THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION

# 

# Contents

About the Institute 3

National Education Research and Development

Centers Program 6

Field-Initiated Studies Program Research Program (FIS) 15

The Institute\'s Sponsored Research Projects 41

Interagency Education Research Initiative (IERI) 47

21st Century Community Learning Centers 54

Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE) 57

Ready-to-Learn Television 65

Early Childhood Institute Staff Directory 68

State Listing of Projects by State 69

# About the Institute

###### Who Are We?

The National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education
(ECI, Early Childhood Institute) was created to carry out a
comprehensive program of research, development, and dissemination to
improve early childhood development, learning, and education.

###### Where Are We Located?

The Early Childhood Institute is part of the Office of Educational
Research and Improvement (OERI) within the U.S. Department of Education.

###### What Do We Believe?

The Three Rs of Early Childhood Education

When people think of the three Rs, Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic come
to mind. Long before children enter school, three other Rs build the
foundation for later success. At the U.S. Department of Education's
Early Childhood Institute, we support research and share information
about the three Rs of early childhood education: readiness,
relationships, and resilience. The three R's of early childhood are an
integrated part of healthy, strong child development and learning.

###### *Readiness*

Readiness for school has many parts. School readiness means that young
children have had experiences and opportunities that build foundations
for good learning and school success. Young children's language,
literacy, and reading foundations are developing in environments that
have books, printed words, and rich conversations. They learn to
recognize letters of the alphabet, begin to understand that letters have
sounds, and then recognize that letters and sounds make words. The
children have experiences that

build number, color, and shape recognition and discrimination. Readiness
is stimulated when children's cognitive development is nurtured by the
adults who spend their days with them.

In addition, getting "ready for school" requires good health, positive
relationships, enriching educational activities, and schools that are
ready to help every child succeed at the highest levels. These are the
ingredients that: (a) build young children's language and literacy
competencies needed to become successful, independent readers; (b)
develop problemsolving skills; and (c) foster later academic
achievement.

The Early Childhood Institute supports activities that identify the
various ingredients of readiness and activities that increase each
family's and community's ability to prepare every child for a successful
experience in an excellent, welcoming school.

###### *Relationships*

Loving relationships in early childhood with parents and other adults
build young children\'s security and confidence in themselves as capable
learners. Parents are their children\'s first teachers. In the early
years, parents create important learning attitudes and build essential
skills. Outside the family, excellent early childhood teachers are the
key to quality education. The Early Childhood Institute supports
research activities that tell us how relationships can support and
strengthen children\'s development and learning.

###### *Resilience*

What helps a child meet challenges successfully? All children face
challenges, but many children face the greater obstacles of violence,
poverty, bias, or disability. The Early Childhood Institute wants to
learn why some children overcome obstacles better than others, and why
some children are more resilient than others. We also want to know what
adults can do to help young children reach their full potential. The
Early Childhood Institute supports activities that strengthen
children\'s resilience and improve their learning environments so that
all young children have the tools they need for success.

This *Directory* contains the projects and programs that the Early
Childhood Institute funded from March 2, 1996, through August 31, 2005.
Several of the studies will end in 2001; others will continue for up to
3 more years. Since our funding changes regularly, we update this
*Directory* every year. We hope that you take an interest in the
projects listed here, and that you will follow them as the results of
their work are made known. All of the work described in the *Directory*
adds to the knowledge base on how to improve young children\'s learning
and development.

For more information about projects not contained in the *Directory*,
either call the contact person listed, or visit our Home Page
(www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ECI).

# National Education Research 

# and Development Centers Program

The National Education Research and Development Centers Program provides
assistance to institutions of higher education to establish centers that
will carry out long-term research and development that will address
nationally significant problems and issues in American education.

This program provides a stable foundation for sustained research and
development on the core issues and concerns regarding the development
and education of young children. The Early Childhood Institute supports
two research centers.

The National Center for Early Development and Learning is fully funded
by the Early Childhood Institute. The Center for the Improvement of
Early Reading Achievement is a collaborative funding activity with
OERI\'s National Institute on Student Achievement, Assessment, and
Curriculum.

## The National Center for Early 

## Development and Learning

## (NCEDL)

### Contact: Richard Clifford and Donna Bryant

### Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center

### 105 Smith Level Road

### Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599--8180

### Phone: (919) 962--4737

### Fax: (919) 962--7328

### E-mail: <dickclifford@unc.edu> or <bryant@unc.edu> 

### Web site: [http://www.NCEDL.org](http://www.NCEDL.org/) 

#### Focus:

The Office of Educational Research and Improvement has funded the
National Center for Early Development and Learning to conduct a
multistate study of U.S. pre-kindergarten (pre-k) programs. For this
study, "pre-k" includes center-based programs for 4-year-olds that are
fully or partially funded by education agencies, and that are operated
in schools or under the direction of state and local education agencies.
Several surveys of state pre-k programs have been conducted, but this
will be the first multistate study to include extensive classroom
observations, child assessments, and kindergarten follow-up. This study
will generate completely new data about the nations pre-k programs.

The study will take place in approximately six states selected from
among states that have committed significant resources to pre-k
initiatives. States will be selected to maximize diversity with regard
to geography, program settings (public school or community setting), and
program intensity (full day vs. part day). Within each state, there will
be a sample of approximately 40 classrooms selected for observation and
teacher interviews, and approximately 4 children in each classroom for
individual assessment. Data collection will begin in the fall of 2001
and end in the spring of 2003, following children from the beginning of
pre-k through the end of kindergarten.

A collaborative team of researchers from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of California at Los Angeles,
and the University of Virginia will conduct this study. Key pre-k
administrators from each participating state, and national early
childhood experts, will comprise an advisory group that will meet
annually to evaluate progress, discuss preliminary results, and
strategize about next steps. Within each state, a team of data
collectors will conduct the observations, interviews, and assessments.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

This information about how public schools are supporting young
children's learning and development will provide the early childhood
community with new knowledge in several key areas:

pre-k teacher education and training;

-   practices teachers use in the classroom and how they relate to the
    acquisition of language literacy, mathematics, and science
    competencies, and social-emotional development;

-   community partnerships for funding early learning programs;

-   effective strategies for disseminating early childhood education
    information to teachers, policymakers, and parents; and

-   impact of pre-k programs on early education and development.

The results of this research will provide guidance to public
policymaking at the state and local level, and to practice at the school
and classroom level. While the data collected will not provide a precise
description of child outcomes and classroom quality at the level of each
state, it will give participating states a broad picture of their
current pre-k and kindergarten programs.

#### State Selection:

The selections will be based on geographic diversity, program settings,
and intensity, creating a target (rather than nationally representative)
sample. A Constituent Advisory Board will be established, consisting of
personnel from the

participating states and local education agencies, as well as
interdisciplinary research partners. This group will provide overall
guidance and advice to NCEDL staff in the design, implementation, and
dissemination activities of the study. In addition, state-specific
guidance on project design and dissemination will be sought through
annual meetings of a statewide constituency advisory board in each
participating state, consisting of pre-k leaders, teachers, and parent
representatives.

#### Information to be Collected About States and Programs:

Information will be collected within each of the six states in order to
thoroughly describe the nature and extent of the school-linked pre-k
programs because information regarding basic operations of pre-k
services in school-related programs is currently unavailable, and many
states have not systematically compiled this information. This
information will be used to provide important context about the state's
programs, as well as to decide how to select the specific pre-k programs
and classrooms that will be asked to participate in the study. The NCEDL
team will use existing data, document reviews, phone interviews, and
possibly new surveys to obtain information about: (1) level of services,
(2) numbers of children served, (3) proportion of children receiving
services, (4) class size, (5) financial support (both from the education
agency as well as other sources of support), (6) professional
development opportunities, (7) curriculum and materials, (8) facilities
and equipment, (9) transportation, and (10) administrative support. This
phase of the study will provide policymakers and early childhood
community leaders with much needed descriptive information concerning
the role of public schools in young children's lives. In addition, these
data will help decide how to best select the classrooms in the states
that will be asked to participate in the study.

#### Information to be Collected About the General Quality of Classroom Services and Specific Instructional Practices:

Detailed quantitative and qualitative information will be gathered about
what is actually happening in the pre-k and kindergarten classrooms.
This data will provide insight into what early childhood teachers think
about child development and how they actually teach, including
instructional practices around literacy, mathematics

concepts, and social-emotional competencies. Additionally, the data will
provide information about the practices teachers and schools use to help
young children make the transition from pre-k to kindergarten. Research
on transition issues was an integral part of NCEDL's work during its
first 5 years and will continue to be the primary focus in the years to
come since transition to kindergarten is a major event in a child's life
and can affect educational success.

