Promoting School Readiness and Early Learning: Implications of Developmental Research for Practice

Grounded in cutting-edge developmental research, this book examines what school readiness entails and how it can be improved. Compelling longitudinal findings are presented on the benefits of early intervention for preschoolers at risk due to poverty and other factors. The volume identifies the cognitive, language, behavioral, motor, and socioemotional skills that enable young children to function successfully in school contexts. It explores specific ways in which school- and family-based interventions--including programs that target reading and language, math, self-regulation, and social-emotional development--can contribute to school readiness. The book also addresses challenges in the large-scale dissemination of evidence-based practices.

Michel Boivin, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Canada Research Chair in Child Social Development at Laval University in Quebec. He is director of Laval University's Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment and of the Strategic Knowledge Cluster on Early Child Development, a pan-Canadian consortium. Dr. Boivin is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. His research focuses on the biological, psychological, and social components of child development. He has played a central role in the creation and follow-up of large population-based longitudinal studies of children, including the Quebec Newborn Twin Study and the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development.

Karen L. Bierman, PhD, is Evan Pugh University Professor, Professor of Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies, and Director of the Child Study Center at Pennsylvania State University. Since the 1980s, her research has focused on social-emotional development and children at risk, with an emphasis on the design and evaluation of school-based programs that promote social competence, school readiness, and positive peer relations, and that reduce aggression and related behavior problems. Currently, she directs the Research-based Developmentally Informed (REDI) classroom and home visiting programs, developed in partnership with Head Start programs in Pennsylvania. A clinical psychologist, Dr. Bierman also directs a predoctoral training program in the interdisciplinary educational sciences. Dr. Bierman has served as an educational advisor to organizations including Head Start and Sesame Workshop.