<p>The purpose of this study was to examine best teaching practices utilized by virtual K&ndash;3 instructors through a qualitative content analysis of distance education journals, dedicated virtual school blogs, and electronically-documented surveys completed by virtual K&ndash;3 instructors. Two theoretical perspectives informed this study, socio-constructivism and activity theory. Socio-constructivism provided a lens addressing factors contributing to the implementation of best practices, while activity theory functioned as a descriptive means for considering the implementation of best practices within the context of varying activity systems (Vygotsky, 1978; Engestrom, 1987; Leont&rsquo;ev, 1978; Luria, 1976). The sample consisted of 5 distance education journals, 4 dedicated virtual school blogs, and 11 electronically-documented surveys completed by virtual K&ndash;3 instructors. The qualitative content analysis revealed that in following best practices virtual K&ndash;3 instructors were responsible for setting clear expectations, personalizing instruction, accommodating diverse learners, building a community of learners, implementing evidence-based teaching practices, using technology effectively in the online classroom, participating in professional development activities, and actively working with parents and administrators to improve the learning environment for virtual K&ndash;3 students. </p>

<p> Time can be examined from several viewpoints in the early childhood classroom: wasted wait time; instruction which is undifferentiated or not on the child's cognitive level, missing the child's target learning needs; the source and control of the classroom schedule; children's perceptions of time; and the current trend to maintain a rigid time schedule because of accountability demands. This study investigated Head Start preschool programs in a large midwestern urban area using an analysis of teacher beliefs and the classroom schedule. The instruments used to measure predictor variables were the Teacher Beliefs Scale (TBS) and Evaluation of the Early Childhood Classroom Schedule (EECCS); and the outcome variables were measured by observation with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System &ndash; PreK (CLASS) and the Individualized Classroom Assessment Scoring System (InCLASS). Thirty four teachers and 89 children participated. Correlation and hierarchical multiple regression were computed to assess the strength of the relationships between the predictor and criterion variables. Research question 1 asked how teacher's learner-centered use of time in the early childhood classroom, (EECCS), was related to Head Start classroom interactions and child engagement, (CLASS and inCLASS). Results indicated that EECCS was not a statistically significant predictor of CLASS scores or inCLASS scores. Research question 2 asked how teacher beliefs, (TBS), were related to Head Start classroom teacher-child interactions (CLASS), and Head Start classroom teacher-child, peer-peer, and child-material interactions, (inCLASS). No statistically significant results were found. Research question 3 asked how the early childhood classroom schedule moderated the relationship between developmentally appropriate teacher beliefs and Head Start Classroom interactions. No statistically significant results were found. Supplementary analyses were performed with activity settings and yielded several significant findings. Statistically significant changes were found for all instruments from fall to spring. Teacher beliefs and the classroom schedule were statistically significantly correlated. This study will also add to the body of literature a connection between teacher child interactions (CLASS) and child engagement with teachers, peers and tasks (inCLASS).</p>

<p> This phenomenological study explored five pre-kindergarten and five kindergarten teachers' expectations for entering kindergarteners, the sources of teachers' expectations, and nature of collaborations between pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews. The findings suggested that: (a) there were similarities and differences in expectations of both groups of teachers; (b) participants did not have differential expectations for children from different backgrounds, such as children's race and ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status; (c) teachers' ideal expectations did not always match with the competencies of children in their own classrooms; (d) teachers' classroom experience was the most influential source of teachers' expectations; and (e) there was no systematic collaborative relationships between participating pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs. The study's findings suggest the need for sustained collaborative relationships among preschool programs, kindergarten, and families of preschoolers to communicate realistic expectations for kindergarten.</p>

<p> This study confirmed the prediction of Coleman and Hoffer (1987) that a school actively supported by one employer and nested within the parents' workplace could replicate the functional communities surrounding Catholic Schools that raised the academic outcomes of disadvantaged urban youth. Rather than a single `something new' suggested by Smrekar (1990), this small sample suggested that a whole spectrum of school communities had emerged around workplace neighborhood schools sponsored by commercial real estate developers in cooperation with providers from franchisor-operated and national chains of workplace neighborhood schools. It was found that rather than being created in school communities, social capital had become a commodity in the "education marketplace" that was donated, purchased, and bartered. Working parents indicated that schools with high levels of parental involvement made their personal involvement more manageable. Gatekeepers and school cultures that marginalized parents impaired the flow of high quality social capital into school communities. Longitudinal data surfaced that suggested charitable social capital that marginalized the families of disadvantaged urban children had a negative impact on the professional career trajectories of "scholarship kids" in their adult lives. Finally, it was also noted that interracial marriages appeared to promote interracial informal familial bonding among co-workers and within school communities. </p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of singing tempo during specific song acquisition of preschool aged children. The study had two research questions: 1. What is the effect of slow and fast singing tempos on preschool children&rsquo;s performance of musical components (melody, rhythm, and text, individually and combined) of a duple major song over time? 2. Will children&rsquo;s performance tempo be the same as or similar to the presented instructional tempo? </p><p> Participants were randomly assigned by classroom to Tempo Group A (120 beats per minute) or Tempo Group B (60 bpm). A three week pilot study (<i> N</i> = 14) validated the teaching procedures, recording procedures, and the scoring rubric. During the six week main study, participants (<i> N</i> = 50) were exposed to the song 30 times. Three judges evaluated individual performance recordings from the pilot study and the individual midpoint and final performances from the main study in three dimensions: melody, rhythm, and text. </p><p> Interjudge reliabilities were calculated using a Pearson product moment reliability. Data analysis used a two-way Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) with repeated measures for the individual components and an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures for the composite score. The melodic scores, the rhythmic scores, the text scores, and the composite scores showed statistically significant growth for both groups from the week three recordings to the week six recordings. There was no statistically significant difference between the instructional tempo groups. </p><p> The mean of complete performances for both tempo treatment groups moved toward the center of the tempo range (60&ndash;120 bpm) Using a <i>t </i>-test, the change in performance tempo from instructional tempo was statistically significant. Further research is needed for specialized groups (English as a Second Language, developmental delays, and different tonalities/meters). </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine how collaborative artmaking activates and supports the development of interpersonal skills in young children. By means of a qualitative case study, this study explored how collaborative art projects engage children in using problem-solving, cooperation, and negotiation skills. Data were collected through observation of small groups of preschool children as they participated in collaborative art projects. Field notes, videotaping, small group interviews, and conversations with colleagues were the primary methods for data collection. The data were analyzed using the literature from the Reggio Emilia philosophy and research on collaborative artmaking and interpersonal skills development. Thematic groupings from both deductive and inductive coding techniques were used to analyze the data and draw inferences about the findings. Results show that children co-construct knowledge through the visual language of art during collaborative artmaking. Over time, this construction supports children in their interpersonal skill development. The art medium used in the projects and the role of teacher were examined, revealing how the children were supported in developing problem-solving, cooperation, and negotiation skills. This study makes an important contribution to the literature because it draws connections between collaborative artmaking and interpersonal skill development.</p>