Within the 40 classrooms in each participating state, carefully trained
data collectors will conduct classroom observations and teacher
interviews twice each year. Surveys may be used with
administrators/principals, as well as parents. These data should provide
early childhood teachers and administrators, policymakers, families, and
teacher educators with new knowledge as to how teachers' professional
development/training experiences match actual classroom practices and
provide a thorough description of pre-k and kindergarten classroom
environments.

#### Information to be Gathered about Children:

Within each participating pre-k classroom, approximately four randomly
selected children will be assessed using an appropriate battery of
individual instruments to measure language, literacy, mathematics, and
related concept development, as well as social competence. A variety of
standardized and nonstandardized assessments are being reviewed, and
input from the Constituent Advisory Board will be helpful in selecting
assessment tools. In addition, NCEDL staff will seek consultation on
appropriate measures and strategies to use when assessing young children
whose primary language is not English.

The pre-k child assessments will be conducted in the fall and spring of
2001--02. The same children will be followed into kindergarten in the
fall and spring of 2002--03. These data will help understand whether the
specific practices employed by pre-k teachers will make a difference in
the transition to kindergarten. The data will also provide an
understanding as to how pre-k programs help prepare young children to be
successful in kindergarten. This approach will allow for a much clearer
understanding of the relationship between specific instructional
practices in pre-k and kindergarten classes, and the various components
of child outcomes under investigations.

#### Dissemination:

A strong dissemination effort is planned, commensurate with the
importance of the NCEDL Pre-kindergarten Study. The project-wide and
within-state constituent advisory boards will provide guidance about the
most effective strategies for reaching the primary target audiences
(teachers, teacher aides, administrators, policymakers, and parents). In
addition, after the pre-k data collection, the pre-k teachers and aids
that participated in the study will be invited to share their ideas
about disseminating the information to those that need it to effect
change. The Web site developed during NCEDL's initial funding period,
press releases and press conferences, as well as a variety of print
resources will also be used. The key work will continue to be published
through quality peer reviewed journals.

#### 

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935

#### Award No: R307A600004

#### Project Period: 03/02/96--02/28/01; renewal through 02/28/04 

## Center for the Improvement 

## of Early Reading Achievement 

## (CIERA)

### Contact: Susan Neuman

### University of Michigan

### 610 E. University, Room 1600 SEB

### Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109--1259

### Phone: (734) 763--6718

### Fax: (734) 615--4858

### E-mail: <dbirdy@umich.edu>

### Web site: [http://www.ciera.org](http://www.ciera.org/)

#### Focus and Mission of the Center:

Learning to read is a critical aspect of school success. Further
research on learning to read and teaching reading is required for
informed decisionmaking by families and communities, teachers,
administrators, and policymakers facing increasingly diverse student
populations, rapidly changing technologies, higher literacy needs in
business and industry, and shrinking budgets.

The University of Michigan, in collaboration with Michigan State
University, is creating a research agenda to improve the early reading
achievement of children. The goal is to use their collective knowledge
and resources to help teachers, children, and parents become immersed in
reading, excited about reading, and skilled at reading. CIERA's mission
is to improve the reading achievement of America\'s children by
generating and disseminating theoretical, empirical, and practical
solutions to persistent problems in the learning and teaching of
beginning reading.

The University of Michigan collaborative research studies include basic
research on fundamental processes of reading. The Center will conduct
research and development on the specifications of those features of
curriculum and instruction that are essential to success in early
reading, including oral and written language as

forms of communication. Of central focus are the concepts that readers
interact with the text, and the need to understand the dynamics of
developing skills and knowledge that allow children to break the code
and understand messages in print. The Center will focus on helping
children who come to school with characteristics that may indicate risk
for school failure, problems such as poverty, motivation, language
differences, and lack of literacy support at home. They will study how
resilient children overcome these circumstances. The Center will also
examine the surrounding contexts that influence children\'s early
reading. Specifically, they will investigate successful reading
practices that link home and schools, provide community resources for
family reading, and establish solid foundations with effective preschool
activities. They will follow examples of best practices of their teacher
partners throughout the nation as they examine effective teaching of
reading in early primary grades and disseminate the results to
educators.

The University of Michigan collaborative will study programs of teacher
education to understand how to prepare new teachers to teach reading
effectively, and how staff development programs can be enhanced.
Finally, they will examine the influences of policies, standards,
assessments, and interventions established by state and federal
agencies.

The Center will study how these imposed expectations and programs affect
how teachers provide reading instruction and how children respond to
them. Their proposed studies analyze the impact on all levels of
stakeholders so that they understand the myriad of contextual influences
on children who are beginning to read.

In order to accomplish the Center\'s mission, the University of Michigan
collaboration has organized its programs of work into six strands: the
reader and the process of reading acquisition; individual differences;
home, school, and community environments; classrooms and schools;
teacher development and student achievement in early reading; and policy
and assessment.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

This Center will work collaboratively on a series of research projects
and development activities that gain power from bringing a variety of
disciplines and research traditions to bear on reform of curriculum,
instruction, and assessment.

This Center will advance theory and will lead to the improvement of
reading instruction and related practices. It will contribute to
improving reading instruction and lifelong reading for all individuals
over their life course.

**NOTE:** The Center is monitored by OERI\'s National Institute on
Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment, with support from ECI.

#### 

#### National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment Contact: Anne P. Sweet, (202) 219--2043 

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935 

#### Award No: R305R70004

#### Project Period: 10/01/97--09/30/01 

# Field-Initiated Studies (FIS)

# Research Program

This program provides assistance to institutions of higher education,
state and local education agencies, public and private organizations,
institutions, agencies, and individuals for educational research and
demonstration projects related to the mission of the Early Childhood
Institute.

FIS grantees are working to solve ongoing problems that face educators,
policymakers, communities, and families as they strive to improve
education theory, practice, and policies in the United States.

## Relationship-Based Practice

## in Early Intervention Settings: 

## An Experimental Investigation 

## of Impact and Effectiveness

### Contact: Jeanne Wilcox 

### Infant-Child Communication Research Programs

### Arizona State University

### P.O. Box 871908 

### Tempe, Arizona 85287--1908

### Phone: (602) 965--9397

### Fax: (602) 965--0965

### E-mail: mjwilcox@asu.edu

### Web site: www.asu.edu/clas/shs/wilcox

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

Early childhood practitioners in the United States use different models
and approaches when providing services and supports to young children
and their families. A family-centered approach is frequently used where
the supports and services are custom-designed to meet the individual
strengths and needs of the children and their families. Under this
family-centered model, the needs of the child and family determine what
services are provided, as opposed to the traditional model where
families receive whatever practitioners happen to offer. Under the
family-centered approach, relationships between and among the children,
their families, and practitioners are a key feature. However, few
studies have investigated the effectiveness of this approach to serving
young children and their families.

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of family-centered early
intervention practices that have a relationship-based perspective.
Research activities will focus on documenting outcomes for the children,
the families, and the practitioners themselves compared to control
groups' outcomes. Study participants will include 200 early intervention
professionals, 400 children and families served by the practitioners,
and the program administrators. Practitioners will be recruited from
programs that are currently using child-- focused interventions.
Programs such as Early Head Start, Healthy Families, and other early
intervention programs for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who have
disabilities or are at high risk of developing disabilities will be
targeted.

Practitioners will be randomly assigned to either an experimental or
control group. There will be a total of 4 groups, with 50 practitioners
in each, 25 in the control group, and 25 in the experimental group.
Practitioners in the experimental groups will receive 12 months of
training that will focus on creating and implementing early intervention
services that are reflective and relationship based.

It is anticipated that practitioners who have received training in a
relationship-based approach to early intervention will exhibit
significantly more family-centered behaviors compared to a control
group. It is also expected that children receiving such family-centered
services will have enhanced developmental outcomes when compared to
children in the control group.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

This research will help early childhood educators and health and related
service providers understand the importance of relationships and
responsiveness to young children and their families.

#### ECI Contact: Sarah Grissom, (202) 208--3491

#### Award No: R305T00049

#### Project Period: 08/01/00--07/31/03 

## Promoting Children\'s Language Development in

## Head Start Classrooms: Explorations with

## Collaborative Research Teams

### Contact: Jeanne Wilcox

### Infant-Child Communication Research Programs

### Arizona State University

### P.O. Box 871908 

### Tempe, Arizona 85287--1908

### Phone: (602) 965--9397

### Fax: (602) 965--0965

### E-mail: mjwilcox@asu.edu

### Web site: www.asu.edu/clas/shs/wilcox

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This study is a collaborative effort between Arizona State University\'s
Infant-Child Communication Research Programs and Southwest Human
Development (SHD). The latter is a private, nonprofit agency that
provides comprehensive services, including Head Start, to young children
and their families.

