Martha J. Buell

A Survey of General and Special Education Teachers' Perceptions and Inservice Needs Concerning Inclusion.

To improve educational services to students with disabilities, the United States government has mandated that each state develop a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development. The following article highlights the results of a state-wide needs assessment conducted by one states Department of Education in order to tailor their system of personnel development. Four percent of the states general educators, and 6% of the states special education teachers completed the surveys for a total of 289 surveys. Perceptions of ability to positively affect students, understanding of inclusion, self-efficacy in serving students in inclusive settings, the need for inservice training in various areas, and the availability of supports to promote inclusion were examined for both special and general education teachers. In every area assessed, special education teachers rated their efficacy, ability, understanding, and resources higher than general education teachers. These results are discussed in terms of meeting profes...

Mothers’ Implicit Theories of Early Literacy Instruction: Implications for Children's Reading and Writing

Subjects in this exploratory study were 19 five‐ to six‐year‐old children and their mothers. Mothers completed surveys of family literacy practices and beliefs about early reading Instruction and childrens emergent literacy skills were assessed. Results showed that one group of mothers held implicit theories that resembled whole language models of literacy Instruction. A second group of mothers held views that resembled a phonics orientation, while a smaller group of mothers had more varied and idiosyncratic beliefs. Mothers’ implicit theories were associated with their modeling of literacy behaviors, helping their children write, and with their childrens independent exploration of writing and current levels of literacy skill. Results point to the importance of parents’ implicit developmental theories and the heed to understand how parental belief systems affect the roles that families play in literacy acquisition.

Inclusion in a Childcare Context Experiences and Attitudes of Family Childcare Providers

This study examines the experience and attitudes of 189 family childcare providers regarding their willingness to care for children with disabilities. Providers who had experience caring for children with disabilities were more likely to report a willingness to care for them in the future. Differences in reported services and supports needed to care for children with disabilities, as well as explanations for unwillingness to care for children with disabilities, were examined for those with and without experience in caring for children with disabilities. Family childcare providers who were not willing to care for children with disabilities indicated three primary barriers: a lack of knowledge about disabilities, the limitation that caring for a child with a disability would impose on caring for other children, and the need to purchase special equipment. Finally, general attitudes concerning inclusion were compared for providers who had and had not had experience in caring for children with disabilities.

The Complex and Dynamic Nature of Quality in Early Care and Educational Programs: A Case for Chaos.

Abstract This article describes how complex dynamical systems theory (chaos theory) can be used to understand the nature of quality in early care and education settings. The authors review past research on quality and quality initiatives, suggesting that the complex dynamical nature of early care and educational settings present challenges to quality enhancement initiatives. An application of the tenets of chaos theory to early care and educational settings is provided. Recommendations for research and policy are included.

Accentuating the positive??: An analysis of teacher verbalizations with young children

One of the primary influences on the quality of child care classrooms is teacher behavior, and a critical component of teacher behavior is verbal communication. This study examined the quality of teacher verbalizations with young children in preschool classrooms. Nineteen of the teachers were enrolled in community college courses in early childhood education and child development between pre- and posttesting and fifteen were not. Results indicated that although there was significant improvement on a measure of global classroom quality for those teachers involved in college coursework, teacher verbalizations did not become more appropriate. These findings are discussed in light of current teacher education programs and policy issues.

Tutoring: A Value-Added Way to Support Head Start Preschoolers' Language and Early Reading Development.

This article describes the language and early literacy program, including the use of extra instructional support, provided to low-income children in one Early Reading First (ERF) project. The article (a) describes the specific strategies used within a tutoring program to provide assistance beyond the classroom intervention program to children identified as at higher risk for future reading difficulty (i.e., children who performed below age-appropriate levels on the tools selected to measure childrens language and early reading knowledge), (b) describes the impact of this support in conjunction with the classroom intervention on these childrens language and early literacy achievement, and (c) offers suggestions for using this approach in other early care and education settings and future research.

