Virginia Buysse

Communities of Practice: Connecting What We Know with What We Do:

This article examines the community of practice model as a framework for integrating educational research and practice. This perspective extends current notions about collaborative inquiry and the role of teacher participation in research aimed at improving educational practices. In addition to defining communities of practice and describing reflective practice and situated learning as the theoretical underpinnings of this approach, the article analyzes applications of this model from the literature and offers suggestions for transforming traditional methods of conducting research on educational practice. The article concludes with a challenge to the field to consider ways to promote dialogue and inquiry to advance our knowledge on this issue.

Behavioral and Developmental Outcomes in Young Children with Disabilities in Integrated and Segregated Settings A Review of Comparative Studies

This article reviews the literature comparing outcomes for young children with disabilities in integrated and segregated settings. An examination of research methodology, dependent measures, and programmatic variables is used to analyze the effects of preschool integration across 22 studies. Despite some methodological weaknesses, an analysis of findings provides support for the benefits of preschool integration with respect to social and other behavioral outcomes. Childrens developmental outcomes over time have not been shown to vary as a function of integrated versus segregated placement. The article concludes with a discussion of these findings and their implications for future research and practice in early intervention.

Making Meaning of School Readiness in Schools and Communities.

Abstract The topic of school readiness dominates national discussion about early education as schools and communities implement recent federal policies. This study involved 20 focus groups with 93 professionals and 25 parents to explore perceptions of readiness. Thematic analysis of transcripts revealed that participants experience several tensions related to their views of readiness: the conflict between personal philosophies of teaching and learning and the expectations set forth by the state; the pressure placed upon children, teachers, and families for children to perform; and the inconsistency of defining kindergarten eligibility by both chronological age and a set of required entry skills. The authors recommend action to: (1) promote strategies that foster school readiness, not just outcomes that define it, (2) increase professional accountability, and (3) promote social and emotional development as a critical foundation of school readiness.

Creating Family-Centered Services in Early Intervention: Perceptions of Professionals in Four States

This article describes professional perceptions of the current status of family involvement in early intervention programs in four states. Significant discrepancies between current and ideal practices were found in four dimensions: parent involvement in decisions about child assessment, parent participation in assessment, parent participation in the team meeting and decision making, and the provision of family goals and services. In identifying barriers to ideal programs, professionals most frequently mentioned family barriers (35.8%) and system barriers (35.1%). Professional barriers, or those related to a lack of skill, accounted for only 14.8% of the barriers mentioned.

Inclusion for Young Children With Disabilities: A Quarter Century of Research Perspectives

Issues affecting inclusion of young children with disabilities over the last 25 years are discussed. A brief history of early childhood inclusion is followed by a discussion of definition, terminology, and models for inclusive services. A summary of synthesis points derived from the research literature focuses on critical outcomes for children with disabilities, the role of specialized instruction, collaboration among professionals, necessary organizational supports, and benefits for typically developing children. Two recent directions affecting the implementation of inclusion, assessment of quality and Response to Intervention (RTI), are discussed. In addition, factors that may affect early childhood inclusion in the future are summarized.

Inclusion in the context of competing values in early childhood education

Abstract Inclusion of preschoolers with disabilities in programs for typically developing children has a strong legal, rational, moral, and empirical basis. Despite this compelling foundation, however, the desirability of inclusion continues to be debated and acceptable options for inclusive placements are often difficult to find. In this paper, we argue that professionals and parents are often placed in a position in which inclusion must be weighed against other compelling values in making decisions about placements for children. We describe three competing values—high-quality programs, specialized services, and family-centered practices—and demonstrate how in many communities these values and inclusion are difficult to achieve simultaneously. We argue that placement in inclusive settings should be a goal for all children with disabilities, but that placements should also be of high quality, sufficiently specialized, and consistent with family priorities. We conclude with a series of recommendations for changes needed if this goal is to be attained.

Setting Effects on Friendship Formation among Young Children with and without Disabilities

This study examined the effects of social setting on the friendship formation of 333 preschool children (120 children with disabilities and 213 typically developing children) enrolled in inclusive early childhood programs. The study found that typically developing children in specialized classrooms had significantly more friends than did children with disabilities in those same settings. In child care settings, however, the difference between the reported number of friendships for typically developing children and their peers with disabilities did not reach statistical significance. Implications are presented for considering how the social ecology of the early childhood classroom setting may influence social outcomes for young children enrolled in inclusive programs.

Communities of Practice: Expanding Professional Roles to Promote Reflection and Shared Inquiry

The field of early intervention continues to experience challenges in connecting theory and practice, reducing professional isolation, and translating principles into action. An examination of the way we perceive and enact professional roles reveals their limited scope in addressing these challenges. This article introduces the concept of expanding roles to include collaborative reflective inquiry within communities of practice as one way to reform professional practices. We suggest that reflection within communities of practice not only extends our own understanding, insight, and command of the situations in which we work, but also holds the potential to advance the field as a whole.

Reaching Consensus on a Definition of Professional Development for the Early Childhood Field

Reaching consensus on the meaning of professional development is needed to integrate professional development across various sectors of the early childhood field, distinguish various professional development approaches, match learning opportunities to learner characteristics, and evaluate its effects on professional practices and child and family outcomes. This article proposes a definition and conceptual framework for professional development across all sectors of early childhood and describes methods used to validate them. A case example illustrates how the definition and framework can be used to organize and plan professional development. Future directions for how a shared definition could move the field closer to a shared vision for planning, implementing, and evaluating professional development are discussed.

Implementing early childhood inclusion: Barrier and support factors

Abstract This study examined the underlying factor structure of a rating scale designed to assess perceived barriers and supports associated with early childhood inclusion. Participants were 201 administrators and direct service providers from the early intervention, early childhood, and special education fields and 287 parents (primarily mothers) of young children with disabilities (birth through 5 years) who received early intervention services. A four-factor solution for barriers that accounted for 41% of the total variance emerged from an exploratory factor analysis. Because one of the factors was found to have low internal consistency, a three-factor solution was used in subsequent analyses. The three factors consisted of barriers associated with early childhood program quality, community resources, and coordinating and integrating services for children with disabilities and their families. Items reflecting supports for early childhood inclusion produced a single supports factor. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed a barriers factor structure for parents that was consistent with that obtained for professionals. Background variables contributed to explaining ratings of barriers and supports among parents who differed with respect to race, education, employment status, and experience with inclusion, lending further support for the validity of the factor structure.