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DOCUMENT RESUME PS 023 817 ED 389 448 Kimmerly, Lynn, Ed. AUTHOR Early Childhood Update, Fall 1995. TITLE National Inst. on Early Childhood Development and INSTITUTION Education (OERI/ED). EC-95-9001 REPORT NO PUB DATE 95 NOTE 7p. Serials (022) Collected Works PUB TYPE Early Childhood Update; Fall 1995 JOURNAL CIT MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Agency Cooperation; Auditory Tests; Child Health; DESCRIPTORS *Early Childhood Education; Early Intervention; *Educational Research; Educational Television; *Federal Government; Grants; Partnerships in Education; Program Descriptions; *Public Agencies; *Research and Development; School Readiness; Screening Tests; *Theory Practice Relationship ABSTRACT This newsletter provides a periodic update on the (ECRWG), activities of the Early Childhood Research Working Group organized in early 1995 by the U.S. Department of Education and other interagency federal government departments and agencies to promote cooperation and public-private partnerships in early childhood "Education research. This edition contains five short articles: (1) Reform: Let's Begin at the Beginning" (Sharon P. Robinson) which discusses research on the efficacy of school readiness and early intervention programs; (2) "Early Childhood Research Working Group: The Beginnings" (Naomi Karp) which documents the origins and early evolution of the ECRWG; (3) "Universal Newborn Hearing Screening: A Successful Federal Initiative" (Karl White) which explains the (4) "ED Grant significance of auditory research on hearing screening; discusses grants for Ready-To-Learn Television" (Joe Caliguro) which Begin" (Edward for school readiness programming; and (5) "Project Brann) %,hich describes research on an early intervention program for the preschool children and their families. A list of the members of ECRWG is included. (MDM) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. *********************************************************************** %/Mood U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ELWCATION UPDATE Demo 01 Etleslonal Ilsessats ord Ininwsmsed EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Silisr1Z: document has holm reproduced as tved from the detach or organization Ongsnating it. 0 Mmor changes hays been made to improve reproduction quality. Points ot w so. opinions atMed in this Azt necessarily nopreseml document OEM posiwn Education Reform: Let's Begin at the Beginning Sharon P. Robinson Assistant Secretary Office of Educational Research and Improvement The real job in education comes long before children get to school. T. Berry Brazeiton, Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard University Among the most exhilarating devel- opments during my tenure as assistant secretary has been the evolution of a new agenda for the education R&D en- Pre-schoolers line up for the camera at the Department of Education's Child terprise. We are now, at long last, clos- Care Center. ing the distance between thought and child care. The goal is to make parents opportunity for our youngest students, action, theory and practice, andmost informed consumers as well as to enable amply documented in our 1995 Condi- decisivelybetween researchers and them to work cooperatively and knowl- tion of Education report, mocks the practitioners. We are witnessing in- edgeably with state and local licensing ideal of equality. creasing acceptance of the tenet that the agencies. most valuable research will emerge One of the most important results to from a culture of cooperation that Additional progress is likely as a result emerge from the 1994 OERI colloquium of research focusing on even earlier in- unites, in common cause, university- on coordinated, school-based services based researchers, K-12 personnel, par- terventions. Research on low-birth- was the recognition that comprehensive ents, policymakers, members of the weight and premature babies (much of school change must not be stymied by a business community, and health care it funded by the Department's Office of narrow vision of the prerequisites for Special Education and Rehabilitative professionals. academic success. An expanding re- Services) offers new insights into the search base now tells us that we must This new generation of research is al- most appropriate ways of caring for the reach across self-created divides and fo- ready offering hope to millions of Amer- tiniest, most vulnerable members of our cus on the whole child, the whole family, ica's children who might otherwise be society. The results are impressive: re- the whole community. This under- condemned to the ghetto of hopeless- duced infant mortality, better sensory in- standing has spawned hundreds of in- ness. It is advancing the school readi- tegration, shorter hospitalizationsand itiatives that give real meaning to the ness idealthe ideal that stands first brighter futures. phrase "community-based schooling." among our national education goals. From San Jose, California to Gainesville, And it is giving life to the principle that All of this is reason for hope. All of this Florida, local communities are estab- quality edumtion begins with quality promises us a more prosperous tomor- lishing