Download or read book Perceptions of Policymakers Regarding Transitional Kindergarten as a Policy Initiative written by Robin Ann Henderson and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Limited research is available on California’s transitional kindergarten (TK). Transitional kindergarten was established in the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 (Simitian, 2010) which sought to change the kindergarten start age from four years and nine months old to five years old by September 1. This qualitative study was conducted to understand the perceptions of policymakers and political stakeholders regarding transitional kindergarten as a policy initiative. Six interviews were conducted to capture the policymakers and political stakeholders’ views of TK. The interviews were transcribed and thematized. These themes present themselves differently between two groups of participants. The creator group included participants involved in the birth and development of the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 which established transitional kindergarten. The implementer group included participants involved in the implementation of this policy within school districts. The results created a descriptive microhistory (Brewer, 2014) of transitional kindergarten through the perceptions of these policymakers and political stakeholders. Using the principle of interest convergence stemming from critical race theory (Bell, 1980, 2004: Delgado, 2006) as a theoretical frame it appears that transitional kindergarten came into existence based on the interest convergence of several stakeholder groups. These groups include teachers’ interests to meet accountability issues, the California Teachers Association to maintain funding in Prop. 98 and teachers’ jobs, Early Edge California in expanding early learning opportunities for children, and the state legislature in finding budget saving measures.

Download or read book Parent Perceptions of Transitional Kindergarten as a Policy Initiative written by Janet Núñez-Pineda and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative interpretative research was to explore parents’ perception of transitional kindergarten as a policy initiative. The passage of the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 (SB 1381) created a new provision related to children’s age in California prior to beginning Kindergarten. Transitional kindergarten gained attention from various areas within educational leadership including policy makers, researchers and practitioners. This study emerged as part of a pre-dissertation fellowship opportunity funded by the David and Lucille Packard foundation and was conducted in partnership with three other doctoral capstone projects and provide a 360-degree view of transitional kindergarten as a policy initiative within policy makers, school administrators, teachers and parents. This research is specifically focused on the parents’ perceptions. The research is guided by a qualitative interpretative framework coupled with critical policy analysis. All participants are of Hispanic or Latina backgrounds which represent the majority demographic population of the identified school district. Participants in this study had children who attended transitional kindergarten within one school district in California's Central Valley. A “funds of knowledge” framework explored how traditional values and knowledge were overlooked causing parents to feel frustrated and marginalized. The purpose of this study aims to fill a gap in the literature with regard to practitioners in the field such as teachers, school administrators, and policy makers.

Download or read book Teachers Perceptions of Transitional Kindergarten as a Policy Initiative written by Laura L. Fong and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative research study was to address the lack of research about transitional kindergarten (TK) teachers’ perceptions regarding transitional kindergarten as a policy initiative. Transitional kindergarten as a policy initiative is largely understudied; therefore this study is aimed at filling the gap in the research. This interpretive qualitative research study will help inform researchers who focus on education policy, as well as policymakers at the state and local levels that work to author educational policy and support new educational policy initiatives. Prior to 2012, in order for children to start kindergarten in California, they could be as young as four-years-and-nine-months old; California’s cutoff date was December 2 of the year in which the child would turn five. The Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 now requires that children turn five by September 1 of the school year in order to start kindergarten. Senator Joe Simitian wrote this bill, at the suggestion of two California teachers. These teachers made their case to Simitian that the younger kindergarten students were struggling with today’s kindergarten and that this struggle continues “year after year” for these young students (Simitian, 2010). Five overarching themes emerged within this study with regard to TK: (a) lack of implementation, communication, and understanding of the purpose of TK; (b) inconsistencies among TK classes; (c) lack of standards, curriculum, instructional materials, training, and resources; (d) lack of developmentally appropriate practices; and, (e) a contrast between rhetoric and reality.

