In this study the behaviors observed and the products created by Hispanic and Navajo children, ages four to five, are described. Each child participated in a performance-based assessment of problem solving designed to identify young children with gifts and talents. The assessment process entails careful observation of children's problem solving and resultant products to determine an individual's abilities and interests in each of the intelligences posited by Gardner (1983). All children were videotaped in the classroom while engaged in solving problems on the spatial activity of the assessment. An embedded, multiple case study design (Yin, 1994) was used as the formal research strategy to address the research questions posed. Case study methods and qualitative techniques were used. Thus, a total of eight single case studies were conducted. The primary purpose of the study was to describe in detail the behaviors that could be observed and the characteristics of the products created by young culturally diverse children on a problem solving task involving spatial abilities. A secondary purpose of the study was to determine if careful observation of the spatial problem solving behaviors exhibited by the children, combined with an evaluation of final products constructed, could clarify and extend the understanding of the spatial area of intelligence. The researcher delineated three broad categories of observed behaviors and three broad categories of characteristics of finished products. No sex-related differences were found between young female and male children. However, clear qualitative differences between young Navajo and Hispanic children were found in the spatial problem solving behaviors and in the ways that spatial representations were characterized. Similarly qualitative differences were found in the eye patterns and solution strategies used by young children who were characterized as highly able problem solvers on the spatial task. The behaviors noted and the characteristics of products created by the children in this study allowed the researchers to further define spatial intelligence children across the core capacities of the spatial domain.

This study of teacher interactions with kindergarten writers is grounded in a holistic, socially-mediated constructivist framework. As a participant observer, I conducted a sociolinguistic microanalysis of ten transcripts from a kindergarten classroom to look at how teachers support kindergarten writers. These transcripts served as the primary data. Secondary data included copies of children's writing, dialogue journals between myself and the classroom teacher, videotapes and audiotapes. The three dimensions of context, focus and position were analyzed. Four of the five contexts were related to the classes' journal writing engagement: Mini-Lessons, Targeted Journal Conferences, Concurrent Journal Conferences and Journal Sharing. The fifth context was a writing and drawing option that children chose during Free Choice time. The teachers' five foci identified in the analysis were: Management, The Writing Act, Conventions, Materials and Meaning. The positions the teachers were in as they engaged with children and their writing were: Follower, Leader, Informer and Director. Two-way and three-way cross analyses revealed that the teachers were primarily in the Leader position focusing on Conventions. Students' primary foci were Materials and Management. Also, the specifics of the context as well as the adult present in that context influenced the foci and the positions of the teacher. The findings of this study and the professional literature about learning and teaching both indicate that teachers of young children feel pressures from a variety of sources to teach conventions. This pressure, often results in teachers leading children to produce conventional writing at the expense of children learning about the writing system at their own pace and in ways that make sense to them. Findings from this study also suggest that it would be useful to configure classroom contexts so children have access to the teacher as they are exploring the writing system and using it for authentic purposes.

<p> Developmental kindergarten is an extra year readiness program for students age eligible for kindergarten, but deemed developmentally unready for formal instruction in kindergarten. It follows the maturational "gift of time" perspective that with regard to readiness, older is better. Despite a theoretical shift away from a maturational perspective of child development, limited research to support the program, and an awareness of factors other than relative age that affect readiness, there has been an increase in the implementation of developmental kindergarten programs. This thesis considers the perspectives of 19 teachers and administrators from four districts in a large southern California county, directly involved with programs in their districts. Although all participants are supportive of the program, researchers call for empirically validated interventions, not delaying school entry or admission into extra year readiness programs, to support at-risk students; access to high quality preschool seems to be the most promising solution. </p>

