Feedback was obtained on 683 teachers at 12 AISD schools from 9,000 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students. Students' ratings were generally favorable and correlated with some observation-based ratings. Implications for policy are addressed.

This study aims to uncover how a particular imported philosophy of early childhood education, Reggio Emilia, is implemented in the context of one public and one private preschool in San Francisco. The philosophy of Reggio Emilia is believed to be progressive and to be developmentally appropriate for children in early childhood. The study involved…

Research has shown that parental involvement affects children's achievement more than school procedures especially in the primary years. Researchers have also shown positive effects on children, families, and school when schools and parents continuously support and encourage a child's learning and development. However, there is little research…

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…

In this study, the investigators surveyed 215 early childhood educators throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania to determine teacher knowledge and training in early literacy instruction, with a focus on The 5 Big Ideas in Reading as identified by the National Reading Panel: phonological awareness, accuracy and fluency, alphabetic principle,…

In this study 44 undergraduate students in a language development course participated in service learning with preschool homeless and low-income children as a course requirement. Students completed a survey, questionnaires, reflective journaling, and small-group debriefing sessions. Based on current views on brain-based learning from cortical…

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) Statewide Survey provides policymakers, the media, and the public with objective, advocacy-free information on the perceptions, opinions, and public policy preferences of California residents. This is the 141st PPIC Statewide Survey in a series that was inaugurated in April 1998 and has generated a…

In recent decades, the composition of classrooms in the U.S. has reflected larger numbers of children who use English as their second language (ESL), including children of professional families from Indian backgrounds. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the perspectives of Indian parents regarding their children?s early…

A study of instructional planning periods was undertaken in late 2013 pursuant to West Virginia State Code §18A-4-14 which states: "The state board shall conduct a study on planning periods. The study shall include, but not be limited to, the appropriate length for planning periods at the various grade levels and for the different types of…

Podagogy, a fusion of podcasting and pedagogy, is evidence-based educational podcasting for teaching and learning. The purpose of our article was to compile a playbook of evidence-based strategies, the plays, for integrating podcasting into PreK-12 classrooms with English language learners (ELLs). Data for developing the playbook were drawn from…

This study uses history of science in teaching natural sciences from the early grades. The theoretical framework used is Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), which is a theory with expanding applications in different fields of science. The didactical scenario, in which history of science is used in a CHAT context, refers to Newton's…

Children are born into a rich technological environment and by the time they attend preschool they already have accumulated a wide variety of technological experiences, skills and knowledge. This paper reports on part of a project undertaken in Melbourne, Australia, which had as a primary aim to explore the existence or not of a relationship…

Project Enlightenment, part of the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), has been providing services to children ages birth through 5 years, their parents, and teachers in childcare and preschool settings since 1969. With a local and grant funded budget of just over 2 million dollars, staff members served about 2,400 children in 2011-12. The…

The Community Connections preschool program (herein referred to as Community Connections) was developed to help prepare children in home-based child care for success in school and in life. It has three goals: (1) to make state prekindergarten classroom experiences available to children in home-based care, (2) to extend classroom learning…

Coaching and other on-site, individualized professional development strategies (consultation, mentoring, and technical assistance) have emerged as promising strategies to support the application of new teaching strategies and overall quality improvement among practitioners in early care and education settings. The purpose of this report is to…