a feeling of security. The importance of peer relationships and how to help children learn to take turns, develop empathy, and not act selfishly. Three forms of self-regulation: controlling impulsive behavior, developing problem-solving ability, and learning to regulate emotions.

America faces a crisis in education and its accompanying effects on the nation's economic and social life. Educators and policy makers need to document the extent of this crisis, to gauge its potential impact, and to develop educational strategies that would boost achievement; this has turned the spotlight on educational assessment - the procedures, practices, and tools that educators use to measure the progress of students, both as individuals and groups. This book deals with a range of issues within the field of educational assessment, with an emphasis on those issues that have sparked the public policy debate in recent years. Much of this volume concerns itself with the impact of testing on various subgroups of the population - blacks, Hispanics, young children, and children considered to be of `below average' ability. Taken together, the contributions to this volume represent a broad range of views on differential test performance. (This book is part of the subseries of books based on the Ford Foundation's National Commission on Testing and Public Policy. Previous titles in this program include Gifford & Wing/Test in Defense, Gifford & O'Connor/Changing Assessments, Gifford/Test Policy and the Politics of Opportunity Allocation, and Gifford/Test Policy and Test Performance.)

Are there ways to intervene early in a child's life that might reduce, at a reasonable cost, the probability of his becoming a serious delinquent? The results of some small-scale social experiments have been published suggesting that certain kinds of preschool education and parent training might have desirable and lasting effects. In addition, there is growing evidence that some kinds of medical intervention and certain forms of school organization and ethos could help reduce the rate of misconduct. The authors provide a full-scale assessment of the evidence that might lead to the design of new research and action efforts.

Now part of a two-volume set, the fully revised and updated second edition of The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Infant Development, Volume 2: Applied and Policy Issues provides comprehensive coverage of the applied and policy issues relating to infant development. Updated, fully-revised and expanded, this two-volume set presents in-depth and cutting edge coverage of both basic and applied developmental issues during infancy Features contributions by leading international researchers and practitioners in the field that reflect the most current theories and research findings Includes editor commentary and analysis to synthesize the material and provide further insight The most comprehensive work available in this dynamic and rapidly growing field

The diverse composition of American families and changing ways of raising our children have become subjects of intense scrutiny by researchers and policymakers in recent years. Shifting demographics and work patterns, growing numbers of women in the work force, teenage pregnancy, single-parent families, and the deinstitutionalization of the elderly, disabled, and mentally ill--all these trends have significantly affected family life. Evaluating Family Programs effectively bridges the gap between researchers and practitioners in order to bring practical, understandable advice to providers of family programs and to program funders and policymakers. Heather B. Weiss and Francine H. Jacobs have collected in this volume works which move outside the traditional approaches of their disciplines to create new models for delivering and evaluating services. This sets a mood of genuine inquiry and excitement about successful aspects of programs while maintaining openness about the limitations of both research and practice. By expanding the research model, this work is an attempt to understand reciprocal influences of extended family, culture, community, and social institutions. It urges those who advocate program accountability to understand that not all types of evaluations are appropriate for all programs, and it notes that limitations in current evaluation technologies make it difficult to evaluate outcomes. Evaluating Family Programs reminds the reader that in order to develop sound family policy we must look at children and families in context. Beacuse policymakers, program administrators, and informed citizens have come to rely more upon the results of evaluation research, we must improve our methods while not losing sight of its limitations. It is a thought-provoking contribution to the efforts of those who seek to support the American family with compassion, understanding, and realism.