For New Orleans teen parents, summer school is hands-on

By Danielle Dreilinger, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

15-year-old Lashuntia Copelin plays with her 8-month-old daughter Londyn, while Jamal Gibson, 17 plays along during a break in a teen parenting class. Landry-Walker High School and the Center for Development and Learning are piloting a program for teen parents, Wednesday, July 2, 2014. In the background, Alice […]

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• Early Childhood
• Literacy
• Parents

Reading and Brain Change

By Daniel Willingham, Ph.D.

 Is there a critical period of brain plasticity for literacy? We know that brain development progresses with age. If a child does not learn to read at the right age, has the brain lost its plasticity such that learning to read will be more difficult?  

For at least one aspect of brain plasticity, we […]

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• Early Childhood
• Reading

Where the Wild Words Are

By Lucy Hart Paulson

Children’s books are one of the most valuable resources for developing and expanding language and early literacy skills in preschool and in primary grades. Using thematic units revolving around a central storybook is an effective strategy in early childhood education settings. Storybooks are read repeatedly during the thematic unit time period. With […]

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• Early Childhood
• Literacy

Response To Intervention (RTI) In Early Childhood

By the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion 

Background and Purpose

Response to Intervention (RTI) is an approach that is gaining acceptance in kindergarten-Grade 12 in many schools throughout the U.S. RTI has a dual focus – improving the quality of instructional practices for all students, and as providing additional instructional and behavioral supports for some students […]

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• Differentiated Instruction and RtI
• Early Childhood

Developing Early Literacy

Report of the National Early Literacy Panel 

Introduction 

The ability to read and write is fundamental to full participation in American society. Our nation of farmers and mechanics has been transformed into one in which economic, civic, and social success depend on educational attainment for all, particularly in literacy. The rapid influx of technology into our daily […]

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• Early Childhood
• Literacy
• Reading

Dad’s Playbook: Coaching Kids To Read

By the National Institute for Literacy

Getting in the Game
Reading: Easy as ABC, Right?

Most kids learn to talk by talking with other people. They hear—they listen—they speak. Learning to read? That’s harder.

Reading doesn’t come naturally. You have to learn it. The sticks and circles we call letters are symbols. Basically, letters stand for sounds. In the […]

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• Early Childhood
• Reading

Big Dreams

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• Early Childhood
• Reading

The NICHD Study Of Early Child Care And Youth Development

By the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 

 In the early 1990s, the majority of children began some non-maternal care by 6 months of age. results from the NICHD Study of early child care and Youth Development show that, in its demographically and ethnically diverse sample of more than 1,000 children, the average child spent […]

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• Early Childhood
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• Research-Based/Evidence-Based

Ten Hallmarks Of Children Who Succeed In School

By Craig Ramey and Sharon Ramey

1. They are eager to learn.

Encourage your child to explore in a new setting. “Let’s find out about…” “I wonder what would happen if we…” At home or outside, point out things that can be looked at, used, or thought about differently.

2.  They ask lots of questions, and they ask […]

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• Early Childhood

Early Intervention, Intelligence and Academic Achievement: Empirical Evidence for Successful Outcomes

By Craig and Sharon Ramey

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• Early Childhood