<p> The majority of children with exceptionalities aged 3-5 are being served in general education settings. Teachers working in these inclusion classrooms must have the ability and knowledge to work with all students under their care. The purpose of this study was to determine how teachers in early childhood inclusion classrooms plan to incorporate the principles of Universal Design for Learning, an inclusive pedagogy, and to determine how professional development in UDL changes teachers' knowledge and behaviors in the classroom. This qualitative case study followed two early childhood inclusion co-teachers and a district office specialist in charge of the UDL professional development. Interviews, observations, lesson plans, and training materials were collected over an extended amount of time in the field. Results of the data analysis indicated that many principles of UDL were inherent in quality early childhood instruction. Teachers were adept at individualizing instruction on an as needed basis, but they needed more practice at embedding modifications and accommodations into curriculum and instruction. Early childhood teachers understood and saw the value in UDL, but they lacked appropriate professional development, access to the necessary resources, and the time needed to take universal instruction to the next level.</p>

<p>Westerhoff (2000) reminds Christian congregations that children become members of the Christian Church from the moment they are baptized. Therefore, infants and young children should be present during congregational corporate worship services. It is through mentoring and modeling of the Christian faith that young children have optimal opportunity to grow in their relationship with God. </p><p> The goal of this qualitative case study was to look at what happens during corporate worship from the perspective of young children. Data were gathered from thirteen worship participants (ages five-nine) from two Lutheran congregations in order to determine the elements of corporate worship that help them encounter God. </p><p> The findings reveal that intergenerational corporate worship provides an opportunity for the mentoring/modeling dynamic that is central to Westerhoff's (2000) theory. The participants in this study report having meaningful encounters with God during church through various elements. Future research should replicate this inquiry in Christian congregations of other denominations. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine children's musical and mathematical behaviors as they participated in an interdisciplinary pre-K curriculum. Research questions were: 1. What connections&mdash;if any&mdash;do young children make between music learning and mathematics learning? 2. Is there a relationship between young children's emergent rhythm development and emergent numeracy development? </p><p> To address these questions, a concurrent embedded mixed-methods design was utilized. One intact class of 14 preschool children were observed at predetermined points throughout the Spring 2012 semester through participant observation and video footage of music classes, math activities, and other times where music was used in the curriculum. Interventions for classroom and music teachers were intended to foster developmentally appropriate practice in music and mathematics. Music aptitude and pre- and post-test measures of early music rhythm achievement and early numeracy achievement were correlated to embed a quantitative dimension. </p><p> Observed rhythm responses included movement such as (a) continuous, free-flowing motion during songs; (b) steady beat motions of bouncing, tapping, and clapping; and (c) rhythmic body motions of tapping or clapping rhythm patterns; chanted responses of (a) echoed rhythm patterns, (b) improvised rhythm patterns, and (c) parts of poems. Sung responses included singing with a light quality in initial singing range, as well as resting tone and tonal patterns. Mathematical responses included subitizing, one-to-one correspondence, counting fingers, forward and backward verbal counting, and using finger patterns to count on, and add and subtract numbers less than 10. </p><p> Limited, but supportive quantitative evidence was found regarding the relationship of early rhythm and early mathematics development. Emergent themes, <i> community of learning and sharing, expanded social conventions,</i> and <i> reinforcement of learning,</i> revolved around current thought that learning is both individually and socially constructed. That some children express themselves more readily through music and others through mathematics was supported; carefully selected song literature that meets both music learning and mathematics learning objectives can elicit observable musical and mathematical responses and may reinforce learning connections. Recommendations include replication with a design that addresses limitations of the present study and increased music and math pedagogy courses and professional development for pre-K classroom teachers.</p>

