Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Preschool Education In Australia, Andrew Dowling, Kate O’Malley

Policy Briefs

Early childhood education (ECE) in Australia will soon experience a ‘radical makeover.’ In 2008, all Australian governments made a commitment through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) that by 2013, all children in the year before formal schooling will have access to high quality early childhood education programs delivered by degreequalified early childhood teachers, for 15 hours per week, 40 weeks of the year, in public, private and community-based preschools and child care. The purpose of this policy brief is to summarise the current structure of preschool in Australia in contemplation of this major policy shift. This paper describes the …

Utilizing Concept Mapping As A Teaching And Learning Tool To Prepare For The Science Taks Test, Rosa Linda Zuniga

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Concept mapping was used with Donna High School students to determine its effect on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. Concept mapping was used with models such as the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol model (SIOP), the 5- E model, and the Learning Groups model. This measure was taken because the models used have not helped students improve their TAKS scores significantly. The findings of this research reveals that using the process of concept mapping together with the SIOP model helps students clearly see related concepts and motivates them to think more deeply. Students quickly realize what concepts …

Impact Of Preschool Education On Reading Achievement Of Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade Students, Melissa Harvey Clark

Dissertations

This study examines the impact of various types of preschool care and education on the reading achievement of children, kindergarten through fifth grade, who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). The participants in this study are located throughout the United States of America. These students attend public and private schools.

The data for this study were provided by the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The researcher utilized ECLS-K's Public Use Data File and Electronic Codebook to create an SPSS syntax file in order to determine if …

High School Accreditation In Maine: Perceptions Of Costs And Benefits, Janet Fairman, Brenda Peirce, Walter Harris

Maine Education Policy Research Institute

No abstract provided.

Pilot Test Of A Quality Rating And Improvement System, Elizabeth J. Sandell, Vera G. Azarova, Olga Victorovna Klypa

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

Research Questions:

What quality rating and improvement scale (QRIS) will be useful for improving early childhood education programs in Magadan Region, RU and in Minnesota, US? What is the agreement among raters in RU and in the US, using scores on a QRIS for early childhood education programs in Magadan Region, RU and in Minnesota, US?

(De)Composing A Garden For Children's Play, Debra Jean Deverell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Kindergarten has been a part of the educational landscape of the United States since 1856, when the first kindergarten opened in Watertown, Wisconsin. If we fast-forward more than a century and a half to the present, it is clear that the landscape composition of the garden-ideologically, culturally, socially, and politically for children's play has drastically changed.

The purpose of this study, (De)Composing a Garden for Children's Play, is to examine kindergartners' play set against changing school polices and practices of recent years in one Colorado school district. Four research questions guided this inquiry:

1. What does kindergarten look like …

Implementing Differentiated Strategies During Math Instruction, Jessica Cavaleri

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In any elementary school classroom there are students with different abilities, learning styles, and personalities. Teachers need to find a successful way to individualize their teaching in order to benefit every child in the class. I designed this action research study to study the implementation of differentiated strategies in my third grade classroom at Riker Hill Elementary in Livingston, New Jersey. My class consists of 22 students during Math instruction. I studied the use of differentiated instructional techniques through the implementation of specific strategies, including group work, attending to multiple learning styles, and the use of centers. I implemented the …

Utilizing Centers To Enhance My Instruction And Students' Understanding Of Math Concepts, Samantha Rowelle Darden

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Anyone who listens to the news hears many negative comments on the status of education in the United States today. Many say that our standards and the quality of our education have declined. We have fallen behind European and Asian countries. Our requirements and expectations have been lowered. Yet, we have never stepped back to assess what has changed and why. If we had to point to one detail to provide insight into what has changed, we would name the internet. We would call the technology explosion in the 21st century a “singularity”; an event that changes things so fundamentally …

The Longitudinal Factor Structure Of Parent Involvement And Its Impact On Academic Achievement: Findings From The Ecls-K Dataset, Hui-Fang Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The critical role of parent involvement has been endorsed by educators and educational policy in the United States. However, various definitions and approaches to assess parent involvement have yielded inconsistent conclusions regarding the impact of parent involvement on child development and failed to provide foundations for practitioners. These contradictory findings, at least in part, reflected that parent involvement is a multidimensional construct which should be captured by many behaviors and activities as well as the limitations of using classical test theory to develop/identify items to assess parent involvement.

This study conducted both CTT and IRT to identify optimal items for …

Does Maine's Middle School Laptop Program Improve Learning? A Review Of Evidence To Date, David L. Silvernail

Maine Education Policy Research Institute

No abstract provided.

