This study examines how teachers at Kingsley Elementary School feel about the multiage program now as compared to when the program was first implemented. There were 28 teachers and two administrators interviewed to determine their perceptions of the positive and negative influences of the multiage program. The purpose of the study is to reveal the success or failure of the multiage program at Kingsley Elementary School and to explore the process used by the school to implement the process. The approach to this study is qualitative and uses interview data from both former and current Kingsley staff. Five research questions were formulated. The field effort concentrated on the respondents' perceptions of the developmental process of the multiage program. Results suggest that the teachers' and administrators' perceptions of the multiage program at Kingsley Elementary School are basically for traditional methods. During the analysis, suggestions emerged from the interviewees to improve the multiage program. Some of these suggestions could be used as a guide for other school systems that are beginning implementation of a multiage program.

This multiple case, qualitative study explored the experiences of six early childhood teachers as they implemented a structured, differentiated literacy framework (The Daily Five™) in a rural northeast Tennessee school system. This study investigated teachers’ perceptions of professional development, specifically the professional development components of coaching including ongoing online discussion, collaboration, and reflective journaling, on changing their literacy planning and instruction. Data were collected through interviews, journal entries, and transcribed meeting conversations. Findings revealed that teachers perceived coaching and collaboration as instrumental professional development components that directly contributed to changing their literacy planning and instruction. Both coaching and collaboration offered necessary support for teachers to feel successful as they made changes in thinking and practice. However, teachers did not find the reflective practice of journaling helpful as they sought to make changes in planning and instructional strategies. The results of this study are significant for teachers and administrators as they seek to increase meaningful professional development aimed at improving literacy instruction.

The case studies provide realistic portrayals of current dilemmas in policing, courts, corrections, and juvenile justice. Political and noble cause corruption, perjury and judicial/prosecutorial misconduct, ethnic and gender prejudice, and many other social and criminal justice themes are featured. Following each scenario are thought-provoking questions to facilitate personal reflection and class discussion. Each section contains a bibliography of topical books and articles for readers interested in a more in-depth treatment of the issues. / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1030/thumbnail.jpg

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Children who are abused are at a higher risk for developing a disability, and, conversely, children with a disability are at a higher risk of being abused and neglected. I know that you don’t want to hear any more, but you need to, because you can help. This presentation will use a case study approach to focus on the actions of professionals who were trying to do the very best for a young child who became disabled as a result of abuse. Though the outcome met all of the specific requirements of child welfare and early intervention programs, clearly the outcome was not the best for this child and family. In this session using the new DEC Recommended Practices, participants will develop a picture of how the DEC RP might have been used and how the result would have been very different.

Research has suggested that speech pathologists (SPs) in Australia involve parents in intervention when working with children with phonological impairment. However, details of what this practice entails are unknown. If parents are considered integral to meeting service delivery challenges regarding recommended intervention intensities, there is a need to better understand how parents are involved and trained to provide intervention. This study addresses that need. An anonymous, voluntary online survey was completed by 335 SPs in Australia who work with children with phonological impairment. Participants answered questions about how they involve and train parents, and the type of home practice activities provided. In addition, SPs were asked to identify barriers they faced when involving parents in intervention for children with phonological impairment. Overall, 96.36% of SPs involved parents in intervention. SPs reported involving parents in a range of intervention tasks, including goal planning, observing sessions, and completing home practice activities. Sixty-eight percent reported training parents to provide intervention, of whom 87.77% indicated that they do not follow a structured training program or approach when working with parents. Of note, 83.9% of SPs strongly agreed that parent involvement is essential for intervention to be effective; however, most SPs reported barriers to involving parents in intervention, notably compliance with completion of home practice activities. Although SPs consider parent involvement to be valuable, they identified several barriers to this practice. This poster will offer practical suggestions for how parent training and parent involvement could be implemented for children with phonological impairment.

A local urban school district recently reported that 86% of third graders did not demonstrate proficiency on the Math Standardized Test, which challenges students to solve problems and justify solutions. It is beneficial if these skills are developed prior to third grade. Students may be more academically successful if kindergarten teachers have moderate to high self-efficacy when teaching lessons that focus on justifying solutions. Bandura's self-efficacy theory was incorporated into this study as the conceptual framework lens. Research questions were designed to investigate kindergarten teachers' instruction in mathematics that focused on justifying solutions, their self-efficacy in challenging students to justify solutions, and the identification of professional development. Voluntary participants for this study were selected from the 11 elementary schools in the district. Within the 11 elementary schools, there were 33 lead teachers who were invited to participate in the study and 7 agreed to participate in interviews and observations. The data were analyzed using both situation and strategy coding. The analysis of the data revealed a connection between professional development, self-efficacy, and instructional strategies. A relationship was identified between professional development and the teachers' ability to challenge students to problem solve and justify solutions. These findings may be valuable for early childhood stakeholders within the education field. Professional development tends to improve the self-efficacy of teachers and the instructional strategies they incorporate.

Wisconsin's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) was implemented in 2010 to improve quality of care for young children enrolled in childcare programs. Due to the recent initiation of the state's QRIS, empirical evidence on the effectiveness of the initiative to improve quality care for young children is limited. This qualitative case study explores childcare stakeholders' perceptions on the effectiveness of Wisconsin's QRIS as a quality improvement program. Bronfenbrenner theorized that exosystems such as state governments impact early childhood environments and the development of young children through initiation of programs. The research questions address the efficiency of the state's QRIS and the effects of the program on children, parents, and providers. Data sources included interviews exploring stakeholders' perceptions (n = 8), analysis of documents, and observations of childcare teachers (n = 2) for substantiation of effects. Using NVivo to aid in coding and theme development, the data showed that childcare stakeholders had positive and negative viewpoints on the expectations and effectiveness of the QRIS. Stakeholders acknowledged that the initiative enhanced the quality of programming for young children. Due to increased formal education requirements for caregivers and classroom expectations, the participants responded negatively about the effects of the QRIS on childcare staff. To improve the state's QRIS, stakeholders suggested that all state licensed childcare providers be mandated to participate, formal raters assess the quality in accredited and city certified childcare programs, and frequent communications between officials to eliminate misinformation. The recommendations may help the initiative operate more efficiently and effectively, thereby improving the quality in childcare programs and enhancing the development of young children.