Book Description

Collected are 68 articles on a wide range of topics related to the education of young children in the schools. Section One offers historical perspectives of early childhood education. Section Two samples policy decisions about present and future issues, especially those with economic, social, and philosophical importance. Section Three explores issues, trends, and directions related to unanswered questions and sources of conflict and choice in early education. Section Four goes to the heart of the issues by focusing on preschool programs. Section Five, which concerns curriculum issues, aims to provoke thought by exploring what to teach, and why, how, and how not to teach it. Evidence and evaluation are discussed in Section Six, which summarizes some of what is known and what should be evaluated in the future. Section Seven explores both research and common-sense frameworks for thinking about electronic technology, particularly computers, for early childhood programs. Section Eight concerns parent involvement and partnerships between parents and teachers. Section Nine, which advocates nonviolent childhood, discusses child behavior and discipline. Section Ten probes future issues. Discussion questions are included at the end of each article. Numerous acknowledgements, footnotes, and references are listed by article in the final 33 pages of the book. (RH)