Download or read book Perceptions of K 12 School Administrators Regarding Transitional Kindergarten as a Policy Initiative in California written by Libby Marie Soria and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative research was to understand K–12 school principals’ perceptions of the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 as a policy initiative in California. Principals were chosen within one school district via a purposive non-probability sampling technique. Semi-structured interviews provided the research data. Critical theory guided this research, using a critical policy approach that considered policy rhetoric versus practiced reality. Through the data analysis process, the framework of performativity emerged and was then used as a lens to interpret the data. The principals reported their experiences implementing the Kindergarten Readiness Act’s two policy goals: changing the kindergarten start age and implementing transitional kindergarten. Principals’ experiences in the policy implementation process are shared, including the struggles and benefits of implementing educational policy. Results are interpreted through a poststructural performativity framework and showcase administrators’ challenge in attending to the needs of the elementary school while performing policy implementation. Recommendations and implications for practitioners, researchers, and policy makers are made.

Download or read book Strategies to Support Social and Emotional Growth in Transitional Kindergarten written by Joanna O'Brien and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This mixed-methods study examined strategies used by Transitional Kindergarten (TK) teachers to support the social and emotional growth of their students in the Central Valley of California. Transitional Kindergarten is a new grade level in California first implemented in the 2012-2013 school year. It was established as a result of Senate Bill 1381 which amended the California Educational Code to gradually move back the required birth date for admittance into kindergarten from December 2 to September 2. Those whose fifth birthday falls between September 2 and December 2 are eligible to enroll in TK. The study consisted of three separate but parallel stages. Initially a survey was sent to nearly 70 TK teachers in the county database. Concurrently, 10 TK teachers from two school districts were interviewed to gain more information about their perceptions of critical areas of social and emotional development along with the strategies they use to support its growth. Finally, five receiving Kindergarten teachers were interviewed from one of the two districts to determine their perceptions of their incoming TK students. A review of the literature indicates Kindergarten teachers perceive that social and emotional competence is considered critical for school readiness and is an indicator of future academic success. Findings indicate Transitional Kindergarten teachers perceived the most critical areas of social and emotional development needed for school success were the students' ability to communicate needs and wants, to follow routines and directions, and to play cooperatively. The way in which teachers supported the development of these areas was to provide an enriching environment for all their students, provide in-the-moment interventions, utilize social skills curriculum, and role-model expected behaviors. Additional accommodations for ELLs and students from low SES included a focus on vocabulary development and use of tangible and visual materials. Additional findings from TK interviews indicate the foundational role of language development in early childhood education. Teacher comments suggested that English language learners and students from poverty especially benefited from the language-rich environment provided by TK. The results of these findings may inform policy makers as to the future of quality early education for all four-year-old students. Keywords: Transitional Kindergarten, social and emotional development, early childhood education, early language development, English Language Learners

Download or read book Teachers Perceptions of how California s Transitional Kindergarten Program Under Senate Bill 1381 Prepares Students for Improved Learning Outcomes in Kindergarten written by Michelle Facaros Parra and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study aimed to explore teachers' perceptions about the extent to which the new TK program contributes to students' social, emotional, and cognitive development to ultimately yield better learning outcomes for students once they enter kindergarten. Further, this qualitative study aimed to give a voice to TK and kindergarten teachers who are at the heart of the TK program implementation. It explores not only how the implementation of the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 affects teachers professionally but also how it affects the learning outcomes of students under their tutelage.

