Recent articles have introduced ideas from Physics, specifically, negentropy, to the social sciences. Applications have been primarily in higher education, online learning, and organizations. This article applies negentropy to PK-12 school contexts, discussing the principles for application of systemic school reform and improvement. Negentropy is…

High-quality preschool programs are heralded as effective policy solutions to promote low-income children's development and life-long wellbeing. Yet evaluations of recent preschool programs produce puzzling findings, including negative impacts, and divergent, weaker results than demonstration programs implemented in the 1960s and 70s. We provide…

Chen Heqin (1892-1982), who studied at Columbia University's Teachers College, is an important Chinese descendant of Dewey's pragmatic education. Chen Heqin proposed his own 'living education' theory through inheriting, transforming, and surpassing Dewey's 'life education' theory. This theory was based on Chinese experiments and multi-dimensional…

In recent times, education policy and reform discourses have become increasingly politicised by neo-liberalism, with critical policy methodologies struggling to catch up. Critical policy sociologists have noted that critical commentaries rarely succeed in changing or impacting dominant education policy pathways. This article presents a framework…

Most practitioners and scholars agree that critical and reflective early childhood and elementary teachers are foundational for children's holistic growth and development. Yet current policies focused on elevating testing and performativity are contributing to student and teacher anxiety and alienation. This book offers a counternarrative to…

This book discusses innovative approaches that employ transformative elements (targets, methods, materials, ideas, etc.) in early childhood education. It embraces integrated approaches and conceptualizations, such as the concept of "edu-care," which signifies the inseparability of care and education. Further, it examines the…

Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) are emerging as a promising approach for educational change by closing the gap between educational research and practice. However, these partnerships face several challenges, such as addressing cultural differences as well as relationship-building in a historically unbalanced relationship between researchers…

Teachers' motivation and the conditions that support their resilience to sustain motivation in the profession impact on their decision-making and outcomes for students. Yet a less commonly explored issue in educational research is the interdependence of the contextual influences on being a teacher and those teachers' thoughts and behaviours. This…

Background/purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify strengths and deficits of alternative teacher certification programs, with particular emphasis on approaches to strengthening mathematical content knowledge and pedagogy. Materials/methods: Six participants included both teacher candidates enrolled in internship in the…

In this article we analyze the landscape of dance teacher certification programs in the United States for the potential of anti-racist transformation in the field of dance education. We look at higher educational programming as a main place for revolutionary change in the future of dance education because the socio-political culture within…

In this case study I explored the dilemmas of three early childhood care and education (ECCE) teachers in a poor community in the Cape Flats of Cape Town, South Africa during COVID-19, and how they used these dilemmas to transform their teaching. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants and data was collected through a…

This study examines the experiences of three aspiring Latina school leaders in a principal preparation program with a social justice emphasis. Employing theoretical perspectives grounded in a community-based educational leadership framework and transformational resistance theory, this study documents how coursework informed the perspectives of…

The recently revised NAEYC position papers and the fourth edition of NAEYC's Developmentally Appropriate Guidelines (NAEYC. 2022. "Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Children from Birth through Age 8," edited by S. Friedman, 4th ed. Washington: National Association for the Education of Young…

This article reports on a multiple-case study of how six educational alliances developed Integrated Logic Models, a new tool that integrates components of multiple programs into a single logic model template to link equity research, practice, and evaluation. These alliances used three related strategies: choosing theories and research that point…

This study describes the implementation and findings from a consultation process designed to enhance the professional development (PD) offered to teachers working in Virginia's state-funded preschool program. A PD Rubric was developed to translate research on effective PD (i.e., PD practices linked to positive changes in teacher practice and/or…