broad-based programs that em- row. And all of this testifies to the prenatal care. power families, provide social services, power of research to improve academic Some of the most compelling research and promote the healthy development of achievement and enhance the quality of now in progress serves as a warning children from cradle to commencement. life for America's children. Recent devel- that we cannot expect our children to opments confirm what we have long sus- These admirable programs will become succeed academically if access to health pected: Research worksespecially even more effective as the Department care services and preprimary education when we begin at the beginning. of Health and Human Services acceler- is determined by family income rather ates dissemination of research docu- than by children's needs. The preva- menting the characteristics of quality lence of income-determined educational 1 BEST COPY AVAILABLE Early Childhood Research Working Group----the Beginnings rowl A alliances between researchers and corned over 60 people, from 26 agencies, across eight departments. Discussions communities. Let us engage together about the group's future plans led to the in speculative research and challenge formation of an on-going Planning Com- conventions. mittee, comprised of 16 members from Future Activities the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Ur- The level of ehchusiasm and interest ban Development, and Defense. among the Working Group's members As a result of the dedicated work of the is high. A third group meeting is sched- Naomi Karp Planning Committee, a second meeting uled for October 24, 1995, on the subject Acting Director of the full working group was held on of state-federal partnerships. A fourth National Institute on Early June 28, 1995, at the Department of La- meeting this winter will again include Childhood Development and bor, featuring representatives from five the foundations, but this time the foun- Education foundations that sponsor early child- dation representatives will be asking the hood research activities. On the agenda questions. were Deanna Gomby from the David In December of 1994, In addition to these large group meet- and Lucille Packard Foundation, Lisa Sharon P. Robinson, Assistant ings, the Early Childhood Institute plans Klein from the Ewing Kauffman Foun- Secretary for the Office of Educational to coordinate brown bag lunches and dation, Laurie Garduque of the Research and Improvement (0ER1), sent other types of meetings that feature MacArthur Foundation, Lonnie Sherrod a letter to her counterparts in nine fed- early childhood researchers and/or prac- of the W.T. Grant Foundation, and eral departments. The letter was an in- titioners who may be visiting in the Sheila Smith of the Foundation for Child vitation to other federal agencies to join Washington area. The Institute staff Development. Also participating were with OERI and the National Institute on also intends to produce a quarterly inter- Assistant Secretary Sharon Robinson, Early Childhood Development and Edu- agency newsletter, an annotated bibliog- Ann Segal of the Office of the Assistant cation (NIECDE) in addressing new chal- raphy of federal early childhood Secretary for Planning and Evaluation lenges in the field of early childhood publications, and a directory of federal at DHHS, and Sharon I vnn Kagan, rep- research, development, and dissemina- early childhood personnel. As the new resenting the OERI National Education tion. Ultimately, 30 federal agencies Fiscal Year begins to unfold, there also Research Policy and Priorities Board. were invited to become members of an may be collaboratively sponsored re- Early Childhood Research Working In a spirited exchange of ideas, the search priorities. Group, united by a common purpose: to group explored the possibilities of an If you are interested in joining the Early find new ways to share information, to early childhood research partnership be- Childhood Research Working Group, in work together, and to combine limited tween private foundations and federal becoming a member of the Planning federal resources in order to improve agencies. Suggestions were given on Committee, or if you have any ques- and enrich the lives of America's young future collaboration. Challenges were of- tions, please call the Early Childhood children and their families. fered: Let us develop new models of re- Institute at 202-219-1935. search and define new communication Shared Goals strategies. Let us help build strong For the Working Group to be successful, Calendar we believe that we have to have the right mix of representatives from the Application packages will be available for the National Institute October 13, 1995 various Federal agencies. Therefore, on Early Childhood Development and Education's Field Initiated OERI asked that each Assistant Secre- Studies Competifion. Joe Caliguro, DoE, 202-219-1596. tary designate staff members who have Early Childhood Research Working Group Meeting: *What is the October 24,1995 the requisite program knowledge and ex- Early Childhood Research Agenda in the States?," Washington, perience in the area of early childhood DC. Martha Moorehouse, DHHS, 202-690-6939. research and development. In addition, 11th