Squandering America S Future Why Ece Policy Matters For Equality Our Economy And Our Children

“This remarkable book manages to pinpoint the critical issues in the care and education of young children with up-to-date research, and all of this in a pleasurable and lively style. This needs to be read widely, and right away.” —Deborah Meier, MacArthur award–winning public school teacher, principal, and author “An ambitious book, unlike any other in early childhood policy . . . a must-read for all who care about kids.” —Nancy Carlsson-Paige, professor emerita, Lesley University “Susan Ochshorn . . . shows us how a few dedicated people, schools, agencies, and institutions have made a difference in children’s lives—a difference that is enhancing early development in this generation and those to come.” —Samuel J. Meisels, founding executive director, Buffett Early Childhood Institute University of Nebraska “Indispensable for policymakers, educators, and all who care about our future.” —Riane Eisler, social scientist, attorney, and author “Sharp eyed, warm, and lively—a delightful read on a dead-serious topic.” —Janet Gornick, professor of political science and sociology, City University of New York “An urgent call to action that could change the course of the nation’s future.” —Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education, Stanford University “A kaleidoscope of stories and statistics to illustrate the profound injustices we are visiting on our children and the corresponding injuries we are inflicting on ourselves. We can only hope that Squandering America’s Future will help to turn the tide.” —Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New America

“Offers hope through its rich and abundant examples of teachers, parents, and others who care for young children mindfully taking the time to address issues of continuity in everyday life.” —From the Foreword by Beth Blue Swadener, Arizona State University “After reading this book, it is not possible to think about these ideas simplistically again.” —Virginia Casper, Bank Street College of Education “This examination gives voice to an important but often unexamined issue in early childhood education.” —Christopher P. Brown, The University of Texas at Austin Children’s experiences when they transition from home to school, from classroom to classroom, and from school to school raise issues of continuity that permeate every aspect of early childhood education. This book uses practitioner stories to investigate beliefs about continuity and discontinuity and how these beliefs are enacted in contexts for young children from birth to age 8. The authors examine a range of continuities and discontinuities, including the experiences children, teachers, and families have with programs; the interactions between families and schools; and the ways in which programs and schools relate to one another. They also raise questions about primary caregiving, cultural responsiveness, assessment practices, and congruity between institutions. Discussions of each story include the authors’ interpretations, references to relevant theory, questions for reflection, and implications for intentional and thoughtful practice. Book Features: Represents the first comprehensive volume to unpack the complex topic of continuity. Provides a critical analysis of continuity based on real stories from practitioners and parents.\ Illuminates the work of early childhood educators on the individual, group, organizational, and systems levels. Encourages readers to carefully consider their roles as educators of young children.

This book draws on a half century of efforts (1960s to the present) to forge a consensus that early education is a public responsibility in the United States. While that consensus has not yet been achieved, recent progress provides a platform for identifying new strategies, based on lessons learned. Transforming the American primary school, starting with threes and fours and ending at age ten (PreK-5) is the focusof First Things First. This book calls attention to the relative neglect of primary or elementary education in the recurring waves of education reform that have targeted middle and high schools. First Things First also points to the chaos generated when PreK is added onto the K-12 grades without attention to its ramifications for the later grades, especially Kindergarten. The book will also briefly address what should happen before PreK (Birth to Three) and after Grade 5, including middle and high school reform, to position the new primary school in an educational enterprise that is committed to life-long learning.

This volume discusses 14 different types of disasters and their implications on the social, emotional and academic development of young children, from birth through age eight. It focuses on human-related crises and disasters such as community violence exposure; war and terrorism; life in military families; child trafficking; parent migration; radiation disasters; HIV/AIDS; and poverty. The environment-related disasters addressed in this book include hunger; hurricanes; earthquakes; frostbites; wildfires; and tornadoes. The volume includes suggestions for interventions, such as using picture books with young children in coping with natural disasters and human crises. In addition, each chapter provides research-based strategies for early childhood and related professionals to be used in the classroom. Many children in our world today experience some type of disasters and/or crises. These crises or disasters can either be human- or environment-related and can interrupt children’s daily lives. They often negatively impact children’s development, education, and safety. Bringing together authors representing a variety of countries including Australia, Canada, China, Finland, Haiti, Hungary, Kenya, USA, and Zimbabwe, this book provides truly global perspectives on the various types of disasters and their implications for our work with young children.

Teaching the lessons of New York's most famous public school, Deborah Meier provides a widely acclaimed vision for the future of public education. With a new preface reflecting on the school's continuing success.

Covers childcare centres, vouchers, subsidies, out-of-school care, parental leave and flexible working.

In Central and Eastern European countries, inequalities for Roma families living in marginalized communities start early and are striking. Some of these inequalities reflect hard-wired family circumstances such as being born in poverty. Others reflect lack of opportunities such as limited access to those basic goods and services that are necessary not only for realizing one's potential in life, but also for living with dignity. Gaps between Roma and non-Roma widen over the lifecycle in a way that reinforces and perpetuates disadvantage and translates into significantly unequal outcomes, despite the fact that Roma report having similar aspirations to those of their non-Roma neighbors. Promoting equal opportunities for disadvantaged Roma is not only an imperative for societies that want to call themselves fair, but it is also a smart economic choice, especially in those countries where populations are aging rapidly. Investing early, with a particular emphasis on supporting healthy and cognitive development for disadvantaged Roma children, is likely to go a long way in promoting fair chances. However, leveling the playing field in childhood is likely not enough: disadvantaged Roma continue being exposed to unequal opportunities at key nodes in their lives, such as when pursuing education or when looking for a job. Therefore, it is as important that a broader set of policies address some of the circumstances in which a large share of Roma children grow up, including access to employment and decent living conditions for their families. Implementing interventions that help overcome these interrelated barriers will require strong ownership at the national level, coordinated policies across different ministries and government levels, and an integrated delivery system that is grounded in approaches that are customized to local conditions and implemented in a participatory manner. Good practices in Europe and elsewhere show that inclusion of the most disadvantaged - including many Roma - is possible and the current programming cycle for European Funds represents a unique opportunity to fund such interventions.