The overall purpose of the project is to develop and test a new approach
designed to bring specific language skill-building activities into
preschool children\'s everyday lives. In addition, the study is
documenting if partnerships among the children\'s parents, Head Start
teachers and aides, and university researchers make a difference in the
children\'s language development. Specific research questions to be
investigated include: how best might language skill-building activities
be incorporated into everyday Head Start classroom activities? How might
these activities be linked with the children\'s homes and family
activities? How effective are collaborative research teams? and Can
these language activities be replicated in other preschool classrooms?

All research activities take place in Head Start classrooms operated by
SHD. Sixty children will be selected from SHD\'s 28 classrooms serving
520 children. The study has four phases: identification of key issues
and desired outcomes; research action plan; analysis and review of
results; and replication and product development.

In this study, Head Start teachers are trained to be researchers and to
participate in all phases of the study, including how to document
changes in the children\'s language behavior. Later in the study, the
classroom activities will be replicated in other Head Start classrooms.
In this phase, children will be randomly assigned to either the
replication or to control conditions. The participants will be recruited
from among the 126 classrooms and 2,500 children served in Head Start
classrooms operated by the city of Phoenix, Arizona.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

The goal of the research is to provide information on how teachers and
parents can effectively use language skill-building activities with
young children. The results have implications for improving the ways in
which early childhood educators and families talk to young children in
order to improve overall language usage and understanding. Both of these
are skills that children need in order to do well in school. In
addition, this study will add information on how to effectively use
teachers as researchers so that they can document how new classroom
practices actually affect children\'s learning and teachers\' behaviors.

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935

#### Award No: R307F0081

#### Project Period: 10/01/97--09/30/00; No cost extension ends 09/30/01 

## Assessing Low-Income Children's Changing Environments and Effects on School Readiness

### Contact: Bruce Fuller

### Regents of the University of California

### PACE, School of Education

### 3653 Tolman Hall

### Berkeley, California 94720--1670

### Phone: (510) 642--7223

### Fax: (510) 642--9148

### E-mail: b_fuller@uclink4.berkeley.edu 

### Web site: pace.berkeley.edu/earlyed.html

#### Research Questions and Methodology: 

This project will describe children's home and childcare environments
during welfare reform, and track the children's development related to
school readiness. Since welfare reform applies to all families who
receive case assistance, a comparison group is not possible.

The research will take place in two low-income neighborhoods in Tampa,
Florida. Approximately 250 unmarried mothers who have at least one
preschool-age child, and meet eligibility requirements for welfare will
take part in the study. Researchers will conduct two home visits when
the children are 3 and 4 years old. Using standardized checklists,
rating scales, and interview formats, the researchers will determine if
and how home environments and mothers' time and activities with the
children change over a 30-month time period, due to new federal and
state requirements for welfare recipients to work, and maximum lifetime
limits for receiving welfare assistance.

In order to get a picture of what the children\'s childcare settings are
like, the researchers will interview the children's childcare providers
by telephone. They then are going to observe in the childcare settings,
using standardized checklists and rating scales in order to evaluate the
quality of the childcare. They will compare childcare providers\'
answers about the quality of the childcare with project staff\'s
observations in the childcare settings. From these comparisons, they are
going to determine which interview questions are most strongly related
to the standardized checklists and rating scales.

The researchers will measure children's preliteracy, social, and
language development, which are related to school readiness, over the
30-month period, and relate their development with their home and child
care environments.

Researchers will compare study results in two communities each in
Florida, California, and Connecticut. Welfare policies in these three
states are different. Along with the Early Childhood Institute, the
Florida Department of Education, the Florida Children\'s Forum, and the
Spencer Foundation are providing funds for this project in Tampa. The
Packard and Hewlett Foundations are funding the same project in
California, and the federal Child Care Bureau (U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services) is funding the project in Connecticut.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

The first national education goal---by the year 2000, all children in
America will start school ready to learn---is backed by specific
objectives: All children will have access to high quality preschool
programs, and every parent will be a child's first teacher and devote
time each day helping his or her preschool child learn. In reality,
children's access to high quality preschool programs depends on where
they live. As single mothers who receive welfare assistance are required
to work, they may spend less time helping their preschool age children
learn, and children's learning may become more dependent on childcare
providers. By determining if home and child care changes occur that
affect school readiness, the research will provide information that may
lead to improved policies and practices for serving low-income children
who are at high risk of school failure.

The project will also help researchers develop telephone interview
questions for child care providers that more accurately measure the
quality of child care settings, which is important to the school
readiness goal.

#### ECI Contact: Sarah Grissom, (202) 208--3491

#### Award No: R307F70073 

#### Project Period: 10/01/97--09/30/00; No cost extension ends 09/30/01 

## Assessing the Effectiveness of Early

## Parenting Education and Support Through Home Visiting for Families With Young Children

### Contact: Mary Wagner

### Center for Education and Human Services

### SRI International

### 333 Ravenswood Avenue

### Menlo Park, California 94025

### Phone: (415) 359--2867

### E-mail: <mary.wagner@sri.com>

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This study supports the measurement and analysis of the impact of the
Parents as Teachers (PAT) home visiting program on children and families
in the program in two urban sites. The research is following children
from PAT enrollment in infancy through the children\'s second birthdays.

Some of the outcomes being investigated include: parent knowledge,
attitudes, and behaviors; parent-child interactions; early child
development; and later school readiness, attendance, and performance.
This study is the first step in a larger national program of research to
evaluate the short- and long-term impacts of PAT using a multisite
randomized experimental design. Fundraising activities are under way
with other potential sponsors to support research in additional sites
and for the extended study period desired.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

At the end of the study, we will have information on the effectiveness
of the PAT program in supporting families in low-income and urban areas
to promote the

development and well-being of their children. Knowledge will be gained
regarding how the results of the program vary for families with
different experiences ofPAT (e.g., varied levels or lengths of service,
changes in parent educators vs. a stable relationship, attendance at
group meetings vs. home visits).

#### ECI Contact: Seresa Simpson, (202) 219--1591

#### Award No: R307F60074

#### Project Period: 09/01/96--08/31/99; No cost extension ends 08/31/01 

## Home Activity and Play Intervention

### Contact: Cordelia Robinson

### University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

### 4200 E. 9th Avenue

### Denver, Colorado 80262--0234

### Phone: (303) 864--5261

### Fax: (303) 864--5270

### E-mail: <Robinson.Cordelia@TCHDEM.org>

### Web site: [http://www.jfkpartners.org](http://www.jfkpartners.org/)

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, in collaboration with
the University of Denver, will develop, implement, and evaluate a new
way of providing early intervention services to young children with
developmental disabilities. This study will investigate how best to
coordinate and provide intervention services that are transdisciplinary,
functionally oriented, and parent-directed.

Traditionally, early intervention services are provided by
professionals, in clinical settings, with excessive focus on specific
treatment techniques. Moreover, there has been an emphasis on
professionals' own intervention goals and strategies. In this study, at
least 54 children and families will receive intervention through the
Home Activity and Play Intervention (HAPI) model. Interventions, which
are based on the children's individually determined functional goals,
will be integrated into the child's and family's typical daily routines.
There will be an emphasis on integrating interventions through play
activities.

Entry and exit data will be collected and compared to a contrast group
of 54 children who will receive intervention through more traditional,
currently existing services.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

The HAPI group will demonstrate a more effective way to incorporate
interventions into the family's daily routines. Providing early
intervention services in this way could promote increased developmental
gains and functioning as well as increased satisfaction on the part of
families.

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935

#### Award No: R307F70045

#### Project Period: 10/01/97--09/30/00; No cost extension ended 03/31/01 

## A Longitudinal Evaluation

## of the School of the 21st Century

### Contact: Matia Finn-Stevenson 

### Yale University

### Yale Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy

###  310 Prospect Street

###  New Haven, Connecticut 06511--2188

### Phone: (203) 432--9944

### Fax: (203) 432--9945

###  E-mail: [matia.finn-stevenson@yale.edu](mailto:matia.finn-stevenson@yale.edu;)

###  Web site: [http://www.yale.edu/21C](http://www.yale.edu/bushcenter/21C) 

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This study is an evaluation of a school-based, school-linked childcare
and family support model, the School of the 21st Century (21C). The 21C
model offers year-round preschool care and education, before and after
school child care programs, and family support services. The study will
take place in five school districts nationwide. The districts have
geographic, income, and ethnic variations.

The research will follow a group of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old students for
3 years, using literacy and numeracy measures to assess the impact of
the program on school readiness and achievement. It will compare groups
who participate in the model at different times and at different levels
of intensity. A variety of measures will determine how parents assess
school climate, preschool experiences, and their child's social and
behavioral skills. Parent involvement in the 21C classes will also be
measured.

