Unifying and strengthening the early childhood workforce may be the single most important step towards closing the opportunity/achievement gap. The Foundation for Child Development has committed its energies and resources towards professionalization of the early childhood field, improving the quality of professional practice, and enhancing early…

Transforming schools to ensure every student has the opportunity to learn requires innovation at the teacher education level. The goal of inclusion is complex, and so it is critically important to prepare teachers to lead organizational change that will increase engagement and achievement of children with diverse learning abilities.

A tenet of multitiered systems of support and response to intervention (MTSS-RTI) is that lack of response to instructional intervention is explained by classroom experiences and behaviors given opportunities to learn. We investigated the potential of filling this information gap in MTSS-RTI decision making using ecobehavioral observation to…

A tenet of multitiered systems of support and response to intervention (MTSS/RTI) is that lack of response to instructional intervention is explained by classroom experiences and behaviors given opportunities to learn. We investigated the potential of filling this information gap in MTSS/RTI decision making using ecobehavioral observation to…

Research Findings: The present study used data from 117 publicly funded preschool classrooms within a large, diverse, suburban county to describe teacher practices and child engagement along with classroom activity settings and children's exposure to instructional content. Practice or Policy: Results from this investigation revealed that children…

Investments in quality child care and full-day pre-K more than pay for themselves, especially in tough economic times. They are proven strategies for reversing the growing income inequality in New York State, the most extreme in the nation by giving every child the resources to become successful wage earners. New York State leaders must build…

In statehouses, school boards, and communities across the US, battles are raging over the direction of education policy--from the standards that are shaping what students learn to how test results are being used to judge a teacher's performance. These battles are being waged against a backdrop of shifting demographics, rapidly developing…

Place-based initiatives, such as the federal Promise Neighborhoods grant, attempt to coordinate interventions, supports, and services with a myriad of organizations to targeted communities. Although Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), inclusive of academic medical institutions, are among the most overall researched anchor institution,…

The National Education Association (NEA) strongly believes in the importance of an educator workforce that reflects the diversity of the United States. This belief extends not only to classroom teachers and education support professionals, but also to administrators and other school and district staff. This brief provides information about the…

In recent years the interest in preschool mathematics has increased. However, studies seldom focus on children under the age of three and research is scarce on the early use of mathematics observed in natural settings. This article reports a study of mathematical possibilities during diaper changing in a preschool setting. A diaper change can be a…

This paper presents findings from a systematic review of 11 studies examining online teacher professional development (oTPD) in Canada between 2000-2020. A thematic content analysis of the articles led to four main themes associated with research on oTPD: 1. knowledge exchange; 2. reflective practice; 3. multifaceted learning opportunities; and 4.…

English learners (ELs) constitute a large--and growing--share of the student body in the United States. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that nearly one-quarter of U.S. children speak a language other than English at home. Furthermore, one-third of children under age 8 have at least one parent who speaks a non-English language--these…

Expanded with timely new content and consistent with DEC Recommended Practices, the third edition of this bestselling book will fully prepare a new generation of early childhood educators to teach and include every child. Like the groundbreaking previous editions, this updated "Building Blocks" guide gives pre- and inservice teachers…

In December 2014, then Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan announced that $226 million had been awarded to 18 states under the Preschool Development Grants (PDG) program. Duncan said that expanding access to high quality preschool programs was critically important, and that the states receiving funding would serve as a model for others. The goal…

Educational policy in Mexico and throughout Latin America is shifting focus from school access to school quality. Improving "quality" is often interpreted as enhancing student learning opportunities, but three issues remain unresolved: (a) what constitutes opportunity to learn (OTL) in classrooms; (b) how to assess classroom OTL (COTL);…