Download or read book Transitional Kindergarten in California written by Michele Cadigan and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 6 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When transitional kindergarten (TK) in California began in the 2012-13 school year, there were many questions about this new grade--available typically to only those children born during the month of November. Parents wondered: What is TK? Who is eligible? Does my district offer TK? Is TK right for my child? With the delayed final approval of TK at the state level, stakeholders across the state wondered how districts would recruit families and roll out a new program in such a short time frame. Who would show up on the first day of school? And what would they find when they arrived? American Institutes for Research explored these TK issues as part of an in-depth investigation of the program's first year of implementation, with subsequent follow-up with a subset of districts in the second year. This implementation study is the first phase of the statewide Study of California's Transitional Kindergarten Program. The second phase, now underway, examines the quality and impacts of TK. This third research brief in a series investigating TK implementation in Year 1 focuses on district outreach efforts, parent perceptions of TK, and TK student demographics. The following questions are addressed: (1) How did districts approach parent outreach: (2) How did parents decide whether to enroll their children in TK; (3) Who actually enrolled in TK; and (4) What did parents think of their children's TK experiences? Findings from this study point to the challenges districts faced in recruiting children for TK during the first year of TK implementation. District administrators also described other parents who were not aware of the TK program or who were concerned that TK was a remedial program and did not want to send their children to a program they did not understand. Despite these challenges, there were no particular demographic groups of students disproportionately left out of TK.

Download or read book The Current State of Scientific Knowledge on Pre Kindergarten Effects written by Duke University. Center for Child and Family Policy and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The question of how the U.S. will develop a citizenry with the skills necessary to meet the challenges of the 21st century has attracted the attention of legislators, scientists, and educators. Answering this question leads inevitably to its roots: how well are we preparing young children to enter kindergarten ready to learn? Educators in k-12 school systems are faced with wide disparities in skill levels of entering kindergarteners, which means that all too many children are already far behind many of their peers. Findings in developmental science point toward the importance of early-life experiences in shaping brain development and suggest that if we knew how to provide these experiences in our early education programs, we could have a lifelong impact on children's success. The quality and reliability of early experiences and environments are the building blocks of early brain architecture. Parents and trained adult caregivers who are in tune with a child provide the "serve and return" stimuli through conversation, interactive play, guided exploration, and orderly progression that serve as the raw materials of early child development. Unfortunately, in many neighborhoods, violence, lack of services, and the stresses of poverty combine to make it difficult for a family to provide optimal stimulation and stability during a child's early years. The result is that a disproportionate number of children from low income families lack optimal environments and stimulating experiences and thus enter kindergarten already behind their peers in intellectual and social-emotional development. In recent years, families across the entire income spectrum have experienced increasing stress due to such challenges as making financial ends meet, working multiple jobs, and/or raising a child as a single parent. The good news, according to numerous studies, is that children attending publicly-funded pre-kindergarten programs are better prepared for kindergarten than similar children who have not attended pre-k. While some studies have shown that the advantages persist well into elementary school, two reports have led some policymakers to question whether pre-k can provide the persistent effects that undergird an ambitious agenda for pre-kindergarten programs. Previous studies have found positive impacts on children's skills at the end of the pre-k year but not later in elementary school. These findings have caused policymakers and educators to turn to the scientific community for clarification about the likely impacts of pre-k programs and identification of those factors that might distinguish effective early learning programs. Although the early years are not the only time when a child's development can be influenced, evidence suggests that the year before kindergarten is an opportune period. In order to understand how to use the new phenomenon of pre-k to boost early learning and to provide a stronger base over time for skill acquisition, a Pre-Kindergarten Task Force of interdisciplinary scientists reviewed the evidence on the impact of state-funded pre-kindergarten programs and set out to bring science to bear on the current state of knowledge and it's implications for the path forward. The report begins with a description of the pre kindergarten landscape in America today. Another group took in all available information, reached consensus on the six major conclusions that form the basis for this report. A consensus statement summarizes the findings. Subsequent topical chapters commissioned and authored by individual scholars offer insights to assist policymakers in reaching decisions. They provide fodder for future scholarly inquiry, and are provided here. Following an overview and introduction, the following are included: (1) The Current Landscape for Public Pre-Kindergarten Programs (Ajay Chaudry and A. Rupa Datta); and (2) A Consensus Statement: Puzzling It Out. The Current State of Scientific Knowledge on Pre-Kindergarten Effects (Deborah A. Phillips, Mark W. Lipsey, Kenneth A. Dodge, Ron Haskins, Daphna Bassok, Margaret R. Burchinal, Greg J. Duncan, Mark Dynarski, Katherine A. Magnuson and Christina Weiland). "Issues and Challenges" presents: (3) Do Some Groups of Children Benefit More Than Others from Pre-Kindergarten Programs? (Helen F. Ladd); (4) Do Pre-Kindergarten Curricula Matter? (Jade Marcus Jenkins and Greg J. Duncan); (5) Characteristics of Pre-Kindergarten Programs That Drive Positive Outcomes (Dale C. Farran); (6) Universal vs. Targeted Pre-Kindergarten: Reflections for Policymakers (William Gormley); (7) The Costs and Benefits of Scaled-Up Pre-Kindergarten Programs (Lynn A. Karoly); (8) Challenges to Scaling Up Effective Pre-Kindergarten Programs (W. Steven Barnett); (9) The Promise of Preschool Education: Challenges for Policy and Governance (Ajay Chaudry); (10) Financing Early Childhood Programs (Ron Haskins); (11) Reframing Early Childhood Education: A Means to Public Understanding and Support (Craig T. Ramey and Sharon Landesman Ramey); and (12) Bibliography of Studies on the Effects of State- and District-Funded Pre-Kindergarten Programs for the Consensus Statement. A list of contributors is also provided. (Additional funding for this report was provided by SAS Institute.).

