Urban classroom culture and early childhood development

URBAN CLASSROOM CULTURE - Realities, dilemmas, responses


This book by Roxy Harris and Adam Lefstein draws on a 3 year ethnographic research project (2005-2008) in a London comprehensive School, funded by the Economic & Social Research Council.

It is a publication for teachers, designed to encourage discussion and analysis of the
realities and dilemmas of classroom life in contemporary urban comprehensive
schools; and the possibilities for workable responses.

Central to the book is a series of transcripts and audio recordings of interactions between teachers and students in classrooms. The recordings are included on an accompanying DVD. The publication is planned for use in Continuing Professional Development and Initial Teacher Training contexts.

For details of the findings see - http://www.open.ac.uk/socialsciences/identities/findings/Rampton.pdf

Order your copy by sending a cheque made out to ‘King’s College London’ –
@ £6.00 per copy for postage, packaging and administration, to Dr Roxy Harris, Dept of Education and Professional Studies, School of Social Science and Public Policy, King’s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building (WBW), Waterloo Road, London SE1 9NN.


THE LANCET has published a series of articles about early childhood development in 'low-income and middle-income' countries.  Access to the full articles are free, once you register.


Inequality in early childhood: risk and protective factors for early child development

'Inequality between and within populations has origins in adverse early experiences. Developmental neuroscience shows how early biological and psychosocial experiences affect brain development. We previously identified inadequate cognitive stimulation, stunting, iodine deficiency, and iron-deficiency anaemia as key risks that prevent millions of young children from attaining their developmental potential. Recent research emphasises the importance of these risks, strengthens the evidence for other risk factors including intrauterine growth restriction, malaria, lead exposure, HIV infection, maternal depression, institutionalisation, and exposure to societal violence, and identifies protective factors such as breastfeeding and maternal education. Evidence on risks resulting from prenatal maternal nutrition, maternal stress, and families affected with HIV is emerging. Interventions are urgently needed to reduce children's risk exposure and to promote development in affected children. Our goal is to provide information to help the setting of priorities for early child development programmes and policies to benefit the world's poorest children and reduce persistent inequalities.'

Strategies to avoid the loss of developmental potential in more than 200 million children in the developing world

'This paper assesses strategies to promote child development and to prevent or ameliorate the loss of developmental potential. The most effective early child development programmes provide direct learning experiences to children and families, are targeted toward younger and disadvantaged children, are of longer duration, high quality, and high intensity, and are integrated with family support, health, nutrition, or educational systems and services. Despite convincing evidence, programme coverage is low. To achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing poverty and ensuring primary school completion for both girls and boys, governments and civil society should consider expanding high quality, cost-effective early child development programmes.'

For further information, see http://www.thelancet.com/series/child-development-in-developing-countries-2