The purpose of this study was to increase the formation of the pre-handwriting skill of imitating lines and circles with two 2-year-old preschool students using a hand-over-hand prompting procedure. Both students attended a preschool special education classroom in a rural school district. During baseline, line and circle imitation for both…

The availability of psychometrically sound and usable universal screeners is a key component to successful early identification within a response-to-intervention model. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of oral reading fluency (ORF) and an informal reading inventory for identifying students considered at risk for…

A report card on the wellbeing of young Australians does not paint a promising picture (ARACY, 2013). Some of the poor performance indicators from this report can be linked to early childhood education and sustainability, which forms the basis of this paper. A survey of recently graduated Certificate III and Diploma students will provide a…

In 2012, the government of South Australia responded to Federal agreements aimed at universal access to preschool education for children in the year before starting formal schooling by introducing a trial designed to "integrate" preschool children into first year of school programmes in rural and remote areas of the state. This paper…

This paper advances the theoretical and applied connection between education policy and community development. We call this community-aware education policy, and it is based on Dean's (2012) conception of human need that is thick (i.e., accounts for a relational context), rather than relying solely on a thin conception (i.e., instrumental view…

This study used secondary data to test the double-deficit hypothesis that rapid automatized naming (RAN) deficits and phonological awareness (PA) deficits are 2 core reading-related deficits and that students exhibiting deficits in both areas would be the most severely impaired in entry-level reading ability. Specifically, this study investigated…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the effect of teachers' professional development in video technology (PBS & Sesame Street videos) on mathematics and the English language learning among nursery students in the rural area of Pakistan where it was impossible for students to experience watching videos for learning purposes.…

With Shaanxi province as an example, this study presents empirical evidence on the effect of primary school consolidation in rural areas on student achievement, using the difference-in-differences method. The results show no significant differences in student achievement between consolidated schools and nonconsolidated schools. If student…

The purpose of this article is to provide strategies for recognizing meaningful mathematics in common play contexts in early childhood classrooms and to offer suggestions for how teachers might intervene in these moments to help children attend to the mathematical ideas embedded in their play. In particular, the author's focus on the concepts of…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship of mathematics calculation rate (curriculum-based measurement of mathematics; CBM-M), reading rate (curriculum-based measurement of reading; CBM-R), and mathematics application and problem solving skills (mathematics screener) among students at four levels of proficiency on a statewide…

The notably low level of reading proficiency across the United States, combined with the known importance of teachers for student success, necessitates improved understanding of teachers' knowledge, how it is acquired, and its role in instruction. This study had four goals: (1) identify whether domains of content knowledge and pedagogical content…

This study reports the results of a randomized controlled trial examining the effect of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC), a family-school partnership intervention, on children's behaviors, parents' skills, and parent-teacher relationships in rural community and town settings. Participants were 267 children, 267 parents, and 152 teachers in…

Many new teachers are leaving the profession during their first 3 years in a rural pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public school classroom in the southeastern United States. This study reviewed the teacher-support programs typically used in this school that assisted new teachers and encouraged their retention. This work is important because…

The purpose of this study was to explore some problems and desires of developing self-confidence in teaching English of non-English major teachers in rural small primary schools in Thailand with participatory action research. This study also aims to develop teacher's confidence in teaching English, enhance communicative competence and to assess…

This article describes how kindergarten students represent their understanding of mathematical knowledge. The study examines the students' use of oral expressions, drawings, written language, and gestures when communicating mathematically with their classmates and teacher.