Similar to many other countries, over the past decade Chile has developed policies increasing accountability over schools and teachers working with young children, yet little is known about the impact of these policies on teachers and teaching practices. This study contributes to the research on policy implementation by examining the interaction between accountability policies and institutional practices in kindergarten in the context of the Chilean school system. Specifically, this multiple-site case study explored the responses of kindergarten teachers and principals in different school contexts to policies driven by accountability principles. The study employs a critical approach mobilizing a blend of institutional theory and sense-making theory to examine schools’ macro and micro levels of policy implementation. The results indicate that according to teachers there is a disjunction between the traditional aims of early childhood education, and the objectives of current policies that emphasize results over processes. The teachers interviewed in this study felt that accountability policies largely increase control and surveillance over their teaching and privilege standardized performance measures over holistic child development. However, these policies do provide teachers some opportunities to improve their professional legitimacy in an educational context that usually isolates them. The study also reveals a large gap between teachers’ and principals’ knowledge of early childhood education and their views of the impact of accountability policies. One of the main implications of this study is that policy implementation should put in place supporting actions to help teachers implement accountability practices while acknowledging teachers’ expertise and fostering their agency.

Preschool attendance is widely recognized as a key ingredient for later socioeconomic success, mothers' labor market participation, and leveling the playing field for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, the empirical evidence for these claims is still relatively scarce, particularly in Europe. Using data from the 2011 Austrian European Union Statistics of Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), we contribute to this literature by studying the effects of having attended preschool for the adult Austrian population. We find strong and positive effects of preschool attendance on later educational attainment, the probability of working full time, hourly wages, and the probability that the mother is in the labor market. Full time workers at the bottom and the top of the distribution benefit less than those in the middle. Women in particular benefit more in terms of years of schooling and the probability of working full time. Other disadvantaged groups (second generation migrants; people with less educated parents) also often benefit more in terms of education and work.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOYS AND GIRLS IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AT PRESCHOOL AGE Abstract This thesis deals with the gender analysis of physical activity of boys and girls at preschool age who are attending kindergarten in Prague 4. The aim is to explore whether the physical activity of boys and girls can be load by gender in preschool age. For collection of the data has been used a questionnaire survey. This thesis in the theoretical level deals with the issues of gender, movement and motor activity with focus to the preschool age and preschool education in the Czech Republic. In the practical part it looks into relationship of preschool children towards to physical activity and compares them by gender, it also examines whether the views of parents are loaded by gender stereotypes and verifies the family influence on the movement of children. Keywords: Gender, physical activity, preschool child, boy, girl, kindergarten, movement, family, gender stereotypes.

Among the circumstances that have an impact on the lifelong growth, career development and professional prestige of headmasters is their continuous education and specialized studies. This thesis deals with regulations concerning headmaster performance and further education details, and analyses key statistics as well as provides information on the bulk of previous research related to the subject. The theoretical part also treats the development of a headmasters' professional career and motivation for self-study, and touches upon the new upcoming career system. The empirical section includes a data-based research which assesses the experiences of headmasters at the beginning of their headmaster careers. It also includes their views on personal motivation, time in office and career system, and also types and forms of preferred study and education programs. The analyses outline relations between the length of experience, a degree of education and a motivation for further studies. The attention is also paid to the acquired experience and willingness of headmasters to become actively involved in the future mentoring especially of their junior colleagues. The conclusions bring some information and recommendations in connection with periodical evaluations of headmasters in terms of their time in office.

