The development of policy in relation to language learning at the early primary level of schooling has received only limited attention in the literature on policy studies in general, and within the framework of an emerging education policy space across Europe specifically. This paper offers an introductory discussion of the growth of education…

Since 1968, the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) has collected data on key education and civil rights issues in our nation's public schools for use by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), other Department offices, other federal agencies, and by policymakers and researchers outside of the Department. The CRDC has…

Providing high-quality education and care for young children at a historically Black university in rural South Africa was a challenging task. But despite many obstacles, two teacher educators (an American and a South African) worked together, partnered with a surprising collection of others, seized every possible opportunity, and persisted, seeing…

Increased concern about the low levels of literacy and numeracy among Grade 3 learners in South Africa is resulting in more emphasis being placed on the preparatory Grade R year. The level of learning readiness of pupils when entering formal teaching in Grade 1 is determined by perceptual motor stimulation that pupils received during the preschool…

When directors sit down to advertise for new staff, it is often not a happy moment. Directors quite naturally write ads from their perspectives as employers and sometimes emphasize that attribute which the leave-taking staff member lacked, e.g. "must be reliable," leading an applicant to believe that reliability is a big issue at this program. The…

Every two years, the Educator Licensing Division of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is tasked with producing a report on the supply and demand of teachers. By statute, that report must contain data collected by surveying Minnesota public school districts, charter schools, and teacher preparation institutions (Minnesota Statute 127A.05,…

Practitioner voice has been absent from debates regarding what constitutes professional behaviour and practice in the early years. This research identifies and uses the professional knowledge of a group of early years educators to create a typology of professionalism. The typology comprises seven inter-related dimensions of early years…

Leading Pre-K-3 Learning Communities embraces a vibrant vision that imagines a quality early childhood education for each and every child that is filled with play, creativity, early literacy and numeracy, music and art, physical activity and time to nurture, support and enhance each child's social and emotional growth. This approach is critical to…

This study investigated factors related to the quality of early-childhood practitioners' interactions with infants in play and routine contexts. Participants were 24 practitioners working with 9-20-month-old infants in long day-care infant programmes. Video-recordings of their interactions with a nominated infant during play and in routine…

Since its creation in 1965, Head Start has provided high quality early education and comprehensive support services to three- and four-year-olds in poor families. In addition to early learning opportunities, Head Start's comprehensive early childhood development program provides children and families with access to a range of services such as…

Thayer-Bacon uses this opportunity to further explore Ranciere's ideas concerning equality as described in "The Ignorant Schoolmaster" and their connection to democracy, as he explains in "Hatred of Democracy". For Ranciere, intelligence and equality are synonymous terms, just as reason and will are synonymous terms. Ranciere recommends the only…

The Special Education Technology Integration Specialist (SETIS) program was created through an expansion of the Technology Integration Specialist (TIS) program. The original TIS program was designed to provide and coordinate professional development activities for all teachers and administrators on a school-level basis to assist them in becoming…

The Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (Baby FACES) is a descriptive study of Early Head Start programs designed to inform policy and practice at both national and local levels. Baby FACES follows two cohorts of children through their time in Early Head Start, starting in 2009, the first wave of data collection. The Newborn…

This chapter examines how the previously distinct worlds of early childhood education (ECE) and K-12 public school education are being drawn together through the recent and rapid advances of prekindergarten programming in the United States. Tensions around teaching philosophies, teacher qualifications, and financing are presented to illustrate the…

Improving children's preparation for school success has become a national priority. For decades, researchers have tried to identify the characteristics of early childhood education (ECE) classrooms that can make the greatest difference for participating children. To date, however, the research hasn't offered clear guidelines for how best to…