Annual International Early Childhood Conference on November 1-5 we as'.ced that the designees be close Children with Special Needs, Orlando, Florida. Council for enough to the policy-making level so Exceptional Children, 703-620-3660. that policy questions and issues can be Symposium on newborn hearing saeening, Washington, D.C. November 16-18 addressed as expeditiously as possible. Bonnie Strickland, DHHS, 301-443-1080. DecVer 6-8 Early Education Program for Children with Disabilities, Partnerships in Research Project Directors Meeting, Arlington, VA. Gail Houle, DoE, The Early Childhood Research Working 202-205-9045. Group met for the first time on February Closing date for applications for the National Institute on Early December 15,1%5 1, 1995. At that inaugural meeting, As- Childhood's Research and Development Center Competition. sistant Secretary Sharon Robinson wel- Naomi Karp, DoE, 202-219-1935. 2 Universal Newborn Hearing Screening: A Successful Federal Initiative Over the last 50 years, many different Karl White, Ph. D. techniques have been used to attempt to Utah State University reduce the average age at which hearing impairment is identified. Unfortunately, Wendy the U.S. Department of all of the previously available tech- ealth and Human Services issued niques hal; e been inadequate: behav- a plan to improve the health of this coun- ioral screening techniques work well try's citizens by the year 2000. Included with children after six months of age, in that plan was a goal to: Reduce the but by that time, many children are inac- average age at which children cessible for screening; high-risk regis- with significant hearing impair- ters are feasible to operate, but miss at ment are identified to no more least half of the children with significant than 12 months. The importance of hearing loss; crib-o-gram techniques accomplishing this goal was empha- have serious validity problems; and sized in the report as follows: auditory brainstem response The future of a child born with a (ABR), which is generally recognized significant hearing impairment de- as the most valid technique, works well, pends to a very large degree on but is too expensive to implement for all early identification (i.e., audiologi- newborns. cal diagnosis before 12 months of age) followed by immediate and Research Breakthrough Heralded appropriate intervention. If hear- In 1978, David Kemp, a British auditory ing impaired children are not iden- physicist, made a discovery which has tified early, it is difficult, if not revolutionized our understanding of impossible, for many of them to how the ear functions and provides the acquire the fundamental lan- foundation for dramatically lowering guage, social, and cognitive skills the age at which congenital hearing loss that provide the foundation for is identified. Kemp showed that when Infant is screened for hearing loss in later schooling and success in soci- auditory stimulation is introduced into revolutionary, painless procedure. ety. When early identification the external ear canal, a healthy cochlea and intervention occur, hearing responds with a tiny signal which trav- impaired children make dramatic els back through the external ear canal a Consensus Panel at the National Insti- progress, are more successful in and can be measured by a microphone tutes of Health has now recommended school, and become more produc- connected to a computer. that all infants be screened for hearing tive members of society. The loss prior to being discharged from the Beginning in 1989, with funding from earlier intervention and habilita- hospital. Similar endorsements have the Bureau of Maternal and Child tion begin, the more dramatic the been given by the American Academy Health and the U.S. Department of Edu- benefits. of Pediatrics and the Joint Committee on cation, rsearchers at Utah State Univer- Infant Hearing. sity have evaluated the use of this Hearing Loss Identified Too Late technique (transient evoked otoacoustic The power and convenience of using Although it is widely recognized that emissions or TEOAE) and have demon- transient evoked otoacoustic emissions children with significant hearing impair- strated that universal newborn hearing as a newborn hearing screening tool will ment need to be identified during the screening can be done in a way which is solve many of the most persistent prob- first year of life, the average age at valid, practical, and cost efficient. In- lems that have prevented us from identi- which such children are currently idenci- deed, a consortium of states organized fying children with hearing impairment fied in the United States is 2-1/2 to 3 by the Utah State University group with before their first birthday. With this years, with many children not being funding from the Bureau of Maternal new tool, the identification of all identh.2d until they enter school at 5 or and Child Health is currently operating congenitally hearing impaired infants 6 years of age. Our lack of reliable and universal newborn hearing screening before twelve months of age is now economically feasible techniques for programs in over 50 hospitals across the clearly within reach. II newborn hearing screening has been the country and the w rnber is rapidly ex- principal