Preventing School Failure: The Relationship between Preschool and Primary Education. Proceedings of a Workshop on Preschool Research (Bogota, Colombia, May 26-29, 1981).

Overview & Synopsis

This volume consists mainly of presentations made at a seminar held in 1981 in Bogota, Colombia, on the relation between preschool education and early childhood education. The seminar brought together educational researchers from many regions of the world as well as specialists in several different disciplines. Encompassing nine investigations conducted in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Jamaica, and the United States, part 1 of the publication presents (1) research on the effects of early stimulation programs on child development; (2) evaluations of the effects of preschool education on children's scholastic achievement at the time of school entrance; and (3) case studies of preschool education policies and programs in Kenya, Thailand, India, and Turkey. The case studies also describe the historical background and socioeconomic contexts in which preschool education is carried out in those four countries. Part 2 provides (1) an overview of early childhood programs in Latin America, (2) a discussion of conceptual issues in preschool and early primary education, (3) an account of the position and problems of preschool education in Latin America, (4) a discussion of compensatory preschool education for poor children, and (5) a summary of preschool research. Focusing on program objectives, research prospects, and policy formation, part 3 briefly summarizes the main points produced by working groups at the seminar. (RH)