Get Ready to Read! News Briefs
December 2006

Preschool, Childcare, and Early Literacy

Reauthorization of No Child Left Behind
The reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act finds the Bush administration talking about expanding the law’s requirements into high schools, but many argue that the attention should rather be directed toward preschools.

For the full article from Education Week (subscription required), click here. 

Strickland Presents Research at NAEYC General Session
On November 8, at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Conference, nationally-renowned literacy expert Dorothy Strickland presented tips based on her literacy and language research.

To read a policy brief by Dorothy Strickland, click here. 

Picture Books Teach Toddlers Complex Actions
A study in the November issue of Developmental Psychology finds that picture-book reading encourages early reading development in children and teaches toddlers about the world around them.

To read about research by psychologist Gabrielle Simock, Ph.D. on this subject, click here. 

Early Success Performance Plan Thriving in Maryland
In the Montgomery County school system in Maryland, a $21.1 million Early Success Performance Plan seems to have produced solid gains. The Plan includes full-day kindergarten, small class sizes, and team intervention for struggling students.

To read the full article from The Washington Post, click here. 

Study Offers Help for Choosing Child Care Options
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has released a report discussing the results of a study on how families and different features of child care link to the intellectual, social, and emotional development and health of children. Among the findings, researchers report that children in non-maternal child care environments have better language and cognitive development than those in lower quality care settings.

To download a PDF of the full report (52 pages), click here.

New Policy Brief Highlights the Benefits of Early Literacy Programs
A new policy brief, Early Literacy: Policy and Practice in the Preschool Years, pulls together the wide amount of information on the benefits of paying close attention to early literacy—from improved academic achievement to reduced grade retention—and offers researched-based recommendations for furthering this trend.

To download a PDF of this brief (12 pages), click here.

Examining the Effects of Early Childhood Programs on Social Mobility
According to an article from the Fall 2006 issue of The Future of Children, increasing the educational effectiveness of early childhood programs and increasing participation rates will provide for greater gains in social mobility for low-income three- and four-year-olds.

For the full article from the National Institute for Early Education Research, click here. 

Read For 2007: Read For Life
Join millions of kids, parents, and educators on Friday, December 8 as they drop everything and read for 2007 seconds in Read For 2007: Read For Life, a global literacy campaign sponsored by Scholastic.

For more information, click here. 

Conferences:

LDA Hosts 44th Annual Conference
From February 14-17, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) will host its 44th Annual International Conference, covering the latest research and findings in learning disabilities.

For more information, click here.

National Conference on Family Literacy
The 16th Annual National Conference on Family Literacy will be held from March 4-6 2007 in Orlando, Florida, and will cover the latest information on legislation, research, technology, and practical strategies in family literacy and related fields. 

For more on the conference, click here.

National Association of School Psychologists 44th Annual Conference
From March 27-21 in New York, NY, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) will host their 39th Annual Conference, “Responsiveness: The Fourth ‘R.’”

For more information, click here.