Teacher measures will examine school climate, parental involvement,
curriculum, students' social and behavioral skills, and academic
competence. A cost-benefit analysis will explore the cost and benefits
associated with the model. The development of the model, practices, and
conditions, which facilitated its development will also be documented.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

The study will provide information about one of the largest school-based
early care and family support initiatives in the nation, yielding data
on schools\' roles in the implementation and operation of preschool and
after school programs, the quality of the programs, as well as the costs
and benefits. The study will also increase knowledge pertaining to: the
impact of universally accessible pre-K and after school programs on
students, parents, the schools, and the community; and the
methodological issues associated with the evaluation of such programs.

#### ECI Contact: Seresa Simpson, (202) 219--1591

#### Award No: R305T990015

#### Project Period: 09/01/99--08/31/02 

## Improving Early Identification of Young Children At-Risk for Language and Reading Difficulties

### 

### Contact: Amy Wetherby

### Florida State University

### 107 Regional Rehabilitation Center

### Tallahassee, Florida 32306--1201

### Phone: (850) 644--4367

### Fax: (850) 644--3644

### E-mail: awetherb@garnett.acns.fsu.edu

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

Many children with limited vocabulary development at age 3 continue to
experience delays in learning language, fail to develop preliteracy
skills, and have difficulty learning to read. Identifying children who
are at risk for language and reading difficulties before children reach
3 years of age is a first step toward developing early interventions
that can support language development, reduce later reading
difficulties, and improve performance in school.

The goal of this project, therefore, is to identify delays in
prelinguistic communication (ways children communicate before using
words) that predict which children will have language delays and later
reading difficulty. Prelinguistic communication (for example, children's
gestures, speech-like sounds, and attempts to encourage others to share
their focus of attention) will be evaluated for a sample of 240
12-month-olds. Language and preliteracy skills for 120 children with
delayed prelinguistic communication will be compared to 120 children
without communication delays. Language and preliteracy skills will be
assessed when children are 3 and 5 years old. Because children from
families with less education and financial resources have language and
reading difficulties more than other children do, half of the children
in each group will be recruited from agencies that offer assistance to
families with low income. The study will specify other aspects of
children's environments (such as family stress, general family
functioning, characteristics of primary caregivers) that could increase
risk of language and reading difficulty.

**Educational Significance of the Study:**

When children enter kindergarten, many enter without the vocabulary,
communication skills, and prereading skills that allow them to develop
reading competency and participate fully in the classroom. The results
of this study will identify very early precursors to language and
reading difficulties, which is necessary for developing targeted
interventions that can reduce or prevent the severe negative effects of
early communication and language delays on later reading and school
performance.

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935; Seresa Simpson (202) 219-1591

#### Award No. R305T010262

#### Project Period: 02/01/01--1/31/04 

## From Cortex to Classroom: Supporting Earliest Brain Development for Improved Learning

### Contact: Heidelise Als 

### The Children's Hospital

### Neurobehavioral Infant and Child Studies

### Enders Pediatric Research Building, EN--29

### 320 Longwood Avenue

### Boston, Massachusetts 02115

### Phone: (617) 355--8249

### Fax: (617) 355--7230

### E-mail: <als@al.tch.harvard.edu>

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

Research indicates that over 50 percent of premature babies who weigh
between 1,000 and 1,500 grams at birth, usually have later school and
learning problems due to deficits that occur early in the baby\'s brain
development. These deficits result in language and reading disorders,
diminished problem-solving skills, poorly developed mathematics and
spatial reasoning abilities, and inappropriate social-emotional
development. This longitudinal, experimental study is based on the
assumption that traditional neonatal intensive care nursery
interventions and surroundings (i.e., bright lights, loud noises,
continuous turning and handling of the baby) over-stimulate a
\"preemie\'s\" already fragile central nervous system, further
jeopardizing healthy brain development. The research will determine if a
new package of interventions that alter the traditional intensive care
nursery environment will improve the brain development, brain structure,
and developmental outcomes (i.e., cognitive, language, and
social-emotional development) of very low birthweight babies.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

This project will make a significant contribution to the understanding
of the neurobiological and neurofunctional bases of central processing
that are associated with learning and other disabilities. The approach
has far reaching implications for educational theory and practice well
beyond the newborn period. Enhanced

understanding of the dynamic interaction of brain structure and function
with experience is the key to furthering the educational process. The
investigation will provide for the first time innovative, behavioral,
electrophysiological, and brain anatomical newborn data, which will
allow the documentation of earliest integrative development, and its
relevance for learning and school achievement.

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935

#### Award No: R305T990294

#### Project Period: 09/01/99--08/31/02 

## LEEP: Creating Literacy Environments

## in Preschool Programs

### Contact: David Dickinson 

### Education Development Center, Inc.

### 55 Chapel Street

### Newton, Massachusetts 02458--1060

### Phone: (617) 969--7100

### Fax: (617) 969--3440

### E-mail: <Ddickinson@edc.org>

### Web site: [http://www.edc.org](http://www.edc.org/)

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This study will examine the impact that the Language Environment
Enrichment Program (LEEP) has on teaching and the development of
language and literacy in young children. LEEP is a Head Start
intervention designed to do two things: to increase preschool teachers\'
and supervisors\' understanding of how young children develop language
and literacy; and to promote the adoption of effective classroom and
supervisory practices. Head Start teachers and their supervisors will be
randomly assigned to receive either the LEEP model or existing
in-service training opportunities. The model\'s effectiveness will be
examined at the end of 1 and 2 years using classroom observation
measures, teacher surveys, and a teacher curriculum planning task.
LEEP\'s impact on children will be examined by assessing children\'s
language and literacy growth at the end of their first and second years
in Head Start. One-third of the children will be from Spanish-speaking
homes, so their assessments will be conducted in English and Spanish.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

LEEP responds to national concerns about the early literacy development
of children placed at disadvantage due to poverty and language status.
It will address

the need for empirical evidence on the effectiveness of models that
attempt to enhance the ability of preschool staff to support children\'s
language and early literacy development. This project will also provide
basic research data on the early literacy development of bilingual
children.

#### ECI Contact: James Griffin, (202) 219--2168

#### Award No: R305T990312

#### Project Period: 09/01/99--08/31/02 

## Optimal Educational Contexts for

## Young Children Living in Poverty

### Contacts: Samuel Meisels and Valerie E. Lee 

### University of Michigan

### 610 E. University, Room 3210 SEB

### Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109--1259

### Phone: (734) 763--7306

### Fax: (734) 647--1082

### E-mail: [smeisels@umich.edu](mailto:smeisels@unmich.edu) or <velee@umich.edu>

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This 3--year study focuses on how young children who are living in
poverty move from preschool to formal schooling, and how school and
classroom practices are linked to the children's optimal social and
academic achievement. Phase I of the study will use the first four waves
of data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten
(ECLS-K). The ECLS-K, which has information on 23,000 children at the
beginning and end of kindergarten and first grade, will be used to
examine the relationship between conditions such as class size and
teachers' qualifications and poor children's performance on standardized
measures of social, cognitive, and motor development.

The results of Phase I will guide the selection of 8--10 high poverty
schools and kindergarten classrooms that will constitute the Phase II
observational sample. Phase II schools and classrooms will be studied in
depth to discover how teachers and schools "beat the odds" by providing
poor young children with learning environments that successfully promote
learning and development.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

This multimethod, in-depth study of educational contexts where poor
children thrive should yield findings that will guide decisions about
how educational practices in kindergarten and first grade can be changed
to benefit more children living in poverty.

#### ECI Contact: James Griffin, (202) 219--2168

#### Award No: R305T990362

#### Project Period: 09/01/99--08/31/02 

## Validation of an Alternative Language Screening Procedure for African-American Children

### Contact: Ida J. Stockman

### Michigan State University

### Department of Audiology and Speech Science

### Michigan State University

### E. Lansing, Michigan 48824--12112

### Phone: (517) 353--6764

### Fax: (517) 432--2370

### E-mail: <stockma1@pilot.msu.edu>

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

Too frequently young African-American children are inaccurately
diagnosed as having learning disabilities because oral language
screening tests are not culturally and developmentally appropriate. The
inaccurate diagnoses result in inappropriate special education
placements and pose a risk factor for later academic achievement.

In this 2--year study, 100 African American 3-- and 4--year-olds
attending Head Start centers in Lansing, Michigan, and Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, will be screened for language delays, using a standardized
measure and an experimental measure, the Minimal Competence Core (MCC).
The research will determine if the MCC is more accurate than the
standardized test in identifying young children who have language delays
that require special services. To determine accuracy, the children will
be examined by an independent speech clinician and followed for 1 year.
Classroom teachers\' and families\' observations and judgments also will
be included in the overall determination of the MCC\'s accuracy in
predicting language problems. Furthermore, the study will investigate
the performance and demographic differences between the children who
pass both tests, fail both tests, or pass the MCC but not the other
test.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

The results will provide research-based guidelines for language
screening procedures and policies. Furthermore, the results will shed
light on the utility of

language sampling for assessment purposes, and will contribute to the
data needed to determine whether elicitation contexts and sample
analysis can be standardized well enough to serve as a workable
alternative to standardized procedures across different examiners and
children.