Authentic Assessment Versus Traditional Assessment: A Comparative Study, Nikki Brawley

Honors Theses

Assessment is defined as "almost any form of measurement and appraisal of what students know and can do." These forms can include, but are not limited to: tests, reports, observations, and questioning. There are two main subgroups used when describing assessment: trasitional and alternative. The term traditional assessment refers to a paper and pencil based test used to determine what a student knows and can recall, i.e. the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests (PACT). The term alternative assessment refers to "almost any type of assessment other than standardized tests." (McAfee & Leong, 2-3) This subgroup can be divided into various types …

Early Childhood Public School Teacher Licensure For The Fifty States And Washington, D.C.: An Inquiry To Ascertain Student Age Ranges For Public School Teacher Licensure May 2009, R. Caudle Jones, S. Martin, M. Crandall

Research Reports and Research Bulletins

There is a need for birth through kindergarten (B-K) public school licensure in the state of Arkansas. In Arkansas, licensure for teachers of young children is for pre-kindergarten through fourth grade (P-4). Teachers who receive P-4 licenses are often less prepared to work with children under age six than with older children. A more appropriate license would be a B-K license. A teacher with B-K licensure would be prepared to meet the emotional, social, physical, and cognitive needs of young children. This document is an inquiry to ascertain student age ranges for public school teacher licensure in the fifty states …

Impact Of Flash Animation In Learning Concepts Of Matter Among Elementary Students, Rhodora S. Santos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines the instructional effect of flash animation on students' achievement in learning specific concepts of matter. The subjects used in this study were 5th-grade students of the researcher from Dan Ramirez Elementary. Each class or section of these students was randomly assigned as the control group (n = 20) and the experimental group (n =20). The subjects in the control group were exposed to traditional textbook reading while the subjects in the experimental group were exposed to flash animation. To measure the students' achievement from the concepts learned, a pre-test and a post test were both administered to …

Teacher, School, And Student Characteristics, Theoretical Orientations Toward Reading, Attitudes Toward High Stakes Testing, And Reading Performance In Grades K-6, Dianne Memmer-Novak

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

High stakes testing and accountability has become a hotly debated topic among politicians and educators since the bipartisan passing of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2002. With the goal of having all students reading at or above grade level by the end of the 2013-2014 school year Reading First was developed as part of NCLB, to provide schools and teachers with scientific research-based reading instruction.

More than districts or schools, it is the classroom teacher that bears the ultimate responsibility for increasing reading performance. Effective teachers of reading must face the demands and challenges of NCLB while …

Using Laptops To Facilitate Middle School Science Learning: The Results Of Hard Fun, Alexis M. Berry, Sarah E. Wintle, Bristol Consolidated School

Maine Education Policy Research Institute

No abstract provided.

Departing From Tradition: Innovation And Accountability In Two Primary Schools In Denmark And The Usa, Pamela Evanshen, Charlotte Ringsmose

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Review Of Evidence On Four-Day School Week, Christine Donis-Keller, David L. Silvernail

Maine Education Policy Research Institute

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Cuento Therapy On Reading Achievement And Psychological Outcomes Of Mexican-American Students, Sylvia Z. Ramirez, Jain Sachin, Leila L. Flores-Torres, Roxanna Perez, Ralph Carlson

Human Development and School Services Faculty Publications and Presentations

This investigation evaluated the effects of cuento therapy (an intervention using Spanish-language tales) on children’s self-esteem, affect, and reading test performance. The sample was composed of 58 third-grade Mexican-American students who were randomly assigned to the treatment and control groups. The results showed a mean self-esteem gain score difference between groups in favor of the treatment group for Global, Academic, and General self-esteem scores. Following intervention, the treatment group reported less physiological anxiety than did the control group. The results also showed mean increases in the pre- and post-standardized high-stakes reading test scores for both groups. Other significant findings regarding …

Using The Acei's Global Guidelines Assessment For Improving Early Education, Elizabeth J. Sandell, Belinda J. Hardin, Sue C. Wortham

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

The Global Guidelines for Early Childhood Education and Care in the 21st Century were developed as a collaborative project between the U. S. National Committee of the World Organization for Early Childhood (OMEP) and of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). The project's intent was to provide guidance concerning the fundamental elements that are necessary to create high quality environments for early care and education. This paper presents the history of the development of a related instrument, called the ACEI Global Guidelines Assessment (GGA). The GGA was developed to help early childhood educators assess and improve program quality, particularly …

Exploring Mothers’ And Fathers’ Relationships With Sons Versus Daughters: Links To Adolescent Adjustment In Mexican Immigrant Families, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Melissa Y. Delgado, Lorey A. Wheeler

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Drawing on ecological and gender socialization perspectives, this study examined mothers’ and fathers’ relationships with young adolescents, exploring differences between mothers and fathers, for sons versus daughters, and as a function of parents’ division of paid labor. Mexican immigrant families (N = 162) participated in home interviews and seven nightly phone calls. Findings revealed that mothers reported higher levels of acceptance toward adolescents and greater knowledge of adolescents’ daily activities than did fathers, and mothers spent more time with daughters than with sons. Linkages between parent-adolescent relationship qualities and youth adjustment were moderated by adolescent gender and parents’ division …

Initial Teacher Licensure Programs At Minnesota State Univeristy, Mankato, Elizabeth J. Sandell

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

Teacher preparation is a strong tradition of Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU, Mankato), located approximately 85 miles southwest of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The institution of higher education has been preparing teachers since 1868. Currently, initial teacher licensure programs in Elementary and Early Childhood (EEC) prepare graduates to be licensed as early childhood teachers, as elementary school teachers, and/or as middle school teachers. This article describes MSU, Mankato's programs in terms of its students, faculty members, academic programs, unique opportunities for students, and emphasis on preparing professionals to be leaders in education.

Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival, Karen Rowell, University Of Southern Mississippi, The University Of Southern Mississippi's School Of Library And Information Science

Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival Programs

The program for the forty-second annual Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival held on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 2009.

Condition Of K-12 Public Education In Maine 2009, Christine Donis-Keller, David L. Silvernail

Maine Education Policy Research Institute

This twelfth edition of "The Condition of K-12 Public Education in Maine" is designed to provide Maine citizens, legislators, and educators a yearly report on the state of Maine public schools and education. This new edition updates educational information which appeared in earlier editions, and also provides information on several new topics. "Education Indicators" are facts and statistics that help to describe a public education system. They are tools which are useful in examining and measuring the effectiveness of the system. Examples include information such as the amount of local funds raised to support local schools, per pupil expenditures, pupil-teacher …

Childhood Mental Illness: Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorder, Vicki Wolffe

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Many children are inflicted with psychosis. The following essay is an investigation of the characteristics of mental illness as it appears in youths. Studies have been conducted as to what mental illness looks like in children. Various treatment options are described. The body of this work has been compiled, predominantly, through the review of literature on the subject matter. Limited observation of a child that has been diagnosed with a severe form of psychotic illness has been noted.

Parents' Perceptions About An Early Childhood Program: Analysis Of Parents Focus Group Discussions: A Dissertation, Natalie Ann Zakarian

Educational Studies Dissertations

This study focuses on identifying the primary concerns parents have at school entry for their children. The investigation is a qualitative analysis of data derived from a series of ten parent focus group sessions conducted in a large northeastern school district. The ten sessions were conducted over a period of four months for a total of twenty hours of data. Regular members of the focus group included four parents who had 4 and 5 year old children in an early childhood literacy program, a volunteer community member in the program and the researcher. Each session was audio taped then transcribed …

Fueling Small Explosions Of Conversation: A Reading Curriculum For Fourth Grade, Rebecca Blake Eisenberg

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The purpose of this fourth-grade reading curriculum is to teach students to become active readers who can articulate and communicate their thoughts about reading. By communicating about text, readers construct meaning and develop a rich understanding and appreciation of their reading. The curriculum uses the reading workshop framework (Atwell, 1998; Calkins, 2001; Rief, 1992) and the literature circle structure (Daniels, 2002). Process- and content-based mini-lessons provide explicit instruction for literature circle discussions. Comprehension strategy mini-lessons are provided to complement the literature circle instruction and provide support for students as needed.

Cortisol Reactivity Across The Day At Child Care: Examining The Contributions Of Child Temperament And Attachment To Mother And Lead Teacher, Lisa S. Badanes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous work has shown that full-day center-based child care is associated with increased physiologic stress for many young children (e.g., Tout, de Haan, Campbell, & Gunnar, 1998; Watamura, Sebanc, & Gunnar, 2002). Specifically, increasing cortisol from morning to afternoon at full-day child care in contrast to decreasing cortisol across the day for these same children at home has been repeatedly demonstrated for toddlers and preschoolers. Factors that have been related to rising cortisol across the day at child care include the child's age (rising cortisol at child care between 2 and 5 years, but not for infants or older children, …

An Exploration Of Identification Of Leadership For Gifted Students, Christine Estelle Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leadership has been designated a talent area in federal and state definitions of gifted students who require differentiated programs since the Marland Report came out in 1972, yet it remains the least discussed of the curricular areas for gifted students. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and attitudes of administrators of gifted programs in Colorado and Idaho concerning identifying students gifted in leadership. Public K-12 school districts in Colorado and Idaho were surveyed using a researcher-created survey including questions targeting attitudes and twelve questions specific to leadership traits. Response rate was 51%. In general, respondents indicated …

Cooking : Mixing And Measuring With Young Children, Aimee Marie Klostermann

Graduate Research Papers

Cooking with young children is a rewarding experience as an educator. Not only are the children enjoying themselves, but you are too. Cooking allows children to be in touch with their senses, and is a hands-on approach to learning. Of course cooking can be messy, which is what young children love most. Incorporating science, math, literacy, and social studies into one activity is easily done through cooking.

Whether you are a novice or a veteran when it comes to cooking, the skills children gain are immense when you incorporate cooking into the early childhood curriculum. I believe there are some …

Catalogue 2009-2010, Bank Street College Of Education

Graduate School of Education

This course catalog from a past academic year is a resource for referring to previous course offerings, degree requirements, institutional policies, and more.