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Outcomes Of Community-Based Infant/ Toddler Teacher Preparation: Tiered Supports For Pre-Service Early Childhood Education Teachers In Early Head Start, Adam S. Kennedy, Anna Lees

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study examined results associated with a field-based undergraduate early childhood teacher education program designed as a response to calls for enhanced field experiences and community-situated teacher education that narrows the preparation-to-practice gap. Specifically, classroom observations were used to assess undergraduates’ progress in developmentally appropriate adult-child interaction during a portion of a semester-long professional preparation sequence focused on infants and toddlers offered in an urban Early Head Start program serving low-income children. During the sequence, a model relying on guided apprenticeship with classroom teachers and continuous direct supervision from university faculty was employed. In addition, a tiered model including universal, …