#### ECI Contact: Seresa Simpson, (202) 219--1591

#### Award No: R305T990013

#### Project Period: 09/01/99--08/31/01; No cost extension ends 03/31/02 

## Implementation and Outcomes

## of Universal Preschool Education

### Contact: Steven W. Barnett

### Rutgers University

### Graduate School of Education

### Office of Research and Sponsored Programs 

### 10 Seminary Place

### New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901

### Phone: (732) 932--7496 

### Fax: (732) 932--1957

### E-mail: <wbarnet@rci.rutgers.edu>

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This evaluation will examine the implementation and effectiveness of a
court-ordered statewide preschool program. New Jersey is under a court
order to provide universal, high quality, intensive preschool education
in 28 high poverty urban areas for nearly 50,000 3- and 4-year-olds
beginning in fall of 1999. State administrative data will be
supplemented by district surveys and parent interviews to examine how
these 28 school districts and their community partners implement these
preschool programs. Within three of these school districts, children
will be randomly assigned to either the state preschool program or to
the home or center-based childcare program typically available to the
children in the districts. The effects of the program on the children\'s
development and learning will be determined through teacher ratings,
parent reports, and standardized assessments. The children in the new
preschool programs and the children in the typical community programs
will be followed through the end of kindergarten in order to assess how
the program affects their school readiness. The results of this
evaluation will address how well a state can implement high quality,
intensive preschool education on a universal basis, and determine if
such programs can prevent children in poverty from falling behind in
academic and social abilities.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

This project will provide information regarding the size and persistence
of effects, and the capacity of public schools in low-income communities
to provide high quality universal programs in today's world. It will
greatly increase what is known about what is required to successfully
implement universal preschool programs and the practical advantages and
disadvantages of different approaches (including costs and effects). The
results will shed light on what transpires in the classrooms, how
effects are produced during the preschool years and beyond, and the
links between teacher qualifications and training and student learning,
providing guidance for policymakers about the professional development
of educators who can work successfully with diverse student populations.

#### OERI/ECI Contact: James Griffin, (202) 219--2168

#### Award No: R305T990324

#### Project Period: 09/01/99--08/31/02 

## Prevention of Behavioral and Social Problems: Steps to Achievement Resilience (Project START)

### 

### Contacts: Ruth Kaminsky and Beth Stormshak 

### University of Oregon

### School Psychology Program, 5208

### Eugene, Oregon 97403--5208

### Phone: (541) 346--2142

### Fax: (541) 346--2897 

### E-mail: <rkamin@oregon.uoregon.edu>

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

A growing number of preschool children are being identified by early
childhood educators as having behavior problems that usually carry over
into the early elementary school years. Both their parents and teachers
are at a loss for what to do. This research study will develop and test
a set of interventions designed to identify and treat behaviors in young
children that are predictive of later social and behavior problems. The
study will assign 200 preschoolers and their families into 1 of 3
intervention groups. One group will receive a classroom-based
intervention provided by a trained teacher. The second intervention will
be provided in a small parent education and support group. The third
intervention will be a home-based, individualized family support and
training program.

The goals of the study are to eliminate behavior problems in young
children, and to produce classroom and home-based interventions that
will support young children\'s social development and school
performance. The research results also will provide families with the
skills needed to maintain the children\'s progress.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

Development and implementation of these training programs can prevent
the development of future social/behavioral problems, and increase
positive adult and peer interactions and academic achievement for
children in the intervention conditions. Teachers and the preschool
programs can benefit with improved

training and ongoing consultation from Project Coaches. The results will
contribute to the development and advancement of theory and practice in
prevention science, and early intervention by providing important
directions for the effective utilization of early intervention to
promote resilience in young children and families and reduce the risk
factors associated with social/behavioral problems.

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935

#### Award No: R305T990474

#### Project Period: 09/01/99--08/31/02 

# The Institute's Sponsored Research Projects 

Each of the five National Research Institutes with OERI have developed a
set of strategies for sponsoring research that will improve American
education. One strategy is to fund research and development activities
that are prescribed in the legislation. This includes the support of
National Research and Development Centers and Field-Initiated Studies
programs, as described earlier in this document.

A second strategy is for each of the five Institutes to fund
collaborative research activities that cut across their individual areas
of work. The High Performance Learning Communities project is an
example.

The Early Childhood Institute uses additional strategies to broaden the
scope of its research portfolio. These strategies allow us to give more
direction to the types of research studies we would like to have
conducted. The Interagency Agreement is the most commonly used strategy
for these activities.

Through the use of Interagency Agreements, the ECI has the flexibility
to address research areas that are stated in the legislation, but are
not covered through the National Research Center or Field-Initiated
Studies programs. In addition, this mechanism allows ECI to address
timely topics, usually within a short period of time.

Furthermore, ECI can buy into large-scale, ongoing longitudinal studies
sponsored by other agencies. For example, ECI recently completed a
partnership in an ongoing study that was investigating the effects of
comprehensive services on young children\'s social-emotional
development. With ECI funds, we will publish two monographs detailing
the findings of the study. One publication will focus on community-based
early childhood mental health interventions and collaborations. The
second will provide program evaluators with suggestions and strategies
for conducting evaluations of community-based collaborative services.

Complete descriptions of Directed Research Activities are on the
following pages.

## The Relationship Between Early Nonparental Child Care Quality and Later School Readiness: The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods

### Contact: Felton Earls

### Harvard School of Public Health

### Department of Maternal and Child Health

### College House-Fourth Floor

### 1430 Massachusetts Avenue

### Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

### Phone: (617) 495--5381

### Fax: (617) 495--5633

### E-mail: <felton_earls@hms.harvard.edu>

### Web site: www.phdcn.harvard.edu/

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods is a major,
interdisciplinary study aimed at deepening society\'s understanding of
the causes and pathways of juvenile delinquency, adult crime, substance
abuse, and violence. Based in Chicago and directed from the Harvard
School of Public Health in Boston, the Project brings together
scientists from a wide range of disciplines and institutions across the
country. It is funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, the National Institute on
Early Childhood Development and Education in the U.S. Department of
Education, and the National Institute of Mental Health in the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. From 1994 until the year 2002,
the project will follow 6,000 individuals and 80 communities in a
coordinated effort to study the intricate pathways of social competence
and antisocial behavior. The Project is unique in both size and scope,
combining two studies into a single, comprehensive design. The first is
an intensive study of Chicago\'s neighborhoods. The study is looking not
only at how individuals shape their environments but how their changing
social and physical environments shape the individuals. Therefore, the
second part looks at the changing circumstances of people\'s lives, as
well as the personal

characteristics, that may lead them toward or away from a variety of
antisocial behaviors. By looking at individuals and their
communities---and individuals in their communities---as both change over
time, the Project seeks to unravel the complex influences of community,
family, and individual factors on human development.

ECI is supplementing this larger project in order to examine the
relationship between quality of early nonparental childcare and later
readiness for school. This supplement supports the following additional
long-term data collection tasks: information on child care quality from
parent ratings and researcher observation (for the birth, 3- and
5-year-old age groups); measurements of children's emerging reading
abilities (for the birth and 3-year-old age groups); and measurements of
children's language development (for the birth age group).

**Educational Significance of the Study:**

This community-based sample of children and families from diverse
Chicago neighborhoods will provide in-depth information on how child,
family, and community characteristics affect the relationship between
the quality of nonparental care in early childhood and later school
readiness and adjustment.

#### ECI Contact: James Griffin, (202) 219--2168

#### Interagency Agreement No: IAD--97--0980

#### Project Period: 09/30/97--08/14/01 

## High Performance Learning Communities

### Contact: Lauren Resnick

### Learning Research and Development Center

### University of Pittsburgh

### 3939 O\'Hara Street

### Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260

### Phone: (412) 624--7485

### Fax (412) 624--3051

### E-mail: resnick@vms.cis.pitt.edu

### Web site: lrdc.pitt.edu/research/pr99.htm

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This project brings together three diverse perspectives on education
reform: a district superintendent; a scholar of education policy,
institutional organization, and change; and a cognitive scientist. Each
brings to the collaboration a team of colleagues who will test, through
collaborative design and systematic monitoring of results, a
theory-based set of principles and tools for creating and sustaining
high-performance learning environments.

This project builds on the work of Anthony Alvarado, former
Superintendent of Community School District 2 in New York City. Alvarado
brought to his superintendency a distinct theory of school improvement
that places professional development at the heart of a system-wide
administrative strategy calling for continuous upgrading of teaching
practice and learning results. The focus is on improving instruction,
making every principal and every teacher responsible for instructional
improvement. The goal is continuous improvement in every school,
eventually reaching every classroom.

