Carol Copple received her doctorate in human development from Cornell University and joined the faculty of Louisiana State University. As senior research psychologist at the Educational Testing Service, she directed a prekindergarten program for enhancing young children's thinking skills and wrote Educating the Young Thinker: Classroom Strategies for Cognitive Growth with Irving Sigel and Ruth Saunders. At the National Association for the Education of Young Children from 1993 to 2010, Dr. Copple headed the publications program, authored numerous books, and played a leading role in developing the association's position statements and education initiatives. She is now an early education consultant based in Nashville, Tennessee.

"I welcome this timely compilation of articles by these insightful leaders in early learning. The focus on cognition in the context of the whole child and the development of concept knowledge and skills is just what we need to balance practices. I am eager to introduce this to our educators." -- Ellen Frede, Senior Vice President for Early Learning, Research, and Training, Acelero Learning

"With consummate grasp of the leading directions and significant achievements of the field, Carol Copple has brought together a stand-out volume. I was impressed that a book on "growing minds" would start off with relationships in infancy, and dwell on self regulation in preschool and kindergarten, before turning to complex thinking skills during the primary years." -- Carolyn Pope Edwards, Willa Cather Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

"This is a much needed practitioner's primer highlighting the importance of child development as a foundation for professional practice. Everyone interested in increasing children's ability to take initiative in their learning as well as engage in questioning, probing, and problem solving can benefit by building strong cognitive foundations in early childhood." -- Ed Greene, Senior Advisor, Piramide Approach to Early Learning, Cito USA

Publisher: National Association for the Education of Young Children

Pub date: 2011-11-30

Length: 160 pages