<p> Research indicates play contributes to children's learning and development. The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) changed early care and education by limiting time for play in early childhood classrooms. There is a gap in the literature concerning early childhood teachers' current beliefs about play and how those beliefs are connected to their practices. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the connections between early childhood teachers' beliefs regarding play and their practices in the early childhood classroom. Lave's situated learning theory formed the conceptual framework for this study recognizing the early childhood classroom and the social aspect of learning as a community of practice. Data for the study were collected through structured interviews, observations, and documents from teachers in 6 early childhood classrooms. Coding was used to identify patterns and themes. Analysis revealed that teachers held strong positive beliefs in regard to play. Teachers believed the connection between their beliefs and practices regarding play was strong and the connection between them was clear. Evidence showed the connection was not as strong and clear as teachers perceived. A clearer understanding of the link between teachers' beliefs and practices could create positive social change and benefit teachers, parents, administrators, and children. Teachers may use the information in this study to reflect on and make changes to their practices. Program directors, principals and school districts may be guided to implement curriculum changes more inclusive of play, or to include play and play theory in preservice training. These changes could bring the United States more in line with top performing countries in terms of educational outcomes for children.</p>

<p> This dissertation was aimed at providing information on developing and sustaining public-private partnerships (PPPs) in early childhood education as a way to increase efficiency and effectiveness on how resources are allocated. This study also emphasizes how teachers are perceived and supported within the PPP context. Studies have shown that investing in early childhood education yields the greatest gains to one's life and society at large. Yet, the early childhood field continues to battle waves of budget cuts while striving to convince policymakers and the public that early education is critical and necessary. </p><p> Although PPP presents itself as a new way of doing business by combining resources from the public and private sectors and redistributed based on the shared goal and vision of the PPP, there is limited research on PPPs and even more scarce specifically related to early childhood. The goal of this study is to provide exposure to the early childhood field on how PPPs can be formed and sustained using the Educare model as one example of a PPP in early childhood. </p><p> This was a qualitative designed to capture rich conversations and experiences of research participants that are relevant and appropriate to the early childhood field. Grounded theory was used in this study to learn from research participants' perceptions of PPPs based on their experience and expertise in PPP and early childhood education. </p><p> This study used theoretical sampling to target research participants at a specific Educare development site to capture real time and real life experiences in developing a PPP in early childhood education. The Educare model was developed by the Ounce of Prevention Fund in 2000 aimed at "narrow[ing] the achievement gap for students in high-risk communities" (Ounce of Prevention, Educare schools, 2011). The Educare model has set requirements for teachers and all related job categories that will work in an Educare school including professional development requirements. The Educare school also has a salary structure that is competitive to the local public elementary schools. </p><p> Five themes were identified in the findings and discussed in relation to the significance of this study. The findings from this study have implications for early childhood administrators, educators, funders, advocates, and the field at large on maximizing the usage of existing resources. The findings from this study, including questions raised, are significant in development of partnerships in early childhood education.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable survey instrument to examine elementary general education teachers' attitudes toward the inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the general education classroom. By determining what influences attitudes, the needs of elementary general education teachers can be established to make educated decisions, develop meaningful professional development activities, or enable teachers to self-reflect thus improving attitudes of elementary general education teachers toward inclusion of students with ASD. </p><p> The study was guided by the following phases: Phase One: (1) Reviewed current literature and conducted a discussion with a focus group to determine the overall construct, (2) wrote and modified an initial set of items, (3) consulted a panel of experts to certify that items measure the overall construct intended for content and construct validity, (4) conducted a think-aloud with individual teachers to ensure questions are being interpreted as intended, and (5) rewrote and revised as needed. Phase Two: Conducted an Exploratory Factor analysis in order to determine common factor structures. Phase Three: Conducted a pilot test to establish reliability in a test/re-test format. The findings indicate evidence of a valid and reliable survey instrument to examine elementary general education teachers' attitudes toward the inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the general education classroom. </p>

