Issues in Early Childhood Curriculum

Modern curriculum study in the United States, though only a century old, is an essential component of education at all levels. Within the last decade alone, multiculturalism, technology, family systems and developmentally appropriate practices have moved awareness of curriculum issues from schools of education onto legislative agendas and into the front pages of newspapers. In this second volume of their "Yearbook in Early Childhood Education", the editors, along with their contributing authors, focus on issues in early childhood curricula. Included in the book are: Herbert Zimiles on the diverse populations served by early childhood programmes; Harriet K. Cuffaro's analysis of blocks as an essential "text" of early childhood education programmes; Olivia N. Saracho on the different forms and styles of educational play and the teacher's role as facilitator and participant in an effective play curriculum; Anthony D. Pellegrini and Janna Dresden on developmentally appropriate curricula as they apply to literacy and numeracy; Douglas H. Clements' straightforward guidelines for introducing computer-assisted instruction to children as early as the age of 2 or 3; and Sharon L. Kagan on enhancing continuity in the child's transitions from day care to preschool to kindergarten, essential to reversing the performance declines documented as "Head Start" children enter kindergarten. Other material in the book includes Joseph Stevens, Jr on community-based family support programmes designed to empower parents as caregivers and socialisers; Lorrie Shepard's provocative review of how standardised tests in the early grades, with their emphasis on bureaucratic standards of teacher accountability, have resulted in rote drill; Douglas Powell and Irving Sigel on the validity of evaluation measures for early childhood intervention programmes; and Cassie Landers on the scientific, social and economic benefits of early childhood programmes in the developing world. The editors present these issues within the framework of their own reviews of the history of curriculum development and the challenges facing educational planners and policy makers in the years ahead.