<p> The current study was a replication and extension of our previous study (Kendrick et.al, 2011) which examined the play behaviors of preschool children (range: 2-5.5 yrs old) and how teachers' presence and engagement may impact children's play while on the playground. In the current study we also examine the influence of teachers' style on children's play while on the playground. Two sites were examined over a five week period; one served as the control group and the other as the experimental group. Within the five-week timeline, both groups participated in weekly teacher instruction consisting of being in close proximity (i.e. within 3 feet) of the children in the playground. Behaviors of the teachers and children were observed, recorded and coded at three time points (baseline, 3 weeks, and 5 weeks). The analyses revealed that initially having teachers in close proximity to children while on the playground reduced children's onlooker behavior and increased their parallel play. Over time children appeared to habituate to the teacher's proximity as they resumed play behaviors seen at baseline. Interestingly, teacher proximity also had an impact on teacher's engagement style. For example, both groups of teachers displayed more neutral, rule enforcer or director of play styles at baseline, but over time both groups moved toward more child directed styles. When examining more closely the impact of teacher training in the experimental group, which involved strategies to facilitate complex play and reduce aimless and onlooker behaviors, the experimental group compared to the control group (those who did not receive training), seemed to have a more negative impact on children's play behavior. That is, more aimless behavior and less simple social play was observed in the experimental group indicating that the teacher training was not helpful in facilitating children's social skill development. Methods for coding and analyzing data as well as implications of the teacher training are further discussed.</p>

<p> Universal developmental screening during pediatric well child care detects early delays in development and is a critical gateway to early intervention for young children at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Developmental screening practices are highly variable, and few studies have examined screening utilization for children at risk for ASD. Currently, a two to four year gap exists between first recognition of concern and referral for diagnostic evaluation of ASD. The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of developmental screening practices on timing of ASD diagnoses in the state of New Hampshire through health care administrative claims data from the New Hampshire Comprehensive Health Care Information System. The study examined differences in mean age of ASD diagnosis for a sample of 144 children who were born between January 2007 and December 2010 who received or did not receive universal screening during well child care, as well as those who received screening at multiple time points and those who received screening at one time point. Further, the study examined the association between gender, geographic region and provider type on age at diagnosis of ASD. The data suggested no significant differences in mean age of ASD diagnosis for children who received a standardized developmental screening during well-child care and those who did not. Statistically significant differences in mean age of diagnosis were found between children who were screened at one time point and children who were screened at more than one time point. Children screened at more than one time point were diagnosed later than those screened at one time point. Geographic region was a significant predictor on age of ASD diagnosis accounting for approximately 31% of the variance. Continued efforts to measure screening practices through use of administrative claims data may increase utilization and improve access to intervention for young children at risk for ASD.</p>

<p> Because of marriage-immigrants and migrant-workers, demographic diversity has rapidly increased in South Korea since the late 1990s. Discourses of multicultural education have arisen in the field of early childhood education; they have focused on having children with diverse linguistic backgrounds adapt to Korean language and customs. What are the national goals of multicultural education policies for young children in Korea? This study investigated multicultural education policies for young children. Critical Discourse Analysis was used to examine values and hidden ideologies in policy texts. Findings demonstrate that, by borrowing and selecting favorite words from Western multicultural education models or theories, policymakers reframed early childhood multicultural education to assimilate ethnic minorities in Korea. National educational institutions functioned as the dominant form of producing and controlling the notion of multicultural family and education. It is recommended that policymakers in Korea consider experiences of teachers and voices of parents and children from culturally diverse backgrounds in developing multicultural education programs.</p>

