This study evaluated the implementation and effectiveness of My Math Academy and My Reading Academy, two digital learning programs, in supporting early math and literacy skill development during the 2021-2022 school year in Tyler Independent School District, Texas. In a district where 85% of students were eligible for free and reduced-price meals,…

This study examines growth in language and math skills during the summer before kindergarten; considers variation by family income, race/ethnicity, and dual language learner status; and tests whether summer center-based care sustains preschool gains. Growth in skills slowed during summer for all children, but the patterns varied by domain and…

The participation of Black educators in the UK's education system has been a source of much debate in recent years. Research indicates having a teaching force that better represents society is critical because of the character, ubiquity, pervasiveness, duration and importance of teaching as a social activity. However, to date, many of the existing…

In this critical, qualitative study, we utilized Disability Critical Race Theory and revolutionary mothering to understand how Mothers of Color who have young children with disabilities made meaning of underlying constitutions of competence within schools, and how they conceptualized possibility for justice in early childhood. Findings reveal how…

For an Indigenous population, there is a need for an inclusive educational space from the language and culture srevitalisation perspective. This is especially important during the early years when the basics of the language are formed alongside cultural knowledge. This paper takes a closer look at a South Sámi preschool language learning…

Access to early learning before kindergarten has wide-ranging positive effects for children--effects that are evident from a child's early years into adulthood. Despite these facts being well-known within many education spaces, children from low-income families and children of color lack consistent access to public early learning programs. This…

In 2021, California made historic investments in early learning to expand transitional kindergarten (TK) to serve all of California's 4-year-olds. Transitional kindergarten began in California in 2012 as a free public school program for 4-year-olds who were not yet eligible for kindergarten (a non-compulsory grade). Yet by 2019, just 28 percent of…

Kindergarten entry assessments (KEAs) are frequently used to understand students' early literacy skills. Amidst COVID-19, such assessments will be vital in understanding how the pandemic has affected early literacy, including how it has contributed to inequities in the educational system. However, the pandemic has also created challenges for…

High-quality pre-K sets children on a path for success in kindergarten and beyond. Yet most children in the United States do not attend high-quality programs, with particularly pronounced gaps in quality for children from families with low incomes, dual language learners, Black children, and Latino children. Ensuring equitable access to…

The current study examined the relationship between teachers' cultural competence and Multitiered System of Supports (MTSS) referrals for students belonging to racial/ethnic minority groups. Teachers serving grades kindergarten through five in two schools in a large, urban school district in Connecticut participated in the study. MTSS referrals…

Charter school policy represents two simultaneous forms of accountability, in which schools are accountable to both parents and authorizers. This study of a K-8 charter renewal decision interrogates these accountability relationships and the role of race and power in privileging the interests of particular stakeholders over others. Using…

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how preparation for teaching culturally and linguistically diverse children influences early childhood teachers' motivation to remain in teaching. This study is grounded in Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Early childhood teachers were sent an online survey and asked about their teacher preparation, job…

This article explores the concept of literacy futurisms as guided by the 2019-2021 Scholars of Color Transitioning into Academic Research Institutions cohort, who conceptualize themselves as part of an emergent literacy research collective. Drawing on the knowledges of our ancestors and children, we offer dimensions of a framework-in-the-making…

Background: Private schools have a big part in the educational landscape in the United States, both in terms of the number of students they educate and in the number of resources they command. That said, despite expectations to increase equity and access to opportunity for all students, little is known about racial, gender, or socioeconomic…

Background: Decades of research suggest that when young children are enrolled in high-quality pre-K classrooms they have better literacy, language, math, and social outcomes at the end of the pre-K year. A traditional approach to capturing the quality of children's experiences, including the quality of their engagement with academic content and…