Download or read book AI and education written by Miao, Fengchun and published by UNESCO Publishing. This book was released on 2021-04-08 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to address some of the biggest challenges in education today, innovate teaching and learning practices, and ultimately accelerate the progress towards SDG 4. However, these rapid technological developments inevitably bring multiple risks and challenges, which have so far outpaced policy debates and regulatory frameworks. This publication offers guidance for policy-makers on how best to leverage the opportunities and address the risks, presented by the growing connection between AI and education. It starts with the essentials of AI: definitions, techniques and technologies. It continues with a detailed analysis of the emerging trends and implications of AI for teaching and learning, including how we can ensure the ethical, inclusive and equitable use of AI in education, how education can prepare humans to live and work with AI, and how AI can be applied to enhance education. It finally introduces the challenges of harnessing AI to achieve SDG 4 and offers concrete actionable recommendations for policy-makers to plan policies and programmes for local contexts. [Publisher summary, ed]

Download or read book The Impact of New Fertility Policies on Early Education and Development in China written by Xiumin Hong and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-12-04 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is among the first to comprehensively examine the far-reaching impact of China’s new fertility policies on early education and development. Since the beginning of the 21st century, China has entered a period of declining fertility rate and aging population, which poses a serious threat to its sustainable development. To address this crisis, China has radically revised its fertility policy through the state’s guidance for regulating couples’ reproductive choices, abandoning its iconic one-child policy, and adopting the selective two-child (2013), universal two-child (2016), and then the three-child (2021) policy. Drawing on empirical evidence obtained through various research methods, this book offers multidisciplinary perspectives on the far-reaching impact of these policies. Part I summarizes the lessons learned from new fertility policies and identifies important directions for future research. Focusing on two major microsystems, part II presents research assessing families’ fertility desire for an additional child and projecting the demand for preschool education. Part III attends to family dynamics and their relation to early learning and development for both only and non-only children. Part IV addresses the importance of expanding access to affordable and high-quality early childhood education and care for children from birth through age 6. The Impact of New Fertility Policies on Early Education and Development in China contributes to policy development and practical improvement and serves as a catalyst to stimulate future studies on the topic. It will be a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners of early childhood education and care, as well as for families of young children. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Early Education and Development.

Download or read book Resources in Education written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 748 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Democratic Policymaking written by Charles Barrilleaux and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-02-23 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This introduction to public policy applies analytic models to key policymaking challenges, enabling students to independently evaluate core dilemmas.

