Journals.uncc.edu (North Carolina's Urban Research University)
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Black Girls and Womyn Matter: Using Black Feminist Thought to Examine Violence and Erasure in Education
No full textAs students, Black girls and womyn share a collective history of marginalization and discrimination within the P-20 education system. They disproportionately experience violence in educational settings; however, they continue to be understudied. This theoretical essay presents support for using Black Feminist Thought as an analytical framework for examining legal and policy discourses that shape and inform institutional responses to campus violence towards Black undergraduate womyn at Historically White Institutions and disproportionality in disciplinary measures for Black girls. We use this framework to explore how disciplinary and legal practices disregard intersectional identities, which results in the privileging of whiteness while rendering Black girls and womyn invisible. Implications are shared based on theoretical strategies, which promote the advancement and success of girls and collegiate Black womyn
An Analysis of Services Available to Dual Language Learners and Their Families at Head Start
No full textThis study addressed gaps in current research on the types of services that Head Start provided for dual language learners (DLLs) and whether the Head Start’s DLL services would be related to the Head Start program goals, DLL parents’ involvement, and family-school partnership. This study used the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2009) to address these gaps. Two types of Head Start’s DLL services emerged: family/adult focus and child ESL focus. The services with family/adult focus were related to the program goals of providing the families with language and educational support whereas the services with child ESL focus were related to the program goals of connecting the families with the communities’ resources and services. Further, services with family/adult focus were related to greater parent involvement and family-school partnership than services with child ESL focus. Research and practical implications are discussed
Coaching Head Start Teachers on the Use of Teaching Pyramid Model Practices in the Classroom
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of individualized coaching and performance feedback on the implementation of Teaching Pyramid Model practices by three Head Start teachers. Participants were lead teachers in three preschool classrooms located in one Head Start program. During intervention, teachers received weekly individualized coaching on Teaching Pyramid Model practices, followed by a weekly classroom observation and emailed performance feedback. All three teachers demonstrated increased implementation of Teaching Pyramid Model practices after the intervention was introduced. These results suggest that individualized coaching and performance feedback may support Head Start teachers’ implementation of evidence based practices that can enhance the social and emotional development of young children and address challenging behaviors in the classroom
Head Start and HIPPY Better Together: Examining Current Collaborations and the Outcomes for Children
No full textThe purpose of this project was to examine the blending of two research-supported early childhood programs, one delivered in the classroom - Head Start and one delivered by parents in the home – HIPPY. Head Start and HIPPY share the common goals of preparing children for kindergarten by closing the achievement gap and empowering parents as first and best teachers for their children. Data on the effectiveness of Head Start/HIPPY collaborations was collected through focus group interviews with teachers, parents, and administrators. Themes discovered through qualitative analysis included the recognition of home visiting as a way to provide services to families; the added ability to provide services for children and families; better communication between all parties involved in the collaboration; and better outcomes for both the children and the parents; and the difficulty of including all the requirements of both programs in her work with families. The major recommendation for future programs was to plan for the continuation of services from the grant writing stage. Another was to partner with school districts in order to track the long-term outcomes for children. And the most frequent recommendation was to adjust case-loads to reflect the additional work required for the collaboration
Teacher Talk during Children\u27s Play in Head Start Preschools: Differences in Quantity, Differences in Quality
No full textTeacher-child interactions in preschool classrooms have been studied extensively (e.g. Mashburn, Pianta, Hamre, et al., 2008), but these interactions during particularly dynamic times of the preschool day are less well-examined. The current study focuses specifically on teacher-child interactions during free choice time (FCT). Teachers in the two higher-scoring classrooms in the study provided more exposure to talk, more sophisticated talk, longer interactions, more discussions, and fewer directives than teachers in the two lower-scoring classrooms. Given the current lack of training in teacher preparation regarding how to talk with children and how to effectively facilitate FCT, this study has implications for teacher preparation and professional development. This study also adds to a research base demonstrating that well-facilitated playtime in preschools can support children\u27s learning, in this case, language development, in developmentally appropriate ways
Supporting Dual Language Learners\u27 Language Development Using Relevant Teacher Talk during Playtime
No full textThis study focuses on the language that teachers use during Free Choice Time (FCT), recognizing that playtime has the potential to be particularly important for children\u27s language development. I looked at the amount, sophistication, and type of talk used in both higher-scoring and lower-scoring (on the CLASS instrument) Head Start classrooms of dual language learners. I found that there were discrepancies in how much talk, how much sophisticated talk, and the kind of talk children were being exposed to and in which they were being engaged. I provide suggestions for teachers and teacher educators
"Let\u27s Read this Book Again": Using Repeated Reading to Support Literal and Inferential Language Skills in Inclusive Preschool Classrooms
No full textIn their development as readers, children begin to acquire critical precursory skills long before they enter school. Young children’s language development is particularly enhanced by their opportunities to actively engage in meaningful language interactions with those around them. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that early childhood classrooms provide all children with quality, accessible experiences that promote language development. This paper provides early childhood practitioners with a repeated book reading model which teachers can use to promote essential language skills. In particular, the repeated book reading model presented includes strategies to develop children’s inferential language skills which may be critical to support reading comprehension. An opening and closing vignette is provided to illustrate the use of this framework in an inclusive early childhood classroom