<p> This qualitative multiple case study was undertaken to answer the following question: How did Reading Recovery^&reg; (RR) teachers and former Reading Recovery teachers in a mid-sized rural school system in the southeastern United States describe the influences of their Reading Recovery training as it related to their current professional lives? Additional questions included: (1) How did training in Reading Recovery position the teacher as a reading expert within her school? (2) How did Reading Recovery change her approach to working with struggling readers? (3) How did the "behind the glass" experience impact the teacher's own teaching? (4) How did training affect the teacher's ability to discuss complex reading problems with co-workers? (5) How has Reading Recovery training influenced the teacher's professional goals and ambitions? (6) How has the passage of time since the teacher's training year altered her perception of the usefulness of her training? </p><p> Two case studies were undertaken to answer these questions. Both studies involved face to face interviews, teacher observations, and electronic journal entries submitted by the participants. Case Study One looked at the professional lives of three currently active Reading Recovery teachers and revealed five themes: (1) Instructional empowerment, (2) Increased professional status, (3) Reliance on a community of learners, (4) Concern for the whole child, and (5) Lack of teaching/working time. </p><p> Two years later, Case Study Two was initiated. At this time Reading Recovery had been discontinued in the county school system. A total of 12 former RR teachers were interviewed, observed on the job, and contributed to electronic journals. Five themes emerged from this study: (1) Instructional knowledge from theory, (2) Student benefits, (3) School and community benefits, (4) Professional benefits, and (5) Personal benefits. The overarching theme for both cases was - Power through <i>Knowledge</i>. Unanticipated findings included: self-imposed teacher accountability, professional courage, "knowledge envy" by non-RR individuals, and the transferability of Reading Recovery knowledge outward into the school and local community.</p>

<p>Children need to be ready to enter kindergarten, or they may begin to fall further and further behind. The achievement gap may start prior to children entering kindergarten due to their lack of early learning opportunities. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of kindergarten teachers regarding which readiness skills preschool children should master prior to entering kindergarten in order to be successful. </p><p> A literature review supports the variance in perceptions kindergarten teachers have in relation to readiness skills. The conceptual framework starts with a brief history of preschool programs. Following is a discussion regarding the benefits of preschool programs. Next is an overview of the rigor of kindergarten and the transition between preschool and kindergarten. Finally, what readiness skills children need in order to be successful in kindergarten will be reviewed. </p><p> This quantitative study surveyed 30 kindergarten teachers in a suburban school district with nine elementary schools. From these surveys, data were collected on kindergarten teachers' perceptions of the readiness skills needed. The results indicated that kindergarten teachers endorsed social-emotional skills as very important skills that should be taught prior to entering kindergarten. Directions for future research or implications for practice are discussed. </p>

<p>Educational leadership appropriates significant amounts of money for technology in school budgets. Teachers must decide how to use technology to maximize student learning and make the most efficient use of instructional minutes. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if a relationship existed between the amount of time students spent in a computer-assisted reading instruction program and the increase in reading skills as measured by an assessment of oral reading fluency. A Pearson Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the amount of time 87 first-grade students spent in a computer-assisted reading instruction program and the increase in oral reading fluency test scores measured by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills test (DIBELS). Numerical information for this study consisted of archived data from the 2010&ndash;2011 school year generated from the computer data bases of DIBELS and the Ticket to Read program. The Pearson Correlation analysis indicated a weak positive relationship between the variables. However, the weak coefficient of determination indicated that the correlation did not have any practical significance. This indication may imply that teachers should not allocate instructional minutes to computer-assisted instruction for the purpose of increasing oral reading fluency. Educational leaders may want to consider other technological interventions that may produce learning opportunities for young students to develop technological awareness and increase oral reading fluency at a reduced cost. Ninety-seven percent of the variance was unaccounted for indicating a need for further research with additional variables. </p>

<p> Verified improvement in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the past decade has involved both early interventionists and parents. It is widely acknowledged that the parent-child relationship is fundamental to the development of communication and social skills, especially for children with ASD, and accordingly that parent education is critical. However, lists of required skills and knowledge in professionally developed curricula designed for parents of children with ASD have not been prioritized by the consensus of large numbers of variously affiliated practitioners. The present research yielded wide professional agreement on the prioritization of such skills and knowledge. The instrument used was a self-evaluating, closed-ended survey administered to 483 behaviorists who treat autism. In particular, the survey identified whether a participant had a child with autism or not. The information gathered will assist in the development of a curriculum intended to guide parents in optimizing the help they can give their children with autism.</p>