This project is a multilevel, multiyear, multistage process of extending
District 2\'s current professional development and instructional
improvement strategy from a primary focus on content-driven improvement
to a broader, standards-based effort organized around a coherent theory
of learning; explicit performance standards; and new assessments of
student learning calibrated to the standards.

The study combines systematic research at the district, school, and
classroom levels, with attention to interaction across levels; monitors
the progress and emerging problems of introducing a standards-based
strategy into the school district; and feeds back systematic research to
serve as the basis for improving the strategy. This combination of
research and improvement requires knowledge of systemic change at both
theoretical and practical levels. It requires daily involvement at the
classroom, school, and district level with knowledge about teaching and
administrative practice. And it requires continuous discussion among
researchers and practitioners on their observations and interpretations
of what is happening with the system.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

By bringing together educators with varied backgrounds and specialties,
this study will establish in one urban school district an institutional
structure and professional standard that results in substantially
improved learning by all the children in all the district\'s schools;
develop tools to support continuous professional development at all
levels of the system; carefully document and analyze the work and its
effects on student achievement; and begin a systematic process of
helping other districts use the principles and tools developed in the
course of the project.

#### National Institute on Educational Governance, Finance, Policymaking, and Management Contact: Ron Anson, (202) 219--2214

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935 

#### Award No: RC96137002

#### Project Period: 10/01/96--09/30/01 

# Interagency Education Research Initiative

# (IERI)

The goal of the IERI is to improve prekindergarten through grade 12
student learning and achievement in reading, mathematics, and science.
This is accomplished by supporting rigorous, interdisciplinary research
on large-scale implementations of promising educational practices and
technologies in complex and varied learning environments.

The research studies address the urgent challenges of educational
reform. IERI aims to integrate education research into classroom
practice by encouraging collaborations among educators and researchers.

IERI has two areas of focus:

> • Early Learning of Foundational Skills; and
>
> •Transition to Increasingly Complex Science and Mathematics Learning.

IERI is funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement
(OERI), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). It was
developed and is managed by a team of representatives from the three
funding agencies.

## The Early Development of Mathematical Cognition in Socioeconomic and Cultural Contexts

### Contact: Prentice Starkey

### University of California--Berkeley

### 4311 Tolman Hall

### Berkeley, California 94720--5940

### Phone: (510) 642--3376

### E-mail: <pstarkey@uclink4.berkeley.edu>

### Web site: <http://ihd.berkeley.edu:80/mathcultural.htm>

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This is a cross-cultural study, comparing the development of informal
mathematical cognition in 3- to 6-year-old Chinese, Japanese, and
American children. The purpose of the work is to determine how these
cultures support children\'s early mathematical development in multiple
learning environments. The cultural studies will include the home
environment, the customs of child rearing and care, and the knowledge
and belief systems of parents, teachers, and other caregivers.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

An expected outcome will be a mapping between the child\'s mathematical
learning environments and the child\'s mathematical development. The
ultimate goal is to identify pathways to success, and pathways that
place children at risk for failure in mathematics. This research will
provide needed insights into a child's learning processes and the
influence of their environments on their learning.

#### ECI Contact: James Griffin (202) 219--2168

#### Award No: NSF 9979974

#### Project Period: 09/15/99--09/15/01 

## What are the \"Developmental Needs\" of Young

## Children in Science?: Revision of Developmental

## Constraints on K--3 Science Education

### Contact: Kathleen Metz

### School of Education

### University of California--Riverside

### Riverside, California 92521

### Phone: (909) 659--3332

### E-mail: <kathleen.metz@ucr.edu>

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

The purpose of this study is to examine different forms of scientific
inquiry in children and their teachers. The research will determine the
forms of scientific inquiry within reach of children from kindergarten
through third grade. In addition, the research will identify the form of
scientific inquiry that teachers need to teach for K--3 children.
Finally, the study will tell us the forms of instructional scaffolding
that empower K--3 children\'s scientific inquiry.

Specifically, the study will investigate theory/evidence, the logic of
research design and control of variables, and hypothetical-deductive
reasoning. This is a 4-phase project. Phase 1 is a design experiment
using expert teachers with substantial technology support. Phase 2 is
the development of test curricula and pedagogy based on phase 1 results.
Phase 3 is testing the model and scaling. Phase 4 will be national
recommendations, based on the research, for changes in how K--3 children
are taught science.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

Results of this research will help to guide the revision of science
curriculum for children in grades K--3.

#### ECI Contact: James Griffin (202) 219--2168

#### Award No: NSF 9979772

#### Project Period: 09/30/99--09/29/01 

## Using Technology to Support Preschool Teachers' Professional Development

### Contact: David Dickinson

### Education Development Center, Inc.

### 55 Chapel Street

### Newton, Massachusetts 02458--1060

### Phone: (617) 969--7100

### Fax: (617) 969--3440

### E-mail: <Ddickninson@edc.org>

### Web site: [http://www.edc.org](http://www.edc.org/)

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This study will examine preschool teachers' and their supervisors' use
of professional development that is delivered by means of technology.
Specifically, the research will study technology's effects on
supervisors' and teachers' practices, and how these changes impact
children's language and literacy growth. Multiple methods will be used
to analyze short (fall to spring) and long-term effects (1 to 3 years)
on Head Start students' literacy development and supervisors' and
teachers' literacy beliefs, interactions with children, planning, and
teaching practice.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

The study will contribute information about the usefulness of technology
for scaling-up professional development that makes a difference for
preschool teachers\' and their supervisors' effective practice and
children's language and literacy development, the foundation for success
in school.

#### ECI Contact: James Griffin (202) 219--2168

#### Award No: NSF 9979948

#### Project Period: 09/15/99--09/14/01 

## Dick, Jane, and Spot Meet the Information Age:

## Diversifying Genres Used in Early Literacy Instruction

### Contact: Nell Duke

### Michigan State University

### College of Education

### 360 Erickson Hall

### East Lansing, Michigan 48824

### Phone: (517) 432--4865

### Fax: (517) 432--5092

### E-mail: <nkduke@msu.edu>

### 

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

In recent years, a number of scholars have suggested diversifying the
genres, or types, of text used in early literacy instruction. In
particular, many have called for greater attention to informational text
genres. They argue that greater attention to informational text in the
early grades might reduce the substantial difficulty many American
students have with such text in the later grades. Moreover, this may
have immediate benefits for students' achievement in both literacy and
information-based subjects such as science. Although there is some
indirect evidence to support this hypothesis, it remains largely
untested. Current research does not sufficiently assess the impact of
diversifying genres of texts used in early literacy instruction.

The purpose of this longitudinal, experimental study is to examine the
impact of diversifying genres used in early literacy instruction.
Low-SES students in 30 classes will be followed for a 2-year period,
from first through second grade. At random, 10 classes will be involved
in an intervention designed to diversify the genres of text used in
their literacy instruction. Another 10 classes will be involved in an
intervention that similarly increases overall experience with text, but
does not diversify the genres of texts used, thus providing a targeted
comparison group. The final 10 classes will comprise a traditional
control group. Students' performances on norm-referenced tests of
reading achievement, reading inventories, and prompted writing samples
will be compared for the three groups using growth modeling methods and
inferential statistics.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

Analysis of these data will indicate whether diversifying the genres
used in early literacy instruction does indeed impact students' reading
and writing achievement and if so, in what ways. Individual classroom
teachers, curriculum developers, school publishers, and others who make
decisions about the types of texts used in early literacy instruction
could look to the study for guidance about the genres of text to employ
in early literacy programs. Researchers and theorists could look to this
study for basic descriptive knowledge about the role of genre in
learning to read and write.

#### ECI Contact: James Griffin (202) 219--2168

#### Award No: NSF 9979864

#### Project Period: 09/15/99--09/14/01 

## Cognitively Based, Multimedia Support for a

## Balanced Approach to the Development of

## Early Reading in School and Home Contexts

### Contacts: Diana L. Sharp, John D. Bransford, and Susan R. Goldman

### Vanderbilt University

### 512 Kirkland Hall

### Nashville, Tennessee 37240

### Phone: (615) 322--6253

### E-mail: <diana.sharp@vanderbilt.edu>

### Web sites: <http://canvas.ltc.vanderbilt.edu/kmine/adBoard/propose.htm>

### <http://canvas.ltc.vanderbilt.edu/kmine/adBoard/software.htm>

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This project will develop and test multimedia software for use in
literacy instruction with low-income children in kindergarten through
second grade. The software will be integrated into the curriculum to
establish a comprehensive and balanced approach to instruction. This
approach combines the teaching of decoding skills with the use of
literature-based instructional techniques, including both school and
home components. Different prototypes of the software will be developed
in order to compare systematically the effectiveness of different
theory-based approaches to the teaching decoding skills. Within-subjects
designs will be used to look at the impact of the software on children's
word recognition fluency and decoding skills.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

The project will improve our understanding of how to teach decoding
skills, while also providing tested multimedia software that others can
use. It also will improve

our understanding of how to integrate technology into the curriculum so
that children from low-income families are able to acquire a broad range
of literacy skills.