<p> This dissertation examines the ways in which mid-career intermediary early care and educations leaders, "change agents among change agents," have prepared themselves for leadership roles given the lack of articulated competencies and pathways to ECE leadership. Thousands of ECE leadership roles in which persons are responsible for informing, developing and implementing policy and practice standards for the ECE field, and working in politically charged settings, are being filled across the country. Yet little is known about those filling these roles and scant attention has been paid the educational and professional development needs of these leaders. This study used a constructivist grounded theory methodological approach to learn about the lived experiences of nine mid-career intermediary leaders, and from this derive a contribution to a theory of essential skills, knowledge, and experiences for effective ECE leadership. Findings indicate that participants in this study, regardless of whether they had prior experience in the ECE field, identified a need for leadership development focused on developing subject matter expertise about the ECE system, political strategies, and communication skills. Findings also indicate that participants experienced a range of challenges as leaders based on age, and that participants of color also experienced leadership challenges because of their race. Findings further indicate that participation in in-depth ECE-based leadership programs and relationships with mentors helped to fill in some knowledge gaps and mitigate some of the challenges experienced because of age or race. The results suggest that a lack of attention to the development of a diverse cadre of field leaders has led to a knowledge gap in the acquisition of leadership competencies, and has undergirded generational and racial tensions among field leaders, amplifying the need for further research to inform policies, programs, and practices to support the development and promotion of a diverse, well-prepared leaders.</p>

<p> Limited research exists examining the social-emotional functioning of rural, at-risk children in addition to school characteristics that may impact behaviors. In the present study the social-emotional functioning of rural, at-risk Kindergarten students was observed in relation to various school characteristics including teacher perceptions of professional climate, opportunities for professional development and collaboration, teacher efficacy, and teacher-child relationships. The sample of students from low SES families residing within rural areas was derived from a nationally representative database (ECLS-K 2011), and yielded a sample size of 1,318. The results were analyzed using several path analyses. The analyses revealed that teacher perceptions of professional climate in addition to reported opportunities for professional development and collaboration were important to their feelings of effectiveness as a teacher (teacher efficacy). In addition, the conflict within a teacher-child relationship was significantly related to teacher ratings of internalizing and externalizing problems. Implications for the potential impact on social-emotional problems through interventions at the school and teacher level are discussed.</p>

<p> The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the development of children's drawing skills through the use of technology. The research involved five children two girls and three boys, ages three to five years in a preschool center located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Specifically, the researcher observed and analyzed the response of the selected children to the use of tablet-based programs in the development of their drawing skills. The result showed that boys between three to four were more interactive with drawing on the iPad than girls. This result will be helpful for teachers and technology specialists to understand how to optimize technology to support early childhood artistic efforts.</p><p> The first chapter of this thesis is an introduction and holds the purpose of the study. The second chapter is a review of literature. Chapter three is the methodology. And in chapter four, findings and results are discussed. Chapter five is the conclusion and recommendations for further study.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the manner that directors and teachers define ideal leadership practices of Head Start programs. Specifically, this study focused on understanding leadership practices through the lens of transformational leadership. This study was guided by the following three research questions: (a) What are the perceptions of Head Start directors on ideal practices of leadership (b) What are the perceptions of Head Start teachers on ideal practices of leadership and (c) How do the perceptions of directors compare and contrast to the perceptions of teachers.</p><p> The research methodology was a qualitative approach to understanding the perceptions of the participants through their experiences and perspectives of working in the Head Start setting. Data were collected by means of interviews and completion of a demographic questionnaire and an adapted version of the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI). The use of interviews allowed participants to reflect on their experiences and share their perspectives regarding what they consider ideal leadership practices in Head Start. Data were collected from 15 participants who currently work in various Head Start programs throughout Southern California.</p><p> The findings revealed ideal leadership practices in alignment with the practices of transformational leadership. Directors described ideal leadership practices to include a clear vision, collaboration, Head Start-specific knowledge, and staff motivation. Teachers described ideal leadership practices to include visibility ofthe director at the classroom level, leading by example, encouragement, transparency, and professional development opportunities. The results of this study are critically important with the shifts in policy to increase quality of and expand access to early childhood education programs for all children. The shift in policy has resulted in greater accountability being placed on Head Start programs to deliver quality services in order to avoid losing funding. Ideal leadership practices are vital to meeting the needs of the changing expectations of Head Start programs.</p>