News Briefs (Summer 2006)

Literacy News:

IBM Creates Breakthrough Technology that Helps Students Learn to Read
IBM has created Reading Companion, an engaging, interactive program that helps children and adults learn to read and improve their literacy skills online. The program helps the reader not only increase their comprehension skills, but also offers opportunities to practice pronunciation. Teachers can customize the program to provide a personal and effective experience for each reader. 

To read the full article from The Journal News, click here.

English Language Learners Not Given Opportunities in the Classroom They Need to Succeed in Reading
The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) has released a previously unpublished report that shows how many English language learners can keep up with native English speakers in lessons on spelling and word-recognition, but lag behind in lessons on reading comprehension and writing.  Due to this lag, many of these students are not given equal opportunities in the classroom, and in society as a whole. 

To read more, click here.

Libraries Still an Increasingly Important Part of the Community
A recent study conducted by Public Agenda shows that the majority of Americans feel that the library is an integral part of the community, providing a safe and engaging place for teens and children to gather, building a strong and literate workforce, and providing access to technologies that some many people might not be able to afford. However, the study also indicates that many elected officials fail to see libraries as a funding priority.

To read more from the American Libraries Council, click here.

To download a PDF of Long Overdue: A Fresh Look at Public and Leadership Attitudes About Libraries in the 21st Century, click here.

What Our Teachers Aren't Learning to Teach Our Children to Read
A groundbreaking report from the National Council on Teacher Quality finds that many schools are ignoring in part or altogether the highly successful, systematic science of reading, that includes early identification of students with trouble reading, building awareness of speech sounds, and teaching phonics in the new, confusion-reducing method.

For more detailed information, click here.

Is the Media Raising Our Children?
According to a study from The Henry Kaiser Family, parents play the primary role in children's use of television, videogames, DVDs, and computers. One-third of children live in homes where the television is on all or most of the time, and 90 percent of children age four to six watch up to two hours of television every day. The study indicates that excessive screen time may reduce children's inclination to read, create, and be imaginative on their own.

To download this study in PDF format, click here.

Parents Play Important Role in Continuing Child Literacy
According to a study from Scholastic and Yankelovich, children tend to read less and less after age eight, and the number one reason they named for not reading more often is that they can't find books that they like. The study found that parents can play an important role in influencing a child to continue reading, becoming a "reading role model" by reading themselves and by recommending good books for their children to read.

For more information, click here.

About Preschool and Childcare:

Study Finds Little Difference in Outcome of Full- and Half-Day Kindergarteners
In a study that compares the benefits of students in full-day versus half-day kindergarteners, researchers find that although full-day students seem to do better at first, the gains of both programs even out by grade three.

To download this study in PDF format (44 pages), click here.

Preschool-Age Rural Children Staying with Relatives, Missing Out on Literacy Skills
A policy brief from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire shows that more urban and rural parents are placing their preschool-aged children in the care of relatives rather than in childcare or preschool centers. It has been found that students without the benefits of professional childcare centers enter kindergarten with fewer of the literacy skills needed to be successful in kindergarten, although relative care often has positive effects on relationship skills. 

To read a PDF version of this policy brief (4 pages), click here.

Quality Childcare Resources for Working Parents
As more than 60 percent of mothers of children under five are in the workforce, quality child care is increasingly important. This year's Kid's Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation will focus on out-of-home care for young children who lack resources. In addition to this book, Connect for Kids has developed a list of childcare options that will help many low-income parents get the safest, emotionally healthy, and language-rich childcare for their children.

To view the Connect for Kids resources, click here.

Thirty-Seven-Year-Old Study Finds Better Preschools Make for Better Futures
Thirty-seven years ago, the High/Scope Perry Preschool study placed a group of low-income children in a high-quality preschool program, and recent studies on the group strongly support the theory that better quality preschool, regardless of the background of the student, creates a foundation of success. The now forty-year-old Perry Preschoolers are more likely than the control group to have steady employment, to own cars and homes, and to have good family relationships.

For the full report, click here.

To read the full report, click here.

All Will Benefit from Better Preschools
The Committee for Economic Development recently released a study that finds that higher quality early childhood education programs will not only benefit American children but also the United States' economy and society as a whole. In particular, the report stressed the importance of early education teachers in the development of academic, social, emotional, and physical skills of children.

To download a PDF of The Economic Promise of Investing in High-Quality Preschool: Using Early Education to Improve Economic Growth and the Fiscal Sustainability of States and the Nation (74 pages), click here.

For more information on CED's Early Education Project, click here.

Upcoming Conferences:

GSA Child Care Conference
The 17th Annual General Services Administration (GSA) Child Care Conference, intended for those interested in employer-sponsored quality child care, will be held from August 1-3 with the theme of "GSA Child Care: Growing, Sustaining, and Achieving Quality." It will offer attendees the chance to network with other colleagues from across the country, and will provide training opportunities on child care.

For more on the conference, click here.

For more information, click here.

National Accountability Conference on Special Education and Early Intervention
The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) will host the National Accountability Conference on Special Education and Early Intervention on September 18-19, in Denver, Colorado. The conference will discuss parts of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that deal with challenges in monitoring local programs.

For more information, click here.