Elizabeth A. Steed

Dimensions of Literacy Coaching with Head Start Teachers.

Plans to improve literacy instruction (N = 1,504) developed by teachers and early literacy experts in coaching sessions (N = 280) conducted in 31 Head Start classrooms were examined to describe a general trajectory of coaching with regard to content coverage, pedagogical emphasis (instructional material, teaching behavior), and progression (new, repeated, expanded plan). A secondary aim was to determine whether pedagogical emphasis and progression in improvement plans differed across four major literacy content areas (reading, writing, letter-word knowledge, phonological awareness). Overall, improvement plans (a) most frequently addressed children’s letter-word knowledge and least frequently addressed phonological awareness, (b) pertained to teaching behaviors to a greater extent than instructional materials, and (c) mostly focused on large group instruction. A majority of plans were new versus expansions or repeats of improvement plans developed in prior coaching sessions. There were significant differences in pedagogical emphasis and progression across four literacy content areas. Effect sizes were small to medium.

Classroom Management Strategies for Young Children with Challenging Behavior Within Early Childhood Settings

Many preschool, Head Start, and kindergarten educators of young children express concern about the number of children who exhibit frequent challenging behaviors and report that managing these behaviors is difficult within these classrooms. This article describes research-based strategies with practical applications that can be used as part of classroom management practices in settings with young children to improve childrens social skills and decrease challenging behaviors. These strategies also are discussed in the context of program-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports. Finally, training opportunities and online resources are provided for teachers to continue their professional development regarding classroom management.

An Analysis of Classroom-Based and Parent-Focused Social-Emotional Programs for Young Children.

The purpose of this article was to describe a comprehensive and updated review of available classroom and parenting social–emotional programs for young children. The review analyzed 10 classroom curricula and 8 parenting interventions focused on social–emotional development and the research associated with each. The efficacious adoption criteria introduced by Joseph and Strain (2003) were used to analyze the evidence for each program. Most (i.e., 12 of 18, 67%) of the programs received medium or high ratings. Results of this analysis and implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The Psychometric Properties of the Preschool-Wide Evaluation Tool (PreSET).

This report documents the reliability and validity of scores on the Preschool-Wide Evaluation Tool (PreSET), an assessment used to measure program-wide implementation of the universal level of positive behavior interventions and support (PBIS) in early childhood settings. Initial analyses of descriptive statistics, item, subscale, and total correlations and tests of internal consistency reveal that the PreSET meets or exceeds basic psychometric criteria for measurement tools used in research. The PreSET had strong subscale intercorrelations, high interobserver agreement, positive correlations to conceptually related subscales on the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool, and sensitivity to implementation change. Overall, the PreSET demonstrates strong promise as a tool that generates reliable and valid scores to use in the assessment of program-wide implementation of universal PBIS in early learning environments.

South Korean Early Childhood Education Teachers' Perceptions of Program-Wide Positive Behavior Support.

The authors conducted a survey of 169 South Korean early childhood education teachers regarding the importance and implementation of strategies associated with the Program-Wide Positive Behavior Support (PWPBS) framework (L. Fox & M. L. Hemmeter, 2009) to support social competence and prevent young childrens challenging behavior. Analyses revealed that South Korean early childhood teachers considered the strategies associated with PWPBS to be important; however, they implemented few universal tier practices in their classrooms and reported the presence of few program-wide supports in their early childhood programs. Based on these results, suggestions for the adoption of PWPBS in South Korea and other countries outside of the United States are presented.