Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Preschool Education In Australia, Andrew Dowling, Kate O’Malley

Policy Briefs

Early childhood education (ECE) in Australia will soon experience a ‘radical makeover.’ In 2008, all Australian governments made a commitment through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) that by 2013, all children in the year before formal schooling will have access to high quality early childhood education programs delivered by degreequalified early childhood teachers, for 15 hours per week, 40 weeks of the year, in public, private and community-based preschools and child care. The purpose of this policy brief is to summarise the current structure of preschool in Australia in contemplation of this major policy shift. This paper describes the …

The Impact Of Preschool Education On The Missouri Assessment Program Scores Of Missouri, Alicia Carlinda Shaw

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to do a comparative analysis of Missouri Assessment Program Test (MAP) performance of third grade students in Missouri Bootheel schools. The analysis was designed to answer the following research question: Is there a significant difference in MAP scores of third-grade students who attended publicly funded preschool programs and those who did not attend publicly funded preschool programs? A total of 239 scores were analyzed to determine if a significant difference existed between the two groups. Data were placed in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences program. The mean standard scores for Communication …

Boosting Michigan's Economy Through Educational Improvements, Timothy J. Bartik

Testimonies

No abstract provided.

A Toddler's Development: Analyzing "One Who Walks Unsteadily", Valerie Sharie Davis

XULAneXUS

On April 19, 2009, for exactly two hours, I observed a twenty-four month old toddler at her home, with parents' consent, to fulfill an assignment for a Normal Language Development course. The assignment was to observe a child ranging between the infancy stages to three years old. After observing the child, students were instructed to complete a language analysis sample on every word or phrase that the child produced. This sample was conducted by writing down what the child said and comparing it to what linguistic and motor development researchers expected from a child at the approximate age level observed. …

Utilizing Concept Mapping As A Teaching And Learning Tool To Prepare For The Science Taks Test, Rosa Linda Zuniga

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Concept mapping was used with Donna High School students to determine its effect on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. Concept mapping was used with models such as the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol model (SIOP), the 5- E model, and the Learning Groups model. This measure was taken because the models used have not helped students improve their TAKS scores significantly. The findings of this research reveals that using the process of concept mapping together with the SIOP model helps students clearly see related concepts and motivates them to think more deeply. Students quickly realize what concepts …

Impact Of Preschool Education On Reading Achievement Of Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade Students, Melissa Harvey Clark

Dissertations

This study examines the impact of various types of preschool care and education on the reading achievement of children, kindergarten through fifth grade, who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). The participants in this study are located throughout the United States of America. These students attend public and private schools.

The data for this study were provided by the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The researcher utilized ECLS-K's Public Use Data File and Electronic Codebook to create an SPSS syntax file in order to determine if …

Nebline, November/December 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Middle School Youth on a “Nutrition Mission”
Roasts – Easy to Make for the Holidays and Any Other Time, Too!
Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ Notes—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints: Get a Handle on Holiday Cleaning
Radon—A Health Hazard
Computer Cleaning—Hotspots for Germs
Flexible Cash Lease Provisions
Thistle Control Still Possible This Fall — but Hurry
Use Season-Long Records to Assess Pumping Plant Performance
Diversity is the Key to Attracting Wildlife
Provide Basic Needs to Attract Birds
Relocating Problem Wild Animals: Not as Humane as Most People Think
Evergreen Colors for Winter
Fall Vegetable Garden …

Pilot Test Of A Quality Rating And Improvement System, Elizabeth J. Sandell, Vera G. Azarova, Olga Victorovna Klypa

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

Research Questions:

What quality rating and improvement scale (QRIS) will be useful for improving early childhood education programs in Magadan Region, RU and in Minnesota, US? What is the agreement among raters in RU and in the US, using scores on a QRIS for early childhood education programs in Magadan Region, RU and in Minnesota, US?

Nebline, October 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Extension Helps Establish a Garden at City Mission
Nutrition Classes Focus on Produce from Garden
How to Reduce Energy Cost for Grain Drying
Tree Planting for Success
Successful Composting
$tretch Your Food Dollar by Making Your Own Mixes
Slow Cookers and Food Safety
Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ View—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints: End-of-Summer Cleanup
10 Tips for Parent-Teacher Conferences
Drying Gourds
Growing American Bittersweet
Storing Vegetables
Praying Mantids: Garden Carnivores
Problem Squirrels in Buildings
October's Heart of 4-H Award Winner: Jennifer Cusick-Rawlinson
Nebraska State Fair 4-H Results
Free Speech: UNL Speakers Bureau in 15th …

Nebline, September 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

September is Preparedness Month
Overseeding Lawns
Water Young Trees to Prevent Winter Damage
Winterizing Your Home
Propagating Plants from Cuttings
Just Like Kids, Head Lice are Back in School
When a Bat Gets Indoors
Eating Locally Grown Foods in the Fall
Get Your Grains
Laundry Tips for Back-to-School Garments and Stains
Parent-Teacher Communication
Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ View—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints: Recognize Symptoms of Stress
Ten Tips for Welcoming Wildlife into Your Landscape
Weedy Vines: Identification and Control
Winter Annual Weeds in Lawn
Fall is a Good Time to Control Weeds
September's Heart …

(De)Composing A Garden For Children's Play, Debra Jean Deverell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Kindergarten has been a part of the educational landscape of the United States since 1856, when the first kindergarten opened in Watertown, Wisconsin. If we fast-forward more than a century and a half to the present, it is clear that the landscape composition of the garden-ideologically, culturally, socially, and politically for children's play has drastically changed.

