Lisa L. Knoche

Parent Engagement and School Readiness: Effects of the Getting Ready Intervention on Preschool Children’s Social–Emotional Competencies

Research Findings: Parental engagement with children has been linked to a number of adaptive characteristics in preschool children, and relationships between families and professionals are an important contributor to school readiness. Furthermore, social–emotional competence is a key component of young childrens school readiness. This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention (Getting Ready) designed to facilitate school readiness among disadvantaged preschool children, with a particular focus on social–emotional outcomes. Two hundred and twenty children were involved over the 4-year study period. Statistically significant differences were observed between treatment and control participants in the rate of change over a 2-year period on teacher reports for certain interpersonal competencies (i.e., attachment, initiative, and anxiety/withdrawal). In contrast, no statistically significant differences between groups over a 2-year period were noted for behavioral concerns (anger/aggression, self-control, or behavioral problems) as a function of the Getting Ready intervention. Practice or Policy: The intervention appears to be particularly effective at building social–emotional competencies beyond the effects experienced as a function of participation in Head Start programming alone. Limitations and implications for future research are reviewed.

A randomized trial examining the effects of parent engagement on early language and literacy: the Getting Ready intervention.

Language and literacy skills established during early childhood are critical for later school success. Parental engagement with children has been linked to a number of adaptive characteristics in preschoolers including language and literacy development, and family-school collaboration is an important contributor to school readiness. This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention designed to facilitate school readiness among disadvantaged preschool children, with a particular focus on language and literacy development. Participants included 217 children, 211 parents, and 29 Head Start teachers in 21 schools. Statistically significant differences in favor of the treatment group were observed between treatment and control participants in the rate of change over 2 academic years on teacher reports of childrens language use (d=1.11), reading (d=1.25), and writing skills (d=0.93). Significant intervention effects on childrens direct measures of expressive language were identified for a subgroup of cases where there were concerns about a childs development upon entry into preschool. Additionally, other child and family moderators revealed specific variables that influenced the treatments effects.

Young children's close relationships outside the family: Parental ethnotheories in four communities in Norway, United States, Turkey, and Korea

Parents, preschools, and schools in different cultures vary greatly in the extent to which children are encouraged to develop long-term relationships with people outside the family circle—peers and teachers. In contemporary societies, parents face complex choices as they bridge children’s transitions to a wider world. This exploratory cross-cultural study used a newly developed questionnaire, Parental Concerns for Preschool Children Survey, to assess parental beliefs, values, and judgments. The sample included 521 parents from four cities: Oslo, Norway; Lincoln (Nebraska), United States; Ankara, Turkey; Seoul, Korea. Strong cultural community differences were found in parental descriptions of their own child’s friendships and beliefs about the needs of young children in general for close and continuing relationships in preschool and primary. The findings suggest the following conclusions, for example: Oslo parents favoured the value of long-term continuity with peers and teachers; Lincoln parents had a more academic than relational focus to school and wanted their children to deal successfully with (new) teachers in different settings; Ankara parents (an upwardly mobile sample) were low in reporting their child’s friendships at preschool but valued parent–teacher and child–child relationships there; Seoul parents (oriented to education as a means to economic success) favoured their children having quality learning experiences and close peer relationships in preschool.

Efficacy of the Getting Ready Intervention and the Role of Parental Depression

Research Findings: This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention (the Getting Ready intervention) on directly observed learning-related social behaviors of children from low-income families in the context of parent–child interactions. The study explored the moderating effect of parental depression on intervention outcomes. Participants were 204 children and their parents as well as 29 Head Start teachers. Semistructured parent–child interaction tasks were videotaped 2 times annually over the course of 2 academic years. Observational codes of child behaviors included agency, persistence, activity level, positive affect, distractibility, and verbalizations. Practice or Policy: When gender and disability concerns were controlled, those in the treatment condition experienced a significant decline in activity level relative to children in the control group. Furthermore, compared to children of nondepressed mothers and to control children, those in the experimental condition whose parent reported elevated levels of depression showed greater gains in positive affect and in verbalizations.

Family engagement in literacy activities: revised factor structure for The Familia – an instrument examining family support for early literacy development

This study evaluated a data-set drawn using The Familia – a measure originally developed to evaluate shared-reading activities. A newly developed set of conceptual supports and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied to a new factor structure/model. Data were drawn from 219 young children and their families (mean age = 43 months) participating in a longitudinal intervention study of early childhood school readiness. The new factor model, using recent conceptual frameworks in early literacy, included the factors. Family engagement in learning, Family involvement in school activities and exposure to printed materials. The CFA indicated that the model demonstrated acceptable fit to the data and additional analyses demonstrated that the factors/scales produced acceptable reliability and validity statistics. The revised factors and scales present conceptually based, efficient, valid and reliable indices of family contributions to young children’s literacy development for use in early literacy or school readiness research and related applications.