<p> This study examines differing perspectives on kindergarten readiness as defined by preschool and kindergarten teachers. Data were collected through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews of two preschool and two kindergarten teachers and analyzed using perspectives from the maturational theory, the accountability movement, and the ecological perspective. The literature indicates that there is no single concrete understanding developed by preschool or kindergarten teachers surrounding kindergarten readiness. Results of this limited study indicate that both preschool and kindergarten teachers value social and emotional development, focusing on group and individual understanding, as opposed to a focus on academic development per se.</p>

<p> Due to demographic shifts suburban schools are having difficulty meeting the needs of students of immigrant, poor and working class families. Schools are forced with the difficult task of closing learning gaps with students who may have difficult circumstances. Literature indicates fostering a healthy home / school connection by conducting educational home visits may support schools ability to embrace the cultural wealth and social capital of students and their families. In a suburban elementary school, six elementary school teachers and the assistant principal formed a research team to explore the relationship between home visits and teachers' practice. </p><p> The study focused on an overarching question: What is the relationship between home visits and teacher practice? The sub questions were: (1) What changes occur in teachers' thinking about students' contexts following home visits? (2) What changes occur in teacher practice following home visits? (3) How do teachers think these changes influences student learning? </p><p> The action research study consisted of three distinct phases of work cycles. The phases were, Phase I, Initiation, Phase II, Duration and Phase III, Conclusion. The team investigated how home visits influence teachers' practice and their perception of students' learning. The team collected data through conducting home visits, group meetings, peer classroom observations, triad discussions and maintained journal notes, audio tapes, and electronic notifications. The findings were teachers' improved practice, teachers' professionalism and professional growth. These themes emerged from the home visits, classroom applications experiences and group meetings of the action research project. </p><p> <b>Keywords:</b> cultural wealth, action research, home visits, teacher practice, professional development, students' home contexts</p>

<p> Adolescent alcohol use is a major public health problem that affects millions of youth in the United States annually. High prevalence rates of youth alcohol use are related to many factors; one direct influence is the effect of adverse childhood experiences and the substantial impact on brain and behavioral development. This study assessed the relationship between the effects of adverse experiences and specific protective factors on the development of alcohol use in middle school students. Utilizing a cross-sectional design with the administration of a self completed survey, the outcomes show a relationship between higher adverse childhood experience scores and an increased prevalence of 30-day alcohol use. Additionally shown is a decline in use by students who report having a higher incidence of protective factors. This study will be utilized in building community awareness, adaptations to educational processes, creating community wide strategies and innovative public health approaches for prevention by understanding the collective impact that adverse experiences have on a child's health in relation to alcohol use.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of Illinois Parents as Teachers (PAT) program leaders managing a multigenerational workforce. Supervisors state that leading a multigenerational staff possesses challenges that affect overall productivity (Bell, 2008). PAT stakeholders including leaders, facilitators, parents, and children risk failing to provide or receive optimal services because of weak supervisory practices. Obtaining the perceptions and lived experiences, as narrated by PAT leaders about the work practices, behaviors, ethics, and leadership styles of employees from various generations will add insight to this plight. The study involved 10 Illinois Parents as Teachers program leaders purposely selected based on the number of employees and generational cohorts represented in the program. The participants were interviewed using a semi-structured, open ended interview format; data was collected and analyzed. Five themes were extracted from the data using manual analysis and NVivo 9.0&copy; to aid in the coding process. The themes were important to understanding the participant&rsquo;s perceptions of managing a multigenerational staff. This study provided insight into how PAT leaders view employees from various generations in terms of work practices, behaviors, ethics, and leadership. The narratives provided rich accounts of leader&rsquo;s experiences, which in turn will be a helpful professional development and technical assistance tool in training leaders to use the most effective techniques with a multigenerational staff. Suggestions for educational practice and further research are included in the recommendations.</p>