<p> This qualitative interview study examines the challenges and successes early childhood teachers in Oakland Unified School District face when addressing issues of race and racism in their classrooms. Teachers' and District Administrator's stories of barriers and strategies were analyzed to inform my professional practice. Data were collected through qualitative interviews and a focus group. The main theoretical framework that supported analysis came from Critical Race Theory. The data were analyzed through descriptive coding and analytic memoing. Key findings include the impact of personal beliefs and experiences on teachers' barriers and strategies. Teachers' barriers include the age or English proficiency of their students, lack of discussion at their school site, and a lack of training and tools. They used a wide range of strategies, including literature, general conversations, specific questions, creating a strong link between home and school as well as relying on experiences regarding race and racism they had in their personal lives. Teachers and district administrators were both working on addressing racism, however, their strategies were very distinct; administrators were working on large-scale projects while teachers were very focused on their individual classrooms and students. This study makes an important contribution to the literature because the role and impact of race and racism in Early Childhood classrooms is often overlooked. There is a lack of professional literature addressing the obstacles that teachers committed to engaging in this work face and also an absence of reflection from early childhood teachers about what strategies they use to support them in their anti-racist work. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> anti-racist teaching, early childhood education, critical race theory, obstacles to anti-racist teaching, teacher strategies </p>

<p> The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness and feasibility of using tiered instruction to increase the frequency of conversational turn taking (CTT) among preschoolers with and without disabilities in an inclusive setting. Three CTT interventions (Universal Design for Learning, Peer Mediated Instruction, and Milieu Teaching) were organized on a hierarchy of intensity and implemented in an additive manner. Using an increasing intensity across participants with a reversal design, child progress was monitored over time and children were moved through tiers based on level of need. A functional relationship between tiered instruction and CTT was found for nine of 13 child participants and the strongest intervention effects were observed at tier one. All but one child participant showed an increase in conversational turn taking from baseline to reinstatement. Teacher fidelity of implementation was monitored at each tier. Her overall average was 90% with the highest percent occurring in tier one. Resulting contributions to the literature include a better understanding of the feasibility of tiered instruction for the inclusive early childhood classroom, the effectiveness of tiered instruction for increasing CTT, and practical considerations for implementation of tiered instruction across tiers and phase change decisions.</p>

<p> This qualitative case study is an investigation of the role of race, school context, and personal and professional experiences in the formation of an early childhood teacher's professional identity. Data sources included interviews, observations, conversations, field notes, and school artifacts. Member checking, triangulation, and extended observation supported the trustworthiness of the results. The findings of the research indicate that major themes related to identity formation included family influence, teaching values and beliefs, and identity shift. Main themes related to the minority status of the participant were emotions and feeling of alienation. Finally, major themes related to school context and personal and professional experiences included relationships with children and parents, relationships with teachers and staff members at the school, early learning experiences, and images of a good teacher. The study concludes with suggestions for early childhood education programs and future researchers.</p>

<p> The purpose of this feminist case study was two-fold: (1) to describe the ways that Collaborative Inquiry (CI) can be proposed as a counter-discourse of professional development that acknowledges the multiple forms of personal and professional knowledge among five women preschool practitioners, and (2) to explore alternative constructs of the preschool practitioner that seek to disrupt the preschool teacher/child care worker dichotomy. Data were collected through transcripts of CI group meetings, semi-structured participant interviews, selected researcher field notes, and participant observations during select classroom visits and meetings with participants. Feminist and poststructural perspectives set forth by Butler (1990), Osgood (2010), and Foucault (1977), among others, were utilized to interpret the data. Findings from the CI process included the importance of conversation and 'small talk' informal and shared readings, the use of student documentation and artifacts, and collaboration as important tools and processes of the group. Findings from the case included the positioning of the Center and its staff within a business discourse. Data revealed how these preschool practitioners complied with and/or negotiated the discursive practices of power relations, regulation, normalization, and surveillance, as the Center participated in the voluntary <i>Step Up to Quality</i> accreditation process to increase Center funding. </p>

<p>Play is an important part of a child&rsquo;s development. Play is often defined as an activity done for its own sake, characterized by means rather than end. Pretend play receives a huge focus at the pre-school and kindergarten levels, especially socio-dramatic play. Socio-dramatic play, common from around 3 years of age to six years of age, is a type of pretend play. Socio-dramatic play incorporates sustained role taking and a narrative line. This study intends to examine pretend play in greater detail and to determine if the structuring of pretend play by the teacher can positively affect student social and behavior skills. The two students under study, a 5-year old female with limited social skills and a 6-year old boy who exhibits poor behavior skills. The two students under study were placed in an unstructured and structured dramatic play area center through the course of the study. The researcher used a duration recording form, a partial recording form, and field notes to measure behavior. The results of the study showed that the children improved their behaviors during the structured dramatic play area center time. </p>