#### ECI Contact: James Griffin (202) 219--2168

#### Award No: NSF 9979881

#### Project Period: 09/30/99--09/29/02 

# 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program supports projects in
rural and inner-city local education agencies (LEAs). The funds allow
the LEAs to plan, implement, and expand community learning centers that
benefit the health, education, cultural, recreational, and after school
learning needs of the community.

The first grants under this program were awarded in Fiscal Year 1995.
Since that time, the scope and focus of the program have changed so that
the focus is entirely on after school learning programs.

The new program is administered by the Office of Elementary and
Secondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education.

## Oakland 2000 Ready-to-Learn

### Contact: Kate Dowling

### Oakland 2000 Ready to Learn

### 1515 Webster Street 

### Oakland, California 94612

### Phone: (510) 444--8651

### Fax: (510) 444--5364

### E-mail: <K8ling@sirius.com>

### Web site: [http://www.oakland2000.com](http://www.oakland2000.com/)

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

The Oakland 2000 Ready-to-Learn project is an innovative collaborative
of over 175 partners from local, state, and federal governments,
businesses, service providers, educational institutions, and individuals
through the community committed to helping the children of Oakland.

The Oakland Unified School District, in collaboration with the Oakland
2000 Ready-to-Learn Coalition will develop, expand, and strengthen the
21st Century Community Learning Centers that exist throughout Oakland.
The Oakland 2000 project is expanding and maintaining established
parenting labs at agencies that have adopted Oakland 2000 objectives.
The project works closely with parents, tutors, and service providers
designed as Oakland 2000 Ready-to-Learn Centers to carry out the
Centers' vision. The project empowers all people involved with Oakland
2000 to learn activities through peer-to-peer tutoring, linkages with
students of higher education, information sharing, access to
information, and the skills to utilize it. Oakland 2000 has launched,
and is maintaining activities that allow for dissemination of
information. In addition, they are conducting activities that will
develop new resources to expand the scope and reach of the project.

The design and effectiveness of information regarding the project will
be disseminated nationally through Healthy Cities and the "I Am Your
Child Campaign" of the Families and Work Institute in New York.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

The activities are aimed at improving levels of literacy for young
children (birth-5 years of age) so that they can enter kindergarten
healthy and ready to learn the information and skills required to meet
the challenges of the next century.

#### ECI Contact: Seresa Simpson, (202) 219--1591 

#### Award No: R287U70001

#### Project Period: 10/01/97--09/30/00; No cost extension ends 09/30/01 

# Fund for the Improvement

# of Education (FIE)

The Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE) supports a variety of
activities aimed at stimulating education reform, and improving teaching
and learning. FIE also supports studies that will improve young
children's learning and development.

## Development of Reading and Mathematical Skills in Early Childhood: The Roles of Cognitive Development and Educational and Social Environmental Variables

### 

### Contact: Victoria Molfese

### University of Louisville Research Foundation

### Jouett Hall

### Louisville, Kentucky 40292

### Phone: (502) 852--0582

### Fax: (502) 852--2408

### E-mail: <tori@louisville.edu>

### Web site: http://www.louisville.edu

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This research investigates the development of reading and mathematical
skills in a diverse sample of 500 3- to 6-year-olds enrolled in a Head
Start program. The specific focus is on measuring the early development
of information processing skills that in previous research predicted
later reading and mathematical abilities.

In the area of reading, the skills assessed include distinguishing
between basic speech sounds (such as between "p" and "b" in the words
"pat" and "bat"), identifying the sounds of letters, detecting words
that rhyme, recalling the details of short stories, and remembering
spoken words and sentences. In addition, the study measures the
development of language skills known to predict later reading ability,
including vocabulary, basic grammar (e.g., plural and past tense word
forms), and sentence comprehension. In the area of math, the skills
assessed include adding and subtracting (both with and without
counting); understanding numerical relationships, such as the concepts
more and less, and the connection between adding and subtracting. The
homes of children will be assessed to determine which aspects of the
social and physical environment support the development of these early
skills. Findings will be compared with results obtained from two
additional samples: children receiving health services from a
university-based project serving a low-income population, and children
born to teenage mothers. The purpose of this comparison is to explore
how the development of skills predictive of later reading and math
achievement might proceed differently among the three groups in order to
target intervention efforts to a child's specific needs.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

The results of this study will provide information useful for designing
school-based and home-based interventions meant to ensure that children
from diverse backgrounds are prepared to succeed in school in the areas
of reading and math. Therefore, this research aids local and national
efforts to improve reading and basic math skills, which are fundamental
to overall academic achievement and learning.

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935; Seresa Simpson, (202) 219-1591

#### Award No: R215R990011

#### Project Period: 07/01/99--06/30/03 

## Interdisciplinary Center for Research in

## Early Childhood Issues and Initiatives

### Contact: Victoria Molfese

### University of Louisville Research Foundation

### Jouett Hall

### Louisville, Kentucky 40292

### Phone: (502) 852--0582

### Fax: (502) 852--2408

### E-mail: <tori@louisville.edu>

### Web site: http://www.louisville.edu

#### Research Question and Methodology:

The Interdisciplinary Center for Research on Early Childhood Issues and
Initiatives was established by the School of Education at the University
of Louisville to conduct and disseminate interdisciplinary research
about the education and development of young children. The
Interdisciplinary Center's two major objectives are to (1) fund projects
addressing empirical questions in core areas, and (2) disseminate
information to researchers, educators, agency personnel, parents, and
students. Two projects will be undertaken that build from nationally
known research at the University of Louisville on brain-behavior
relations in early childhood focusing on cognitive and language
development. Project 1 focuses on early predictors of academic readiness
skills in children 3 through 5 years of age. Assessments of general
cognitive abilities, specific language abilities, short-term memory, and
speech perception will be administered to the children. Project 2 will
complement Project 1 with the initiation of an intervention program for
subsamples of children participating in the first project. A National
Advisory Panel will be convened and will shape short-term and long-term
objectives, provide assistance in information dissemination, and help
organize the Biennial Interdisciplinary Research Conference
participating in the first project. Objectives also include development
of a Web page about the Interdisciplinary Center and its work; planning
for the Research Conference; and establishment of the database,
reporting infrastructure, and Interdisciplinary Center procedures needed
to support the projects.

#### Educational Significance of Study:

The Interdisciplinary Center's research will provide a scientifically
valid basis upon which meaningful information on child issues and
initiatives can be discovered and disseminated.

#### ECI Contact: Seresa Simpson, (202) 219--1591

#### Award No: R215R990011

#### Project Period: 09/01/99--08/31/03 

## Steps to Success

### 

### Contact: Gail Kelso

### 7920 E-Wrenwood Boulevard, Suite E

### Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70809

### Phone: (225) 216--3100

### Fax: (225) 216--3104

### E-mail: Info@stepstosuccess.org

### Web site: www.stepstosuccess.org/

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

This project will identify and create links between young children and
their families and service providers in community-based comprehensive
health, education, and social service models. Strategies used include an
information and referral service, development of parent support and
mentoring programs, and community networking of service providers.

Community-based projects have begun in Alexandria, Houma, Baton Rouge,
Lake Charles, and Monroe. A Shreveport office opened in fall 2000. These
projects reflect involvement by community nonprofit agencies, such as
Volunteers of America, United Way, and Prevent Child Abuse; public
programs, such as child care resource and referral, CHIP, and ChildNet;
and volunteers from the Junior League. Advocacy and awareness
organizations, such as Louisiana's Promise coalitions, Agenda for
Children, and ChildWatch, have also been involved.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

Evaluation of the project began in January 2000. This year-long process
will examine the three phases of the Steps to Success project:
Partnership/Network Development, Documentation of Services and
Activities by Steps to Success and

our partners, and Impact of Steps to Success on the population (infants
and toddlers and their families). The Louisiana State University School
of Social Work, Office of Social Service Research and Development, is
conducting the research under the supervision of Cecile C. Guin.