In It for the Long Haul: Parent–Teacher Partnerships for Addressing Preschool Children’s Challenging Behaviors

The Getting Ready intervention aims to strengthen parent–teacher partnerships to promote positive child outcomes. This study focused on the team process and social validity of the intervention when young children displayed challenging behaviors. Qualitative analysis yielded seven themes that provided a rich description of the preschool experiences of four children, their parents, and the preschool teachers and Early Intervention (EI) coaches serving them. Parent–professional partnerships, positive parent–child interactions, and team members’ engagement in collaborative problem solving and planning were reported. The social validity of the Getting Ready intervention was confirmed by participants valuing the academic and behavioral goals established for children, the parents’ partnerships with teachers to address chronic behavioral challenges, and reports of the durability of intervention impacts as three children completed kindergarten.

The Relation between Chinese Preschoolers’ Social-Emotional Competence and Preacademic Skills

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The current study examines the relations between Chinese preschoolers’ social-emotional competence and their preacademic skills, as well as the role of child gender and parental education in such relations. A total of 154 children from the northeastern region of China were involved in the study. Both parents and head teachers of the target children completed measures of children’s social-emotional competence and preacademic skills. Multiple aspects of social-emotional competence were investigated. The results showed that children’s withdrawn behaviors and attention problems were negatively related to their preacademic skills. Both parent- and teacher-reported positive social behaviors were positively related to children’s preacademic skills. In addition, child gender and parental education together moderated the effects of children’s anxious/depressed problems and parent-reported social behaviors on children’s preacademic skills. Practice or Policy: Teacher training and support are needed to help preschool teachers (a) better support children who are socially withdrawn or have difficulty regulating attention and (b) understand the construct and importance of social-emotional development in relation to children’s preacademic development . In addition, child characteristics such as age and gender and socioeconomic factors need to be taken into consideration in the study of young children’s social-emotional and cognitive competence.

Rural Language and Literacy Connections: An Integrated Approach to Supporting Low-Income Preschool Children’s Language and Literacy Development

High-quality preschool programs that promote early literacy through oral language, phonological awareness, print and word awareness, and alphabet knowledge prepare children to be more successful in kindergarten and more effective readers. Additionally, interventions that connect home and school literacy environments and create literacy-rich home environments are associated with children’s positive academic outcomes. Integrated programming to support early literacy skills at home and school is important because children’s skill levels and readiness at the time they enter school are strongly related to later school success. Few early childhood programs effectively integrate supports across home and preschool settings. This chapter will describe Rural Language and Literacy Connections, an ecologically-based early language and literacy intervention for rural, low-income preschool children and their families that integrates preschool classroom instruction with family and environmental supports. The intervention includes the implementation of scientifically-based literacy curricula and as well as enriched literacy environments in rural preschools, child care settings, and children’s homes through the provision of supplemental literacy-based opportunities. Details of the intervention, including professional development supports for early childhood teachers, as well as language and literacy outcomes for children will be discussed.

Home-School Partnerships in Support of Young Children’s Development: The Intersection of Relationships, Rurality, and Race

Abstract Strong home-school partnerships consistently and substantially benefit children’s academic and social development. Home-school partnerships are considerably affected by the settings in which they take place (e.g., rural, urban, suburban), the characteristics of the partners (e.g., parents and teachers), and their relationships with one another (parent-teacher partnerships). In rural communities, supportive home-school partnerships promote young children’s success but have proven difficult to implement. African American families with young children residing in rural communities experience unique social and institutional challenges and benefits that are particularly salient for fostering home-school partnerships. Thus, the landscape of rural communities is an important and essential consideration for understanding the intersection between race and home-school partnerships. This chapter focuses on the promise of positive home-school partnerships for rural African American children, their families, and their schools. Home-school partnership as an essential component of children’s academic and social development is defined, and sample home-school partnership intervention programs are described. Finally, existing policy investments related to the facilitation of home-school partnerships are explored and policy recommendations that promote such partnerships are discussed.

Research Issues to Forward a Policy Agenda in Support of Family–School Partnerships

Opportunities exist at the intersection of research and policy to advance evidence-based practices that have been identified by family–school partnership scholars to promote healthy well-being in children and families. Policy makers and researchers can work collaboratively to incorporate existing research evidence into large-scale, population-based policy efforts intended to support child and family well-being. Using an iterative approach, they can also work jointly to inform a policy-relevant research agenda related to family–school partnerships. The purpose of this chapter is to describe how researchers might interface with various individuals in the policy arena to affect change at a broad population level. This chapter (a) describes knowledge utilization by decision makers; (b) suggests an approach for developing a research agenda; (c) identifies elements of research that are relevant for influencing and informing policy; and (d) suggests mechanisms for sharing research results and engaging with the policy community. Additionally, the multiple roles available to family–school partnership researchers should they wish to engage in the policy arena are described.