The purpose of this study was to learn from kindergarten- through 8th-grade principals in East Tennessee (a) what policies guide their decisions regarding classroom placement for multiple-birth children; (b) what postsecondary training they have; (c) what sources guide their decisions; (d) what knowledge they have of the needs, relationships, and bonds of multiples; and (e) what their perceptions are regarding how to best meet the needs of multiples. Data were collected through interviews with a purposeful sample of 10 principals of kindergarten- through 8th-grade schools. Five themes emerged forming constructs for organizational framework: (a) learning environment, (b) meeting individual needs, (c) communication, (d) culture, and (e) perceptions. Based on the research, the following conclusions were presented: Prior to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3102, effective July 1, 2010, none of the school systems had placement policies. Most principals had no postsecondary or graduate school training specific to and were not knowledgeable of the educational psychology of multiples or implications regarding their developmental, emotional, and academic issues. Most said on-the-job training was their only instruction. Few principals were aware of the needs, relationships, and bonds of multiples. Principals stated their conviction that separating multiples would promote individuality and foster independence. Findings from this study might result in colleges modifying their teachers' education curriculum to include the educational psychology of multiples and implications regarding their developmental, emotional, and academic issues. Principals currently serving should enlighten themselves regarding the educational psychology of multiples to include the dynamics of the multiples' relationships and the bond that exists between them. School districts should provide education for staff regarding the development of multiples. Principals should recognize parents of multiples as their best source of guidance and look to school psychologists as resources. It is recommended that principals work with families, become more acquainted with multiples, and seek their opinions when making decisions that affect them. It is recommended that if principals want to help multiples become independent and develop as individuals, they should learn to tell them apart and call them by their individual names rather than twin or triplet.

To meet the guidelines generated by the No Child Left Behind law (NCLB) pressures to raise student achievement have filtered down to and emerged in prekindergarten classrooms. The leadership of state, federal, and local policymakers is critical to the movement for high quality prek for all. The purpose of this study was to examine the scores of prekindergarten students when presented 3 different methods of literacy instruction and to compare the scores according to gender and among 3 age groups. This study found a significant difference in the scores of students when analyzed according to age. The youngest students scored significantly higher than the older students. The results support the literature that young children's brains are more active. There is evidence to support the move to provide high quality prekindergarten for all, which includes Tennessee Governor Phil Bredeson's preK Initiative.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between home environment and school readiness of children entering kindergarten in a rural East Tennessee county. Family and home environment variables included family income, family structure, parents' education, participation in literacy activities, availability of home learning tools, and amount of children's television viewing. A self-reported parent survey was used to gather information about the family environment; the Brigance K Screen was used to determine entering kindergartner's readiness for school. Three hundred and thirty eight children and parents participated. An initial analysis of data incorporated simple descriptive statistics in the form of frequency tables. To examine the relationships between the dependent variable (Brigance scores) and independent variables (family characteristics/environment), Kendall's tau-b and Cramer's V were used. Independent sample t-tests and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) analyzed differences in Brigance scores between groups. Finally, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis determined if kindergarten readiness could be predicted by specific variables: socioeconomic status, literary resources, and literacy activities. The analysis of relationships in this study indicated that family income was more closely related to success on the Brigance K Screen than any other variable; next in importance were the levels of fathers' education and mothers' education. Significant positive correlations also indicated the value of parents reading to their children, educational outings, availability of educational tools--specifically, a home computer, family structure, mealtime conversation, and the number of children's books in the home. A significant negative correlation was found between the duration of television viewing and Brigance scores; increased television viewing time was significantly related to lower test scores. ANOVAs and t-tests indicated significant differences in total Brigance scores of prekindergarten students from different socioeconomic status groups based on family structure, family income, and parents' education levels. Children from two-parent homes scored significantly higher than those from other family situations as did children from higher income homes. In addition, parents' education level was reflected in the Brigance scores; more educated parents had children who scored higher than children with less educated parents. The multiple regression analysis reinforced the statistical significance and magnitude of the relationship between socioeconomic factors and school readiness, but literacy resources and literacy activities also accounted for variance in the scores.

The design method for this study was non-experimental quantitative. The survey was distributed via email to Kindergarten teachers in two Northeastern Tennessee school districts. There were 69 Kindergarten teachers who responded to the survey. The study revealed that Kindergarten teachers perceive that gender, socioeconomic status, and preschool experience have a significant impact on student readiness for school. Chronological age was not perceived to have an impact on student readiness for school to a significant extent. Kindergarten teachers perceived that preschool experience has the greatest impact on student readiness for school when asked to rank the order of impact from greatest to least. Chronological age was perceived to have a greater impact on student readiness for school than either socioeconomic status or gender.

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