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935

#### Award No: R215R980012--99

#### Project Period: 06/01/98--05/31/01 

## ParentCorps

### 

### Contact: Laurie Miller

### NYU Child Development Center

### 550 First Avenue

### New York, New York 10016

### Phone: (212) 263--8673

### Fax: (212) 263--8662

### E-mail: <laurie.miller.2@med.nyu.edu>

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

ParentCorps is a service program that will train parents of 2- to
5-year-old children from disadvantaged communities in specific parenting
skills aimed at fostering children's academic, socioemotional, and
behavioral development. ParentCorps will work with selected
organizations in disadvantaged communities to identify, train, and
support a team of highly accessible and visible parent leaders. These
natural parent leaders, or Parent REPS, will be trained to serve as
[R]{.underline}esources, [E]{.underline}ducators, and
[P]{.underline}artners for parents of preschool-aged children in their
own neighborhoods. The Parent REPS will work with parents: to enhance
their child rearing skills; to promote parent-teacher communication and
parent involvement within the schools; and to access resources for
children. Parent REPS will be trained and employed by ParentCorps to
conduct parenting skills groups, coordinate workshops on
community-identified topics, staff parenting help lines, facilitate
referrals to community resources, and promote awareness and use of the
ParentCorps Web Site.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

The ParentCorps project will allow for the economical and systematic
translation of important evidence-based parenting programs into the
community to reach

underserved parents and children who are in greatest need of this
information and support. The skills that parents will acquire from this
project are essential for fostering productive and successful families,
school and communities, and preventing academic and behavior problems in
youth.

#### ECI Contact: Naomi Karp, (202) 219--1935; Seresa Simpson, (202) 219-1591

#### Award No: R215R990005

#### Project Period: 10/01/99--09/30/01 

# Ready-to-Learn Television

The Ready-to-Learn Television program supports the development of
educational television programming for preschool and early elementary
grade children and their families. The popular public television shows,
"Dragon Tales" and "Between the Lions" are two examples of how
Ready-to-Learn funds have been used.

Ready-to-Learn Television Program funds also support educational
television programming and materials to increase school readiness for
young children in families who do not speak English as their primary
language.

Another purpose of Ready-to-Learn Television funding is to produce
television programming and materials that will improve family literacy.
Ready-to-Learn funds also are used to develop materials and services
that promote the effective use of educational programs.

Ready-to-Learn Television programming funds are awarded on a competitive
basis for a 5-year period. A new grant award was made in August 2000. No
funds are currently available for additional awards.

## Ready-to-Learn Television

### Contact: Charlotte Brantley

### 1320 Braddock Place

### Alexandria, Virginia 22314

### Phone: (703) 739-5140

### Fax: (703) 739-8945

### E-mail: <jgoldstein@pbs.org>

### Web: [www.pbs.org/kids](http://www.pbs.org/kids) 

#### Research Questions and Methodology:

Ready-To-Learn (RTL) television integrates high quality children's
educational programs shown on free, noncommercial public television with
outreach activities through local public television affiliates and the
Internet. The premise underlying RTL is that stimulating, high quality
television shows for young children could have a direct effect on
children\'s viewing tastes, literacy skills, and readiness to succeed in
school.

RTL TV funds will provide at least two new high quality educational
programs designed to improve the learning and development of young
children, with particular emphases on those who have
limited-English-proficiency, live in rural areas, and/or have
disabilities. New programs will be based on current research findings
related to the development of second language learning, language and
literacy development, and the acquisition of mathematics and other
concepts that will help young children succeed in school. A 5-year
evaluation of how RTL activities affect, children, their families, RTL
coordinators, and educators will begin at the outset of the grant
period.

Improving the training of local station coordinators will be a high
priority for RTL over the next 5 years. A national training and
technical assistance center will provide ongoing face-to-face and online
educational opportunities for the coordinators. These activities will
strengthen the existing network of Ready-to-Learn Television affiliates,
and increase the quality and types of parenting education materials,
programs, and services offered to families of young children.

In order to most effectively reach as many families with young children
as possible, RTL station coordinators in local communities will form
partnerships with a variety of community-based organizations. Head
Start, Even Start, 21st Century Schools, family- and center-based
childcare organizations, and similar groups will be some of the
partners. They will work with RTL station coordinators to deliver
workshops and \"train the trainer\" modules on how to use RTL television
programs effectively for children, and deliver mailings of educational
materials to the general community. The workshops and mailings, will be
designed to have three effects.

First, they will increase the ability of teachers, parents, and
caregivers to direct children toward educational programming and away
from viewing programs that may be harmful to healthy development and
learning. Second, they will expand parents' and other caregivers'
capacity to use reading and other learning activities with children in
order to extend and reinforce the lessons of the programs. Third, the
overall effect will be that the time that parents and teachers spend
reading to children will increase.

#### Educational Significance of the Study:

RTL will help strengthen family literacy, move to close the digital gap,
and leverage the power that television has as the nation\'s largest
classroom for families and children. The rigorous evaluation of the RTL
activities will provide new information about the impact that public
television has on young children's learning and development,
particularly those children who have limited English, live in rural
areas, and/or have disabilities.

#### ECI Contact: Joe Caliguro, (202) 219--1596 

#### Award No: R295A00002

#### Project Period: 09/01/00--08/31/05 

# Early Childhood Institute

# Staff Directory

##### National Institute on Early Childhood 

##### Development and Education/Office of Educational

##### Research and Improvement

Naomi Karp, Director (202) 219--1935

> E-mail: [naomi.karp@ed.gov](mailto:naomi_karp@ed.gov)

Staci Boykin (202) 219--1935

> E-mail: [staci.boykin@ed.gov](mailto:staci_boykin@ed.gov)

Joe Caliguro (202) 219--1596

> E-mail: <joseph.caliguro@ed.gov>

James Griffin (202) 219--2168

> E-mail: [james.griffin@ed.gov](mailto:james_griffin@ed.gov)

Sarah Grissom (202) 208--3491

> E-mail: [sarah.grissom@ed.gov](mailto:sarah_grissom@ed.gov)

Allison Hester (202) 219--1935

> E-mail: <allison.hester@ed.gov>

Tamara Knowles (202) 208--3380

> E-mail: <tamara.knowles@ed.gov>

Paula Shipp (202) 219--2105

> E-mail: [paula.shipp@ed.gov](mailto:paula_shipp@ed.gov)

Seresa Simpson (202) 219--1591

> E-mail: <seresa.simpson@ed.gov>

# PROJECTS BY STATE

###### 

###### Arizona

Promoting Children's Language Development in Head Start: Explorations
with Collaborative Research Teams (FIS), p. 18

Relationship-Based Practice in Early Intervention Settings: An
Experimental Investigation of Impact and Effectiveness (FIS), p. 16

###### California

Assessing Low-Income Children's Changing Environments and Effects on
School Readiness (FIS), p. 20

Assessing the Effectiveness of Early Parenting Education and Support
Through Home Visiting for Families with Young Children (FIS), p. 22

The Early Development of Mathematical Cognition in Socioeconomic and
Cultural Contexts (IERI), p. 48

Oakland 2000 Ready-to-Learn (21st Century), p. 55

What are the "Developmental Needs" of Young Children in Science?:
Revision of Developmental Constraints on K--3 Science Education (IERI),
p. 49

###### Colorado

Home Activity and Play Intervention (FIS), p. 24

###### Connecticut

A Longitudinal Evaluation of the School of the 21st Century (FIS), p. 26

###### Florida

Improving Early Identification of Young Children At Risk for Language
and Reading Difficulties (FIS), p. 28

###### Kentucky

Development of Reading and Mathematical Skills in Early Childhood: The
Roles of Cognitive Development and Educational and Social Environmental

Variables (FIE), p. 58

Interdisciplinary Center for Research on Early Childhood Issues and
Initiatives (FIE), p. 60

Louisiana

Steps to Success (FIE), p. 62

###### Massachusetts

From Cortex to Classroom: Supporting Earliest Brain Development for
Improved Learning (FIS), p. 30

LEEP: Creating Literacy Environments in Preschool Programs (FIS), p. 32

The Relationship Between Early Nonparental Child Care Quality and Later
School Readiness: The Project on Human Development in Chicago
Neighborhoods (Institute Sponsored Research Projects), p. 43

Using Technology to Support Preschool Teachers' Professional Development
(IERI), p. 50

###### Michigan

Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA)

(Research and Development Center), p. 12

Dick, Jane, and Spot Meet the Information Age: Diversifying Genres Used
in Early Literacy Instruction (IERI), p. 51

Optimal Educational Contexts for Young Children Living in Poverty
(FIS),p. 34

Validation of an Alternative Language Screening Procedure for
African-American Children (FIS), p. 35

###### New Jersey

Implementation and Outcomes of Universal Preschool Education (FIS), p.
37

###### New York

ParentCorps (FIE), p. 63

###### North Carolina

National Center for Early Development and Learning (Research and
Development Center), p. 7

###### Oregon

Prevention of Behavioral and Social Problems: Steps to Achievement
Resilience (Project START) (FIS), p. 39

###### Pennsylvania

High Performance Learning Communities (Institute Sponsored Research
Projects), p. 45

###### Tennessee

Cognitively-Based, Multimedia Support for a Balanced Approach to the
Development of Early Reading in School and Home Contexts (IERI), p. 53

###### Virginia

Ready-to-Learn Television (RTLTV), p. 65-66