reason for such a late age of panding. In fact, die evidence support- identification. ing this technique is so convincing that 3 ED Grant for Ready-To-Learn Television the creation of community outreach Joe Caliguro ing a range of perspectives, including workshop plans. Requests for Propos- minority interests, early childhood edu- National Institute on Early Childhood als (RFP) for both the programming ele- cation, child care, bilingual education, Development and Education ment of the project and a bi-monthly television programming expertise, and newsletter have been released and community volunteer involvement. The Corporation for Public Broad- awards are expected to be made later casting (CPB) has received a $7 mil- this year. Eligible grant recipients in- Ready To Learn Grants lion grant from the National Institute on clude schools and colleges of education, Early Childhood Development and Edu- Ready to Learn grants will be available other educational entities, public broad- cation to develop a program designed to for the creation and/or execution of casting stations, publishers, and advo- increase school readiness in young chil- various components of the RTL cacy groups which promote the literacy Projectthe production of television dren across America. The Institute is and education of children and families, programming, the development of part of the Office of Educational Re- including the disabled and those for educational materials in Spanish and search and Improvement of the U.S. De- whom English is a second language. partment of Education. Ready to Learn English for children and parents, and (RTL) will help pre-school and early- school children and their families and Family Literacy Design Symposium caregiversincluding those for whom English is a second languagemove to- ward the realization of the first national from around the On September 7-8, distinguished scholars and practitioners education goal. country met in Washington to develop a national research and practice agenda which will address the most important questions in the field of family School Readiness literacy. The symposium was sponsored by the National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education and the National Institute on Postsecon- The DoE grant will support the creation dary Education, Libraries and Lifelong Learning, with support from the Office of of new family and children's program- Elementary and Secondary Education and the Office of Vocational and Adult ming of high quality which will be inter- spersed with educational message Education. breaks. The programming, available The participants brought to the table a wide range of expertise in issues relating to all children and families through the educa- to family and family literacy, including early childhood education, adult universal access of public television, tion/literacy, health, nutrition, family support, parent involvement, employment will focus on the cognitive and social training and housing. Proceedings of the symposium, including the papers pre- development of children from diverse pared for the event, should be available in November. social, cultural and geographical back- grounds. This programming will be re- inforced by educational materials, written in both English and Spanish, and community outreach workshops for children, parents, and caregivers. In addition, free books will be distributed each month to children and their families at Public Broadcasting's network of television stations around the country. National Advisory Board A National Advisory Board, to be jointly selected by the National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education and the Corporation for Pub- r- lic Broadcasting, will provide guidance ma- on a wide range of issues, including how the Ready to Learn Project goals can be achieved and sustained in both the home and community. The Board will consist of no more than 15 experts offer- Secretary Riley helps a young student from Beach Tree Elementary School In Falls Church, Virginia, hone up on his reading sldlls. 4 Project Begin guidelines to the sites to facilitate cul- term educational and social outcomes tural sensitivity of the project and the in- such as school performance, employ- tervention staff so as to optimize the ment, dependency on social services, an- benefit to all study children and their tisocial behavior, number of arrests and incarcerations, and family unity. families. Health and Social Service Study Design Coordination Project BEGIN will be a multi-site, ran- CDC will recommend a basic health care domized controlled trial with three con- plan for all children and families in the secutive cohorts (i.e., annual start-up study, including a medical home, as de- groups of new children) of eligible new- fined by the American Academy of Pedi- born infants. Each cohort will include atrics standards, and EPSDT services. approximately 150 children at each site, All study children (INT and COMP) will with an equal number randomized into be referred to existing community each of the two study groups: Interven- health and social services for which tion (INT) and Comparison (COMP). they are eligible. Process, outcome, and cost data will be Dr. Edward Brann collected. The primary inclusion