Examines effects of policies concerning nursery education over a 20-year span in Scotland. Highlights publication of school inspection reports, increased demand for written curriculum plans, and the controversial policy in one region to integrate education and social work nurseries. Focuses on effects of education authorities in three regions on…

This study examined the impact of an intervention program targeted at teachers and designed to encourage father/male involvement in state-funded prekindergarten programs for at-risk children. Findings suggested that a significantly higher proportion of the parent involvement contacts and activities at the treatment site program involved…

Relatively high rates of teacher attrition have been consistently identified as a major issue for the teaching profession over several decades. As a result, there has been a growing interest in the wellbeing of teachers across the entire education sector. Recent research by Noble, Goddard and O'Brien (2003) has found that early childhood teachers,…

In their teacher preparation and professional development training, early childhood teachers learn about the importance of play for children's development; yet they are rarely taught how to play with children. Once in the classroom, many teachers do not interact responsively to children's play; instead they ignore, interpret, or dominate the…

This report on the state's early education system offers a dark assessment, but not a fatalistic one, especially if leaders can seize and build on reform efforts that have already started in patches throughout the state. There's much more that policymakers, advocates and the state can--and should--be doing to work toward a day when all California…

Twenty-one in-service early childhood students participated in a teaching practicum in Australia as part of the final year of a Bachelor of Arts in Hong Kong. Students spent two weeks visiting a university and early childhood settings in Australia. The university based component of the program included workshops and discussions with lecturing…

Whereas much research attention has been given to the induction stage of beginning schoolteachers worldwide, there is a limited knowledge base on the experiences of new kindergarten teachers at this stage, despite the different work tasks and contexts of both groups of teachers. Based on semi-structured interviews with 15 Israeli kindergarten…

This study analyzes whether Illinois' supply of early childhood teachers will be adequate to meet the increased demand brought about by the state's new Preschool For All plan. We find that the supply produced by the new-certificant pipeline, combined with an existing reserve pool of qualified teachers, will be sufficient to meet demand if…

High-quality care is essential to the optimal development of young children. While many children attend childcare away from the home for an average of six hours per day, the environment is not necessarily of the highest quality. An assessment of the indoor and outdoor space, curriculum and activities, teacher and child interactions, materials,…

To understand the role of early intervention (EI) practitioner confidence in the use and application of assistive technology (AT), a 24-item Assistive Technology Confidence Scale (ATCS) was developed and distributed to EI personnel. This article reports on the development and psychometric properties of the ATCS and the relation between scores on…

This paper examines the content and teaching methods in a 4-year decentralized preschool teacher education program using a combination of direct and distance learning at Stavanger College in Norway. The content of preschool education and the knowledge skills, communication skills, and the general professional competencies required for professional…

The New England Head Start Teaching Center (NEHSTC) is one of 14 federally funded programs created to test the efficacy of participatory, hands-on training for enhancing Head Start service delivery. An outcome evaluation of the program was conducted after 3 years of operation. The research design of the evaluation was a nonequivalent comparison…

Since universal preschool for California is still in its early planning phase, most of the details remain to be decided, including the scope and structure of the program, whether or not it will be coordinated by the public schools, where it will be housed, whether it will be full-day or part-day (with or without wrap-around care), the extent to…

The "Exhibition of the Hundred Languages of Children" (HLC) was organized in the early 1980s by the early childhood schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy to promote the study of their educational methods and to reveal the potential of young children for learning and creative expression. This report details an evaluation of the exhibition and…

Preschool programs for children with and without disabilities housed in public school settings have increased dramatically over the last decade. This study examined the perspectives of preschool teachers about who provides instructional supervision for their preschool programs and the behaviors these individuals use to influence their…