A network professional learning community (PLC) is characterised by a non-hierarchical approach to professional learning. Members are supported to engage and to learn when leadership is distributed across a network PLC. The mixed methods study reported here was designed to examine how a network PLC could effectively improve visual arts pedagogy in…

Play, of varied type and form, provides opportunities for children to acquire a sense of competence and belonging when engaging in classroom life. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways that the inclusion of play as a curricular component eased academic stressors and supported motivation during the transition to kindergarten. In this…

Child care and early education (CCEE) are essential resources for families and children across the country. Yet qualified educators are choosing to leave their positions, and young professionals are choosing not to enter the field. This instability has been a long-lasting issue and is thought to be driven largely by structural and systemic forces…

When observing and consistently hearing about the obstacles our current public educational system faces, many are left wondering what can be done to produce genuine, significant, and continuous improvement. Upon deeper analysis of educational systems, one can see that many areas need system improvement. SOAR School (pseudonym) is a Pre-K-5 school…

This study set out to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-year new-teacher induction program, which encompassed a first-year mentoring component and four years of continuous professional development to support new teachers during their pre-tenure phase. Using a mixed methods case study approach, the research sought to determine the most…

This paper sheds light on the professional experiences and identities of male educators of color (MEC) participating in monthly group gatherings throughout an academic year in a geographic region where male educators of color represent an inordinately low percentage of the overall school and district wide faculty. This paper examines how a group…

Research shows that Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) foster teachers' professional learning. However, there is little knowledge about their implementation among early childhood (EC) teachers in Chilean and Latin American contexts. This article seeks to characterize two PLCs composed of EC teachers and to analyse, from the participants'…

Early childhood education (ECE) settings in Aotearoa New Zealand are becoming increasingly ethnically superdiverse. This article draws on a research project that examined the cultural challenges that Japanese children sometimes encounter in New Zealand ECE contexts which was undertaken for my Doctor of Education. Data were analysed using a…

This study focused on mobile apps used by female preschool teachers to engage in mobile communities and self-efficacy to further their professional development. The configurations of gender technology images embedded in mobile communities were explored, and the practical figures of female preschool teachers were constructed for the consideration…

Although family engagement is crucial to student and community outcomes, schools often alienate families who are not part of the dominant culture. As a result, school leaders need to become culturally proficient to systematically engage all families equitably regardless of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other cultural…

Using the concept of a trajectory, we trace one child's negotiation of his sense of belonging within his early childhood centre through analysing his participation in conflict and conflict-like interactions. Video data were gathered 2 days a week over a 6-month period from the start of his attendance at the centre. Sociolinguistic interactional…

The article addresses children's perspectives of belonging in early childhood education settings in five European countries. Children's belonging is understood to be dynamic processes that are formed through multiple relations. Twenty children aged 4-8 with diverse backgrounds participated in the study: two boys and two girls from each country.…

The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of effective professional learning communities while learning their impacts on staff members. The study also discovered the role of educational leaders during an effective implementation of professional learning communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff members of an…

This study uses data from semi-structured interviews conducted with 44 early childhood education (ECE) staff and examines how knowledge dissemination processes operate in ECE centers, including how information from off-site trainings is diffused among staff. Our sample includes administrators, lead teachers, and assistant teachers serving children…

This study uses data from semi-structured interviews conducted with 44 early childhood education (ECE) staff and examines how knowledge dissemination processes operate in ECE centers, including how information from off-site trainings is diffused among staff. Our sample includes administrators, lead teachers, and assistant teachers serving children…