aite- Centers for DisPase Control and Outcome Variables rion for Project BEGIN is low maternal Preventin:, (CDC) education, operationally defined as less The major outcome variables for than 12 completed grades of school at Project BEGIN relate to parent/child Children raised in environments with the time of delivery. interaction, the developmental status of limited developmental stimulation the child, and family functioning. Sev- and support are at inaeased risk for Core Intervention Components eral domains corresponding to the developmental delays. These delays, objectives of the intervention will be as- A three-year comprehensive early educa- associated with socio-environmental sessed. Outcome assessments will be tion program starting at birth is pro- factors, are largely preventable. Com- conducted at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months of posed. The model will emphasize prehensive, high-quality intervention age. Project BEGIN will follow study parent/child interaction, service coordi- programs, beginning in infancy and children into their mid-20s in order to nation, and responsiveness to the needs early childhood, have been shown in assess the long-term educational and so- and goals of each family. An array of randomized, controlled trials to prevent curriculum materials will be utilized, cial outcomes. these forms of developmental delays. and training for staff will be comprehensive. The intervention goals are to facili- The Goal of Project BEGIN tate parent/child interaction, promote The goal of this study is to provide qual- child development, and enhance family ity scientific data for state and national functioning. policy makers and service providers for "In every child Three core intervention components will young children and their families in or- be provided to children in the INT who is born, under der to determine: 1) if a specific early in- group: home visits, attendance at a tervention program model can be no matter what child development center, and parent delivered in a real world setting; 2) the groups. Home visits will be weekly dur- circumstances, characteristics of children and families ing the first 12 months. From 12-36 and of no matter who benefit most from the intervention; months, the number of visits will be re- and 3) the cost benefit of the interven- what parents, duced to two per month. Children will tion. The objective is to deliver a family- be enrolled in full-day child develop- the potentiality of centered, community-based program of ment centers from 12 to 36 months of health and developmental services that the human race age. Parent groups will be held once is responsive to individual family needs. every two to three months at a mini- is born again." The study is designed to assess whether mum. All three components will empha- this program of services facilitates par- size the importance of the parent-child James Agee ent/child interaction; promotes child cog- relationship and will facilitate parent- nitive, communicative, socio-emotional professional collaboration and partner- and behavioral development; enhances ships. Project BEGIN will provide family functioning and affects long- 5 Members of the Early Childhood Research Working Group Justice Seresa Simpson Lynn Spencer Joan Hurley Bobbi Stettner-Eaton Kristen Kracke Maris Vinovskis The Early Childhood Research Labor Working Group continues to add Jerry West to its membership. Donald Mahr Health and Human Services State "..ecca Ashery Edward Brann Carrie Auer Agriculture William Bukoski Nils Dulaire Leslie Christovich Barbara Cohen Frank Method Michael Fishman Dorynne Czechowicz Anna Quandt Co lien Hefferan Pia Divine Alma C. Hobbs Domestic Policy Council Michael E. Fishman Wells Willis Sarah Friedman Gaynor McCown Kimberly Hoagwood Defense Government Accounting Office Richard Jakopic Rebecca Posante Peter Jensen Sheila Avruch Linda K. Smith Coryl LaRue Jones Shirlie Svestka Woodie Kessel Education Esther Kresh National Academy of Sciences/National Research Ann Benjamin Joan Lombardi Council Mary Brayboy Michael Lopez Veda Bright Marc Mannes Deborah Phillips Joe Caliguro Merle McPherson Constance Garner Martha MoorehouseChairperson Robert Glenn Eve Moscicki Sue Gruskin Aaron Prero Early Childhood Update is published Elvie Germino Hausken Helen Raikes by the Department of Education's Barbara Heflin Vince Smergilo National Institute cn Early Childhcod Development and Education. Yvonne Hicks Camille Smith U.S. Department of Education Harold Himmelfarb Susan Solomon Richard W. Riley Gail Houle Diane Sondheimer Secretaty Jeanne Jehl Bonnie Strickland Office of Educational Research Naomi KarpStaff Director Helen Taylor and Improvement Lynn Kimmerly Cynthia Tudor Sharon P. Robinson Regina Kinnard Assistant Secretary Mary Bruce Webb The National Institute on Early Cecile Kreins Linda White Young Childhood Development Columbus (Chris) Lee and Education Housing and Urban Patricia Lines Naomi Karp Development Celeste Loar Acting Director Mary Lovell Beverly Hardy Editor Marcia Martin Joyce Lowery Lynn Kimmerly Jeanne Nathanson Special thanks go to Kaira Oweh, age 4, Interior for her art wcek on the masthead. Roseann Rafferty Richard Rasa William Mehojah EC 95-9001 Elois Scott Paula Shipp EC 95-9001 6