<p> Precision teaching (PT) is a measurement system used in multiple settings for all types of behavior, from driving to mathematics. The ultimate goal of PT is to develop fluent, free operant behaviors through analyzing response frequencies on a standard celeration chart. Research has found PT to be effective at improving both the speed and accuracy of academic skills. There is little research, however, in the effects of learning channels, a component of PT, as they relate to the acquisition of academic skills. The present study examined the relationship between single and multiple learning channels on the acquisition of mathematics skills by five 1^st graders in a public school setting. Implications related to universal designs for learning (UDL) utilized in educational environments are also discussed. </p>

<p> The focus of this comparative study was to examine the connection between attendance in preschool and kindergarten students' literacy success as measured by the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2+). Historical data were obtained from the DRA2+ scores of 1,080 kindergarten students in one Missouri school district for the 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013 school years. The study was also used to determine the perceptions of kindergarten educators of the impact of preschool on their students. The following overarching question was: What difference exists when comparing the DRA2+ scores of kindergarten students who had a preschool experience and those who did not? Additionally, the perceptions of teachers working with students who had received an early learning experience and students who had not received an early learning experience were gathered. Using a t-test to examine the difference between the mean scores of participating and non-participating students, there was a statistically significant difference in scores of students who participated in preschool and those who did not for 2010-2011; however, there were not statistically significant differences in the sets of data for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. Educators surveyed in this research perceived that students who had not received an early learning experience seemed to have more difficulty learning the basics of school life; attending for longer periods of time; taking direction; using manipulatives, such as scissors, pencils, and crayons; and getting along with peers.</p>

<p> This study focused on the relationships between educator reading fluency constructs, reading fluency instruction and oral reading fluency assessment. Survey responses from sixty-six elementary educators in rural and urban north Georgia were analyzed to reach an understanding of why educators are likely to equate reading fluency with reading fast (Rasinski, 2009) and focus reading fluency instruction on raising reading rates (Manzo, 2005). The mixed-methods survey analysis informed a grounded theory describing the relationships between factors related to educator misunderstanding.</p><p> The mixed-methods analyses of survey responses indicated educator reading fluency constructs may or may not be related to reading fluency instruction and interpretation of oral reading fluency assessment scores. Similarly, findings suggested that oral reading fluency assessment use may or may not be related to educator reading fluency constructs, reading fluency instruction and interpretation of oral reading fluency assessment scores. Although a single source for educator misunderstanding was not isolated, the significant role of misinterpretation of oral reading fluency assessment scores and misunderstandings about the intended purposes of reading fluency instruction was demonstrated. Evidence suggested the need to clarify the intended use of oral reading fluency assessment scores with educators and administrators to guide appropriate instructional decision-making.</p>

‘Education as democracy’ is based upon a belief that children have the right to equity in their educational experiences. To honour this right, those who implement this educational philosophy use democratic values and practices to democratise the process and content of education. Although advocates cite a number of benefits for both individual children and the school community, there is a lack of empirical research on this topic, especially in the field of early childhood education. / This qualitative study contributes to filling this gap by examining four Australian kindergarten teachers’ beliefs, knowledge, practices, influences, and challenges about implementing this philosophy in their classrooms. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, direct classroom observations, and document analysis. The participants were considered one cohort, and across-case analysis and triangulation of the three data sources uncovered common themes and patterns in the data. Findings suggest that there are both similarities and variations among the participants’ beliefs, knowledge, and practices, as well as among the influences and challenges they have experienced. Identified similarities include the participants’ levels of motivation, categories of teacher practice, types of influencing factors, and the presence of challenges. Conversely, the participants showed variation regarding their beliefs and knowledge, the use of some specific classroom practices, and selected influences and challenges. / This study makes a significant contribution to the current knowledge base due to its clarification of how this democratic educational philosophy can be practically implemented in early childhood classrooms, and its implications for early childhood practice and policy. Regarding the initial training of early childhood teachers, the findings suggest that professional benefits may occur if training programs explicitly introduced this philosophy to trainees. Additionally, the findings imply that early childhood policies that enhance supporting conditions and lessen challenges experienced by teachers implementing ‘education as democracy’ can have positive benefits for all teachers.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-02, Section: A, page: 0521. Adviser: Michaelene M. Ostrosky. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-95) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.