Eva Zygmunt-Fillwalk

Ensuring School Readiness through a Successful Transition to Kindergarten: The Indiana Ready Schools Initiative.

T he kindergarten year symbolizes entrance into formal schooling and is a critical juncture for young children, although more and more children across the United States are entering formal schooling during pre-kindergarten. The extent to which new expectations, new relationships, and ‘new competencies are formed in the transition to school has been linked to lasting effects on children’s later development. Success in the kindergarten year (in terms of academic, social, and emotional competence) is predictive of later school success (Belsky & MacKinnon, 1994; Entwisle & Alexander, 1999). According to Ladd and Price, “Early school transitions, such as the transition from preschool to kindergarten, are particularly important because the attitudes and reputations that may be established at the outset of grade school may follow children through many years of formal schooling” (1987, p. 1169). While the importance of a smooth and successful transition is clearly established in the research literature, less than 20 percent of schools in the United States have transition practices in place that support the needs of children and families (Love, Logue, Trudeau, & Thayer, 1992). Many children experience discontinuity when making the transition from preschool or home into kindergarten. Easing the transition into kindergarten to ensure the maximum success in that pivotal year merits much attention and careful planning. A host of studies indicate the relationship of positive early experiences to later school success (Ramey & Campbell, 1991; Schweinhart, Weikart, & Larner, 1986). Additional research points to the kindergarten year as having “unique significance in children’s school careers” (Early, Pianta, & Cox, 1999, p. 27). Alexander and Entwisle (1988) note the considerable consequences of positive experiences during that first formal year of schooling. They found that children who have a difficult time adjusting to school in the first year have a very difficult time catching up in subsequent years of schooling. Similarly, Ensminger and Slusarcick (1992) found that academic and behavioral problems in the first year of schooling were related to early Less than 20 percent

Disequilibrium and Reconstruction: The Urban Encounter as Catalyst for Preservice Educators' Cultural Transformation.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which preservice teachers participating in a semester of urban immersion would evidence a change in attitudes toward urban teaching based on their experiences in the program. The experiences of 22 program participants were examined to qualify potential change. Study methodology included analysis of student journals, content of focus groups conducted throughout the semester, student discussion observed in coursework, and personal interviews conducted at the end of the urban experience. Analysis revealed common themes including the importance of direct experience with diversity and personal reflection as critical components of multicultural growth. The experience served to dispel myths and stereotypes regarding urban teaching, to expand university students’ understanding of privilege and power in society, and to encourage movement from a color denial perspective to an appreciation for and respect of cultural differences. The study illustrates the potential of urban immersion to alter attitudes toward working with diverse populations of children and families. Implications for the development of initiatives geared toward this end include the importance of cultural immersion, the provision of opportunities for critical self-reflection, and intentional efforts to encourage relationship building as deciding elements fostering multicultural growth.

The Difference a Course Can Make: Preservice Teachers' Perceptions of Efficacy in Working with Families.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which preservice teachers participating in a 16-week course in family and community relations would evidence a change in perception of the importance, feasibility, and level of preparation regarding family involvement strategies. A sample of 132 undergraduate preservice teachers was examined to quantify potential change. Study methodology included pre- and posttest administration of the Peabody Family Involvement Survey (Katz & Bauch, 1999) to both treatment (n = 78) and control groups (n = 54). Data were analyzed using paired sample tests to establish the significance of shift in ratings. Findings indicate significant growth overall in the treatment groups’ attitudes toward involving families, perceived feasibility in accomplishing these practices, and their perception of their preparation for such work. Particularly noteworthy is the extent to which subjects’ impressions of feasibility of strategies changed as a result of the intervention. Research suggesting a relationship between perceived feasibility and actual implementation of family involvement practices supports the importance of these findings and the merit of focused study which builds preservice students’ knowledge, attitudes, skills, and repertoire of strategies from which to draw when working to involve families in children’s education.

Building Family Partnerships: The Journey From Preservice Preparation to Classroom Practice

This study reports the relationship of an undergraduate course in family and community relations to the teaching practices of 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-year elementary and early childhood education graduates of a mid-sized Midwestern university. Sixty students were surveyed using the Peabody Family Involvement Survey (Katz & Bauch, 1999), with a treatment group (n = 21) having taken the course, and a control group (n = 39) who did not, in order to both quantify and qualify a difference in practices based on preservice preparation. Quantitative measures indicated minimal differences between groups. Qualitatively, however, treatment group members reported engaging families in creative, less standardized levels of involvement than members of the control group. Treatment group members articulated a theoretical and practical understanding of the benefits of family involvement. They emphasized importance of collaboration between home and school, while control group members expressed frequent antagonism and ambivalence toward families.