No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Principals are considered the educational leaders of their schools and face pressure to improve the quality of education across all levels and disciplines. Principals were interviewed to understand their beliefs, knowledge, and dispositions on staffing teachers in the primary grades. A purposive sample of elementary school principals was drawn from one mid-size suburban district in Florida. Data were analyzed using Bolman and Deal's four-frame organizational theory framework, Cohen's cognitive frame, and Boote's theory of professional discretion. The data strongly suggest that principals do not understand the foundations of early childhood practice. In addition, they do not understand the differences between Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Elementary Education (EE). The principals tend to hire teachers with EE certification as opposed to ECE training. This is partially due to their lack of understanding of ECE and to the perceived advantage of being able to place teachers in a wide range of grade levels. Although all principals stated that primary teaching requires specialized knowledge, most principals consider flexibility to move teachers into the upper grades more important. Three main implications for practice are suggested based on recommendations for advocacy and public education for young children within PreK-3rd continuum initiatives. (1) Professional development in ECE should be implemented at the district level for principals to learn and understand the differences in preparation between ECE and EE teacher preparation and to demonstrate the importance of the early years of child development and education. (2) Curriculum enrichment in ECE needs to be added to higher education, graduate teacher leadership programs to demonstrate the importance of the early years of child development and education. (3) The policy for hiring should be centralized at the district level and require teachers with training in ECE for the primary grades. The limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are also discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate: (1) the extent to which world instructors report using specific communicative instructional strategies; (2) the difference between instructional strategies used by ESL only instructors, versus instructors of ESL and foreign languages, or instructors of only foreign languages; (3) the relationship between instructors* academic preparation and target language use in class; and (4) the relationship between instructors* pedagogical beliefs about second language learning and their reported target language use in class. The World Language Communicative Instructional Strategies Survey was administered to world language instructors from three academic institutions. Upon sending two requests, 48 instructors returned usable instruments (55%). Descriptive statistics revealed extensive use of communicative instructional strategies, yet a difference in application of these strategies exists. A comparison of means revealed that assuring that students learn collaboratively in 85% to 100% in target language, integration of all four language skills, and assuring students* independent target language practice were applied less than other strategies. ESL instructors reported a higher use of communicative instructional strategies than instructors of ESL and foreign languages, or foreign languages only. A comparison of means indicated the differences in communicative instructional strategies use are in integration of all four language skills and in assuring 85% to 100% in-target-language collaborative learning. Findings also revealed a discrepancy between the reported use of communicative instructional strategies and the academic preparation received in order to do so. This study provides implications for the preparation of world language instructors. Specifically, the findings focused on mastery of language taught, on specific instructional methodology courses, and the practicum experience.

This study addressed the problem of insufficient information concerning the impact of variability in requirements and credentials for Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) teachers statewide on VPK program quality. This study examined the variance in the professional credentials of VPK lead instructors in Florida school districts and whether or not this variability makes a significant difference in program quality as measured by VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rates. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) statistical tests were conducted, as appropriate, for each of four research questions. Research findings indicated there was no statistically significant difference in the mean VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rates based on the professional credentials for VPK lead instructors when controlling for the socio-economic status of the children enrolled at each site. Recommendations were made for future research to replicate the study using a different indicator of program quality, perhaps a measure of student progress throughout the school year. Also, the first groups of students to participate in Florida’s voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) program are now enrolled in upper elementary grades making a longitudinal study both feasible and worthwhile in evaluating the effectiveness of a largescale preschool program. The researcher further recommended that the idea of improving the qualifications of the prekindergarten workforce must persist, supported by continued research and adequate funding.

Due to a multitude of convergent circumstances, students labeled in the disability category of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) experience high rates of academic and behavioral failure. Such failure frequently leads to the students’ dropping out of school, involvement in the judicial system, or a combination of those outcomes. Science is an academic content area that has the potential to enhance behavioral and academic success of students with EBD. Researchers, nonprofits, and business leaders have provided an impetus for nationwide reform in science education. Concurrently, a corpus of legislation has influenced the preparation of new teachers to use evidence-based teaching practices while addressing the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. Using technology is one way that teacher educators are providing in-vivo learning experiences to new teachers during their classroom instruction. A multiple-baseline across-participants research study was used to examine the effectiveness of providing immediate feedback (within three seconds) to novice general science educators to increase their use of an evidence-based teaching strategy, known as a three-term contingency (TTC) trial while they taught. Feedback was delivered via Bug-in-the-Ear (BIE) technology and during whole-class instruction in which students with EBD were included. The teacher participants wore a Bluetooth earpiece, which served as a vehicle for audio communication with the investigator. Teachers were observed via web camera over the Adobe®ConnectTM online conferencing platform. During the intervention, teachers increased iv their percentage of completed TTC trials, opportunities to respond, and praise or error correction. Student responses also increased, and maladaptive behaviors decreased.

Students with disabilities have the right to the least restrictive environment (IDEA, 2004). Elementary teachers are teaching more of these students in the inclusive classroom because of this right. Elementary teachers are willing to take on this responsibility, but most feel they are not prepared to do so. In order to address this concern, elementary teacher preparation at the institution level must be addressed. This is a descriptive thesis which identifies and compares methods that different institutions across the country use to prepare teachers to teach students with disabilities. Institutions chosen for this thesis were recognized by either the U.S. News and World Report (2010) or the Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel (2010) for effective preparation of preservice elementary teachers. This thesis addresses the University of Central Florida with the aforementioned institutions. A continuum with three main types of structures was used to identify programs ranging from "discrete", meeting minimum requirements, to completely "merged" programs between special education and elementary education. While "merged" results in dual certification and the most effective preparation according to Blanton and Pugach (2007), it is most often offered as a choice and not as a requirement. Through analysis of program requirements of elementary education and special education programs, course descriptions, and syllabi, this investigator concluded that there were inconsistencies across teacher preparation programs. Institutions are distributed widely across the continuum. If elementary teachers are required to teach to all students, then teacher preparation programs should address all students thoroughly. The investigator's hope is that the evidence presented and the suggestions made in this thesis will incite changes in institutions that are preparing elementary teachers to teach students with disabilities.

The implementation of standardized testing has changed education in the United States resulting in a content ripple effect from the higher grades down to preschool-aged children. To match that ripple effect early childhood education can be evaluated and reformed accordingly by exploring many factors that make up the early childhood education system. This manuscript addressed one factor, early childhood teacher preparation, through a synthesis of literature related to the potential benefits of earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Development and Education, or a BS. The theories of early brain development were explored first and then studies of the social components affecting an Early Childhood Educator's, or ECE's, choice in teacher preparation were reviewed. The review then defined and compared the Child Development Associate or CDA, the Associate of Arts degree, or AA, and the BS. Professional recommendations and standards according to the National Association for Young Children, or NAEYC were included to understand how valuable the BS is to these trend setters of the field. The review then explored how the BS is currently being used nationally in a state-funded program known as VPK, utilizing the National Institute for Early Education Research, or NIEER. This data provided a snapshot of the national demand for the BS in the early childhood field. The pay disparities were then correlated with levels of education and compared with primary and upper grade compensation. The final value explored was research of how the BS directly affected results of the quality in the early childhood classroom and teacher-child interactions. These studies used two quality rating scales, the ECERS and CLASS, which were defined and compared. The findings of the synthesized literature review provided understanding of a young field that is growing and implies where further research and change could happen to match the effects of an evolving education system in the United States of America.