Preparing Early Childhood Educators To Serve Children and Families Living in Poverty: A National Survey of Undergraduate Programs

Abstract Many state and federal early childhood programs target children and families living in poverty, with family income typically being the defining eligibility criteria. The rapid expansion of early childhood programs, such as Early Head Start and state subsidized pre-kindergarten programs, underscores the importance of preparing educators to meet the unique needs of low-income children and families. The current study is a national survey of undergraduate early childhood programs in NCATE-accredited institutions regarding their inclusion of content related to serving young children and their families living in poverty. Results of this study suggest that a majority of the programs (75 percent) include some type of field experience or practicum working with low-income families as a requirement of their personnel preparation program. However, the curriculum was less likely to address the commensurate skills and content needed to engage families in poverty. Methods of instruction also were surveyed in relation to the curriculum content. Examinations of pedagogical and assessment strategies indicate a heavy reliance on lectures, readings, and reflective essays.

Project Create: Bridging the Gap in Training for Infant/Toddler Child Care Providers

T he need for accessible, high-quality infant and toddler care has increased significantly due to a growingawareness of how crucial the first three years of life are to brain development, coupled with an increase in the number of families needing out-of-home care. Despite this need, the majority of child care for infants and toddlers fails to meet quality standards (Helburn, 1995). One critical factor in promoting quality care is the education and training of child care providers. Project CREATE (Caregiver Recruitment, Education, and Training Enhancement) was developed to address this factor in community-based child care programs in the state of Delaware. According to the Children’s Defense Fund (1999), approximately 6 million UlS. infants and toddlers are placed in out-of-home care. This number is likely to escalate as a consequence of welfare reform. As the need for child care continues to grow, research on how the environment affects brain development has reached a critical mass (Lindsey, 1998; Shore, 1997). Science has shown what caregivers always have known: the first three years lay the foundation for a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development, setting the trajectory for life (Lally, Mangione, Honig, & Wittmer, 1988; Teo, Carlson, Mathieu, Egeland, & Sroufe, 1996). Articles in general readership publications such as Newsweek (Begley, 1996) and Time (Nash, 1997) have brought this message to a wide audience. Policymakers and the public are beginning to realize that steps must be taken to ensure quality programs for infants and toddlers (Newberger, 1997).

A Two-State Study of Family Child Care Engagement in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

ABSTRACT Research Findings. The current study is a mixed-methods investigation of family child care provider participation in voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) in 2 states. Study 1 is an analysis of matched QRIS and child care licensing administrative data extracted from both states in May, 2014. Poverty and population density variables were added to the dataset by aligning U.S. Census data and Rural Urban Commuting Area codes (RUCA) to the matched state child care data. Participation patterns differed in the 2 states relative to provider characteristics (subsidy receipt, years licensed, and location). Study 2 consists of focus groups with participating (n = 22) and non-participating (n = 19) providers. Professionalism and financial incentives emerged as significant in attracting family child care providers to QRIS. Although family child care providers identified several clear benefits to QRIS, many more challenges emerged that negatively impact their participation. Practice or Policy. As most states are employing a QRIS framework to integrate quality improvement efforts, perspectives from this sector of early care and education are often overlooked. Study findings suggest that QRIS can be more responsive and effective with family child care providers if more consideration of their unique features are considered in systems design and implementation.

Factors affecting variance in Classroom Assessment Scoring System scores: season, context, and classroom composition

ABSTRACT Early care and education programme quality is usually assessed at the classroom level. One such measure of classroom quality is the classroom assessment scoring system (CLASS). In an effort to ensure higher quality programming, the CLASS is being used to direct teacher professional development. However, there has been relatively little research on environmental features that lead to differences in CLASS scores. As the CLASS becomes a regulatory tool, more research is needed on factors that can affect CLASS scores. In this quasi-experimental, descriptive study, we compare CLASS scores over the course of three years. Our data indicate patterns of seasonal fluctuation with rising scores fall to spring, but the scores revert to lower levels in the subsequent fall. We also found a relationship between CLASS scores and the proportion of boys in a classroom. These findings call for additional exploration of the factors that influence preschool CLASS scores.