The purpose of this study, (De)Composing a Garden for Children's Play, is to examine kindergartners' play set against changing school polices and practices of recent years in one Colorado school district. Four research questions guided this inquiry:

1. What does kindergarten look like …

The Longitudinal Factor Structure Of Parent Involvement And Its Impact On Academic Achievement: Findings From The Ecls-K Dataset, Hui-Fang Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The critical role of parent involvement has been endorsed by educators and educational policy in the United States. However, various definitions and approaches to assess parent involvement have yielded inconsistent conclusions regarding the impact of parent involvement on child development and failed to provide foundations for practitioners. These contradictory findings, at least in part, reflected that parent involvement is a multidimensional construct which should be captured by many behaviors and activities as well as the limitations of using classical test theory to develop/identify items to assess parent involvement.

This study conducted both CTT and IRT to identify optimal items for …

Nebline, August 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Landscape Water Saving Methods
Natural Sources of Nitrogen for Plant Growth
Commercial Nitrogen Fertilizer Sources
Pumping Water For Ponds
Canning Fruits and Vegetables
Heating With Wood
Fall Prairie Seeding Site Preparation
Handling Food Safely on the Road $tretch Your Food Dollar by Packing Your Lunch Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ View—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints
Financial Security: Consumer Credit
Running Out of Time for Bagworm Control
Harvesting and Preserving Herbs
Summertime Bug Bites
Taking Insect Photos at Spring Creek Prairie
4-H’ers Test Animal Science Skills at PASE
4-H’ers Test Family and Consumer Sciences Skills at …

Utilizing Centers To Enhance My Instruction And Students' Understanding Of Math Concepts, Samantha Rowelle Darden

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Anyone who listens to the news hears many negative comments on the status of education in the United States today. Many say that our standards and the quality of our education have declined. We have fallen behind European and Asian countries. Our requirements and expectations have been lowered. Yet, we have never stepped back to assess what has changed and why. If we had to point to one detail to provide insight into what has changed, we would name the internet. We would call the technology explosion in the 21st century a “singularity”; an event that changes things so fundamentally …

Implementing Differentiated Strategies During Math Instruction, Jessica Cavaleri

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In any elementary school classroom there are students with different abilities, learning styles, and personalities. Teachers need to find a successful way to individualize their teaching in order to benefit every child in the class. I designed this action research study to study the implementation of differentiated strategies in my third grade classroom at Riker Hill Elementary in Livingston, New Jersey. My class consists of 22 students during Math instruction. I studied the use of differentiated instructional techniques through the implementation of specific strategies, including group work, attending to multiple learning styles, and the use of centers. I implemented the …

Nebline, July 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Lancaster Rural Water District: Providing Water to Acreages and Villages for 35 Years
Watch for Blister Beetles in Alfalfa
Use of Copper Compounds to Control Algae in Farm Ponds
Two-Spotted Spider Mites
Water Conservation at Home Begins in the Bathroom, Laundry Room
Harvesting Rainwater Helps Conserve Water and Save Money
What to Do with Zucchini!
Fruits Are Good Source of Nutrients
Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ View—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints: Environmental and Energy Saving Tips When Washing Dishes
Learn the Signs/Act Early Autism Awareness
Summer Safety Tips
There is Still Time to Control Bagworms …

Distributional Effects Of Early Childhood Programs And Business Incentives And Their Implications For Policy, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This is a draft of a chapter of a planned book, Preschool and Jobs: Human Development as Economic Development, and Vice Versa [subsequently published as Investing in Kids, 2011]. This book analyzes early childhood programs effects on regional economic development. This chapter considers the effects of early childhood programs and business incentives on the income distribution. A key issue is whether early childhood programs should be targeted on the poor, or made universally available for free. Relevant considerations in addressing this issue include how benefits of early childhood programs benefit with family income, and the political feasibility of targeted versus …

Introduction: Easing Labor Market Troubles In The Short Run And Developing A Skilled Workforce In The Long Run: Some Ideas

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Why Universal Preschool Is Really A Labor Market Program, Timothy J. Bartik

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Nebline, June 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Proper Timing Crucial for Bagworm Control
Enjoy Eating Locally Grown Foods!
Drink Your “D” with Dairy
Resurgence in Farmers’ Markets is Good News
Follow Guidelines when Selling Crops Directly to Consumers
Ten Lawn Irrigation Tips
Determining and Sharing Irrigation Costs
When to Harvest Bromegrass Hay
Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ View—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints: Air Conditioner Maintenance
June — National Safety Month
Ten Tips for Fertilizing Your Lawn
Bagworms on a Variety of Plants
Bed Bug Bites
Bed Bug Interceptors
4-H Life Challenge Contests
Lancaster County 4-H Horse VIPS Pre-Districts Format Clinic/Show/Fundraiser
4-H Clover …

How Policymakers Should Deal With The Delayed Benefits Of Early Childhood Programs, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This is a draft of a chapter of a planned book, Preschool and Jobs: Human Development as Economic Development, and Vice Versa [subsequently published as Investing in Kids, 2011]. This chapter considers a problem with early childhood programs: their effects on earnings are mostly long-delayed. The delay occurs because most earnings effects are on former child participants. The chapter considers appropriate discounting of benefits and how the upfront costs of early childhood programs can be delayed or reduced. It also addresses how the long-run benefits of early childhood programs can be moved up or increased.

