This teaching tip reports a case of an author-illustrator study of Donald Crews. It discusses the suitability of his books for an author-illustrator study in preschool classrooms and emphasizes the significance of his work for family literacy among racial and ethnic minority groups. A Head Start classroom of preschoolers investigated Crews's books…

This article explores inclusive and exclusive perceptions within early years practice settings in England. Inclusion is understood to involve the acknowledgement and celebration of difference, rather than its problematization. A deficit-based discourse regarding diversity is challenged and the concept of "diversity gain" is explored. A…

The family--school relationship develops largely during face-to-face interactions between parents and teachers. Research shows that reciprocal and informal communication reinforces collaboration, especially between schools and families from minority groups. Yet, teacher practices regularly express a reluctance to implement reciprocal…

Teaching Chinese to second language learners is a challenge for preschool teachers in Hong Kong so effective teacher professional development programmes are urgently needed to enhance their knowledge and skills. An Integrative Model Teacher Professional Development Programme which incorporates three theoretical underpinnings (i.e., culturally…

In Lao People's Democratic Republic, two streams exist in pre-primary education, the standard three-year and a one-year preparatory class called 'Grade Zero system'. This research aims to investigate the introduction of the Grade 0 system, one-year pre-primary class, and its impact on ethnic minority children in rural villages of Lao PDR. The…

This case study investigates two Chinese children's shared reading experiences in both home and preschool contexts. The parents and the educators were interviewed about their general attitudes and practices relating to shared reading for promoting the Chinese children's bilingual development. Detailed observations were undertaken to record the…

Ethnic and racial disparities in educational outcomes, such as test scores, are a core issue of educational research. While the role of student and family factors in the formation of such disparities is well established, existing studies fail to draw a similarly clear picture of how teachers contribute to ethnic and racial achievement gaps. In…

Although considerable literature illustrates how students' experiences and identities are racialized in mathematics education, little attention has been given to Asian American students. Employing ethnographic methods, this study followed 10 immigrant Chinese-heritage families to explore how the racial narrative of the model minority myth was…

The Oregon Statewide Report Card is an annual publication required by law (ORS 329.115), which reports on the state of Oregon's public schools. The purpose of the Statewide Report Card is to monitor trends among school districts and Oregon's progress toward achieving the goals referred to in ORS 329.015. This report also provides a tool that makes…

In this paper we analyze the extent to which a mandated kindergarten assessment predicts 3rd grade outcomes, and the academic progression for students from 3rd grade to high school. We find that the kindergarten assessment strongly predicts 3rd grade outcomes, with the math skills assessment being especially predictive of 3rd grade academic…

Background & Context: Accurate, reliable, and scalable measurement of classroom quality is critical to ensure that children benefit from early childhood programs. Early childhood classroom quality is most commonly measured using classroom observation tools serving multiple purposes including (1) teacher support (e.g., coaching, professional…

Purpose: Much of the extant research literature on the initiatives to attract, inspire and recruit Black males to the teaching profession has focused on middle and high school students. Black boys' socialization into dominant narratives regarding who can and cannot become teachers occurs as early as in early childhood classrooms; however, little…

Young children first develop the social-behavioral skills needed to succeed in school from parents. However, most school-based interventions designed to bolster children's social-behavioral skills have focused on strengthening teachers' skills. This study examined the extent to which a 12-session group-based program for strengthening parenting…

Some children, especially those living in poverty and from ethnic minority backgrounds, have difficulty accessing preschool education. This is despite the fact that preschooling is considered to provide the foundations to a successful education and social inclusion. In Slovakia this issue primarily affects Roma children (Roma are also referred to…

As increasing numbers of families migrate from a range of countries into communities where Western science is viewed as valued curriculum content, a need for understanding the cultural nature of teaching Western science has become more urgent. The study reported in this paper sought to investigate pedagogical responses to everyday and scientific…