Clearly babies come into the world remarkably receptive to its wonders. Their alertness to sights, sounds, and even abstract concepts makes them inquisitive explorersâ€"and learnersâ€"every waking minute. Well before formal schooling begins, children's early experiences lay the foundations for their later social behavior, emotional regulation, and literacy. Yet, for a variety of reasons, far too little attention is given to the quality of these crucial years. Outmoded theories, outdated facts, and undersized budgets all play a part in the uneven quality of early childhood programs throughout our country. What will it take to provide better early education and care for our children between the ages of two and five? Eager to Learn explores this crucial question, synthesizing the newest research findings on how young children learn and the impact of early learning. Key discoveries in how young children learn are reviewed in language accessible to parents as well as educators: findings about the interplay of biology and environment, variations in learning among individuals and children from different social and economic groups, and the importance of health, safety, nutrition and interpersonal warmth to early learning. Perhaps most significant, the book documents how very early in life learning really begins. Valuable conclusions and recommendations are presented in the areas of the teacher-child relationship, the organization and content of curriculum, meeting the needs of those children most at risk of school failure, teacher preparation, assessment of teaching and learning, and more. The book discusses: Evidence for competing theories, models, and approaches in the field and a hard look at some day-to-day practices and activities generally used in preschool. The role of the teacher, the importance of peer interactions, and other relationships in the child's life. Learning needs of minority children, children with disabilities, and other special groups. Approaches to assessing young children's learning for the purposes of policy decisions, diagnosis of educational difficulties, and instructional planning. Preparation and continuing development of teachers. Eager to Learn presents a comprehensive, coherent picture of early childhood learning, along with a clear path toward improving this important stage of life for all children.

For Assessment courses in Early Childhood Education. One of the most accessible and practical textbooks available on assessing young children from infancy through age 8. It provides the full range of types of assessment and how, when, and why to use them. An excellent introduction to assessing young children, Assessment in Early Childhood Education continues with the inclusion of all types of assessments that can be used with infants and young children. Key changes and updates to this edition include: updated and streamlined figures, examples, and models of assessment that aid pre-service teachers to learn how to apply the principles of quality assessments; new activities at the end of the chapters provide opportunities for students to apply their own performance activities to demonstrate understanding of chapter contents; the effects of No Child Left Behind have been updated; newly revised information on children from diverse cultures and languages and children with disabilities has been added; and information on new and current trends toward accountability are discussed, as well as the impact of high-stakes testing.

This fourth edition of Psychoeducational Assessment of Preschool Children continues the mission of its predecessors—to provide both academics and practitioners with a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the assessment of young children. Long recognized as the standard text and reference in its field, it is organized into four sections: Foundations; Ecological Assessment; Assessment of Cognitive Abilities; and Assessment of Specific Abilities. Key features of this new edition include: New Material—A thorough updating includes new material on environmental and home and family assessment plus new coverage of recently revised tests, including the Stanford-Binet V and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, 2e. Balanced Coverage—Sound theoretical coverage precedes and supports the book’s main focus on assessing the abilities, skills, behavior, and characteristics of young children. Expertise—Each chapter is written by a nationally recognized scholar and represents state-of-the-art coverage of its topic. Comprehensive and Flexible—The broad range and organization of topics covered makes the book suitable for both new and experienced examiners and for use as a text in graduate level courses on preschool assessment.

Originally published in 1935, Testing Children's Development from Birth to School Age highlighted the greatly increased interest in measuring the development of pre-school children by other means than the older, inadequate "intelligence tests". In the early part of the twentieth century the work done at the Psychological Institute of the University of Vienna under the general direction of Dr Karl Buehler had become favourably known throughout Europe and the United States. This was also especially true of the studies in child psychology directed by the authors Dr Charlotte Buehler and her one-time assistant, Dr Hildegard Hetzer. The book contains developmental tests for the first six years of life; techniques for testing small children; information on the construction of tests and the evaluation their results. Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context.