Authentic Assessment Versus Traditional Assessment: A Comparative Study, Nikki Brawley

Honors Theses

Assessment is defined as "almost any form of measurement and appraisal of what students know and can do." These forms can include, but are not limited to: tests, reports, observations, and questioning. There are two main subgroups used when describing assessment: trasitional and alternative. The term traditional assessment refers to a paper and pencil based test used to determine what a student knows and can recall, i.e. the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests (PACT). The term alternative assessment refers to "almost any type of assessment other than standardized tests." (McAfee & Leong, 2-3) This subgroup can be divided into various types …

Early Childhood Public School Teacher Licensure For The Fifty States And Washington, D.C.: An Inquiry To Ascertain Student Age Ranges For Public School Teacher Licensure May 2009, R. Caudle Jones, S. Martin, M. Crandall

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

There is a need for birth through kindergarten (B-K) public school licensure in the state of Arkansas. In Arkansas, licensure for teachers of young children is for pre-kindergarten through fourth grade (P-4). Teachers who receive P-4 licenses are often less prepared to work with children under age six than with older children. A more appropriate license would be a B-K license. A teacher with B-K licensure would be prepared to meet the emotional, social, physical, and cognitive needs of young children. This document is an inquiry to ascertain student age ranges for public school teacher licensure in the fifty states …

Impact Of Flash Animation In Learning Concepts Of Matter Among Elementary Students, Rhodora S. Santos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines the instructional effect of flash animation on students' achievement in learning specific concepts of matter. The subjects used in this study were 5th-grade students of the researcher from Dan Ramirez Elementary. Each class or section of these students was randomly assigned as the control group (n = 20) and the experimental group (n =20). The subjects in the control group were exposed to traditional textbook reading while the subjects in the experimental group were exposed to flash animation. To measure the students' achievement from the concepts learned, a pre-test and a post test were both administered to …

Nebline, May 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Bed Bugs Come Back with a Vengeance: Controlling Them Quickly is Key to Slowing Their Spread
Bird Watching: A Little Backyard Therapy
May is Time to Control Leafy Spurge
Recognize/Control Phragmites
Getting the Most Out of CRP
Gluten-Free Sorghum Recipes
Eat a Variety of Vegetables
Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ View—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints: Removing Pollen Stains
May is Clean Air Month: Important Asthma Triggers
Encourage Communication Within the Family
Hand Picking Bagworms an Effective Control
ReTree Nebraska: Important to Diversify When Replanting
Managing Aquatic Plant Life
Using Animal Manure in the Garden
Control …

Against The Tide: Household Structure, Opportunities, And Outcomes Among White And Minority Youth, Carolyn J. Hill, Harry J. Holzer, Henry Chen

Upjohn Press

The authors examine the effects of household structure on young adults and how these effects might have contributed to the negative trends in educational and employment outcomes observed for young minorities over time.

Social And Economic Indicators Typifying The Community's Health, George A. Erickcek, Bridget Timmeney, Brad R. Watts, Brian Pittelko

Reports

No abstract provided.

Nebline, April 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Urban Youth Learn About Agriculture at Local Ag Awareness Festivals
Renting Livestock Facilities
Is Sainfoin Right For You?
Wind Energy Seminars Archived on the Web
Backyard Organic Gardens Need Work but Have Increased Benefits
Pre-emergent Herbicide Application Time
Act Early to Control Musk Thistles
Study Shows Transplanted Trees Grow Better Without Grass Nearby
Eat Your Breakfast— Your Body will Thank You!
Easter Egg Tips
Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ View—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints: Housekeeping Organization
Wring Out the Old; Bring in the New: Debunking Some Common Cleaning Practices
Boost Your Child’s Brain Power
Children …

Women, Work, And Welfare Reform, Kristin S. Seefeldt

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Teacher, School, And Student Characteristics, Theoretical Orientations Toward Reading, Attitudes Toward High Stakes Testing, And Reading Performance In Grades K-6, Dianne Memmer-Novak

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

High stakes testing and accountability has become a hotly debated topic among politicians and educators since the bipartisan passing of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2002. With the goal of having all students reading at or above grade level by the end of the 2013-2014 school year Reading First was developed as part of NCLB, to provide schools and teachers with scientific research-based reading instruction.

More than districts or schools, it is the classroom teacher that bears the ultimate responsibility for increasing reading performance. Effective teachers of reading must face the demands and challenges of NCLB while …