Peggy McCardle

Global Approaches to Early Learning Research and Practice

Peggy McCardle

The health, development, and learning of many young children living in disadvantage areas are at serious risk. Access to education has improved under the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and there are now programs in low- and middle-income countries that are aimed at improving instruction and learning. The research and evaluation on the effectiveness of such programs show there are significant challenges, but also some successes. This issue features presentations of leading international scientists, representatives from key governmental and non-governmental organizations, and others working with programs in the developing world and disadvantaged populations. The presentations describe the goals, existing challenges, and potential approaches to providing evidence-based programs to young children in rural, remote, and poverty stricken areas. Topics covered include: the state of early childhood in low and middle income nations, programs that have shown some success, and innovative research approaches that have been often considered unfeasible in these contexts. This is the 158th volume in this Jossey-Bass series New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development. Its mission is to provide scientific and scholarly presentations on cutting edge issues and concepts in this subject area. Each volume focuses on a specific new direction or research topic and is edited by experts from that field.

Progress toward a Literate World. Early Reading Interventions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, Number 155

Peggy McCardle

In order to work toward eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals significantly include universal primary education, gender equality, and empowering women. Effective early literacy instruction plays a critical role in achieving these goals. From around the globe, this issue presents evidence-based, culturally sensitive and cost-effective practices in reading instruction and intervention in the early grades. Not only will this issue heighten awareness of the challenges faced but it will provide valuable information to help guide and improve diverse global education programs and research, especially in developing regions and for children living in poverty or disadvantage in all nations. Presenting several experiences from small- and large-scale reading improvement programs, it: Focuses on low- and middle-income countries, Describes challenges in implementing, studying, and scaling them up, Informs expectations on how quickly and easily reading performance can change, and Provides results and evidence of effectiveness. This is the 155th volume in this Jossey-Bass series New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development. Its mission is to provide scientific and scholarly presentations on cutting edge issues and concepts in this subject area. Each volume focuses on a specific new direction or research topic and is edited by experts from that field.