Download or read book Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-07-23 with total page 587 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Download or read book Early Childhood Policies and Systems in Eight Countries written by Tony Bertram and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-29 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report provides an overview of policy strategies on early childhood education settings (from birth to primary schooling) in eight countries. Data were collected using a policy questionnaire addressed to and completed by the National Research Coordinator(s) (NRC) of Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Poland, the Russian Federation and the United States. The countries that participated provide interesting illustrations of early childhood education policy in action in a range of diverse contexts. Analysis of the systemic and structural results of ECE policy at national and, where necessary, subnational levels, enables transnational comparisons in policy and systems. Key policy changes, both underway and planned, are documented. These data reveal key findings in each of the five policy areas as covered in the questionnaire and this report: public policy; delivery models and providers; participation and enrollment; quality assurance systems; and expectations for child outcomes. In particular, the study aims to provide meaningful information for countries, states and jurisdictions across the world in relation to early childhood education, mapping the systems, structures and user pathways in place, along with the perceptions of stakeholders about the system, its functioning and impact. This comprehensive assessment of the wider policy contexts and settings for early childhood education includes teacher/practitioner qualifications, pedagogy approaches, and opportunities for professional development. Such information will enable countries to review their early childhood education systems in an international context.

Download or read book World Class Initiatives and Practices in Early Education written by Louise Boyle Swiniarski and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-12-11 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers current international initiatives, developed for working with children from “Birth to Eight” by a diverse group of noted professional authors. Their readings present an overview of early education as it evolved from the Froebelian kindergarten to today’s practices in various Early Education settings around the globe. The international voices of the authors represent a balanced perspective of happenings in various nations and lend a conversational approach to each chapter. The chapters analyze the Universal Preschool Education movement promoted by various countries, states, and agencies; examine model curriculum programs in a variety of teaching/learning settings; and identify directions the community can take in promoting effective early education programs. Particular attention is given to key issues and concerns faced by practitioners and families world-wide. Studies reveal successful approaches to bilingual education in a Chilean kindergarten, research findings on gender differences in primary school girls for learning science in Wales, literacy development strategies for teaching in UK multicultural classrooms and childhood centres, the process of integration special education with early childhood practices in China, and exemplars of community outreach to improve the well being of children through advocacy for governmental changes in early education policies and professional development. This book is for everyone interested in the well being of young children moving forward in a global age to meet the challenges of early citizenship in their world.

Download or read book The Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-02-10 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings offer an opportunity to provide children with a solid beginning in all areas of their development. The quality and efficacy of these settings depend largely on the individuals within the ECCE workforce. Policy makers need a complete picture of ECCE teachers and caregivers in order to tackle the persistent challenges facing this workforce. The IOM and the National Research Council hosted a workshop to describe the ECCE workforce and outline its parameters. Speakers explored issues in defining and describing the workforce, the marketplace of ECCE, the effects of the workforce on children, the contextual factors that shape the workforce, and opportunities for strengthening ECCE as a profession.

Download or read book Early Start written by Andrew Karch and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2013-04-09 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the United States, preschool education is characterized by the dominance of a variegated private sector and patchy, uncoordinated oversight of the public sector. Tracing the history of the American debate over preschool education, Andrew Karch argues that the current state of decentralization and fragmentation is the consequence of a chain of reactions and counterreactions to policy decisions dating from the late 1960s and early 1970s, when preschool advocates did not achieve their vision for a comprehensive national program but did manage to foster initiatives at both the state and national levels. Over time, beneficiaries of these initiatives and officials with jurisdiction over preschool education have become ardent defenders of the status quo. Today, advocates of greater government involvement must take on a diverse and entrenched set of constituencies resistant to policy change. In his close analysis of the politics of preschool education, Karch demonstrates how to apply the concepts of policy feedback, critical junctures, and venue shopping to the study of social policy.