Examining the Influence of Access to District-provided Prekindergarten on First Grade Students' Academic and Social Emotional School Readiness

Examining the Influence of Access to District-provided Prekindergarten on First Grade Students' Academic and Social Emotional School Readiness PDF Author: Jennifer Brooks
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education, Preschool
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The study explored teachers' perceptions of how district provided prekindergarten influences academic and social emotional school readiness for first grade students in a low socioeconomic school district in Southern Arkansas. Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development and Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development were the guiding theories. A qualitative case study design was employed. Data was collected through two-round interviews with seven teachers who teach first grade students in a low socioeconomic district in south Arkansas. The interview questions were derived from the Arkansas Child Development and Early Learning Standards. The interviews were transcribed and then coded to derive themes. Findings showed that teachers do perceive that participation in district provided prekindergarten does positively influence social emotional and academic school readiness of first grade students in this low socioeconomic district in southern Arkansas. However, it was not conclusive whether the district provided prekindergarten is the best or only way for children to achieve academic and social emotional school readiness. The implications of these findings on practice, policy, and research were discussed. Implications for practice follow. Teachers may use the Arkansas Kindergarten Readiness Checklist to assess academic and social emotional school readiness of first grade students to create individualized goals to help students advance their readiness skills while providing data that could influence change in the district. This could potentially encourage the district to provide prekindergarten for all eligible students in the district. The implications for policy include districts committing to sharing the importance of prekindergarten through promotion of their program or social media campaigns; or hosting an open house for potential students' parents. Districts may disseminate the readiness checklist to parents as well. Furthermore, districts would look at inequities across the state and use access to district provided prekindergarten to address those when possible. Finally, research implications include a need for a cost analysis to determine the returns on providing prekindergarten to students to avoid later, costly behavior and academic interventions. Further research may be conducted about various preschool experiences and their comparative effectiveness perhaps including more than one district to shed light on a systemic concern for much of Arkansas.

The Impact of Providing Two Years of Pre-kindergarten on Academic Performance and Cost Benefits in the San Antonio Independent School District

The Impact of Providing Two Years of Pre-kindergarten on Academic Performance and Cost Benefits in the San Antonio Independent School District PDF Author: Tambrey Johnson Ozuna
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The purpose of this study was to examine the academic performance of students who attended two years of pre-kindergarten in San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD), and to determine if there was a cost benefit for the district in providing an additional year of pre-kindergarten. Previous research studies have shown that participation in a high-quality pre-kindergarten can have both positive academic and social outcomes (Barnett, 2005; Gormley, Phillips, & Gayer, 2008; Ramey, Ramey, & Stokes, 2009; Reynolds & Temple, 1998; Saluja, Early, & Clifford, 2001; Schweinhart, 2004; Wong, Cook, Barnett, & Jung, 2008). However, these studies focused only on 4-year-olds who attended pre-kindergarten for one year. This study addressed the participation of 3-year-olds in the SAISD pre-kindergarten program. The academic performance of students who attended pre-kindergarten for two years was analyzed along with those who attended one year of pre-kindergarten and those who did not participate in pre-kindergarten at all. Students in all three study groups were those that had been continuously enrolled in SAISD from their point of entry into school through third grade. Academic performance was analyzed based on participants' results on the Texas Primary Reading Inventory and the third grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in reading and mathematics. In addition, the expenditures and cost benefits associated with providing the pre-kindergarten program were analyzed, as well as the costs associated with retention, special education, and remediation.

The Future of Children: Spring 2005

The Future of Children: Spring 2005 PDF Author: Cecilia Rouse
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 9780815721178
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
The Future of Children is a new semiannual publication that provies research and analysis to promote effective policies and programs for children. This first issue focuses on "School Readiness: Closing Racial and Ethnic Gaps." For more than 30 years, researchers have seen white children outperform black and other minority children in tests of reading and math skills. Though there is evidence that the gap has narrowed somewhat, the very persistence of this "racial and ethnic gap" remains a source considerable concern for academics, policy professionals and parents. The ethnic and racial gaps appear to reach back to the preschool years. When children reach the school door, minority children exhibit lower school readiness skills, at least those measured by standardized tests, than their white counterparts. From that point forward, the achievement gap only widens. If policy professionals are to address this disparity in academic achievement (and the consequent disparity in later opportunity), the racial and ethnic gap must be examined in the very earliest years, before students begin school with embedded inequalities. This volume critically summarizes the research on the origin and trajectory of the racial and ethnic gap in the early years from several theoretical perspectives. In particular, research is analyzed to determine when these differences start to emerge, in what areas they appear, what factors contribute to their development by the time children enter grade school and what are the long term effects. Contents: Introducing the Issue of Test Score Ethnic and Racial Disparities, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Sara McLanahan, and Cecilia Elena Rouse Identifying Racial and Ethnic Differences in School Readiness, Donald Rock and Jack Stenner Test Score Gaps: The Contribution of Family and Neighborhood Characteristics, Greg Duncan and Katherine Magnuson Genetic Differences and School Readiness, William T. Dickens Neuroscience Perspectives on Disparities in School Readiness, Kim Noble, B. J. Casey, and Nim Tottenham Low Birth Weight and School Readiness, Nancy Reichman The Impact of Health on School Readiness, Janet Currie Parenting, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn and Lisa Markman Childcare and Early Education, Katherine Magnuson and Jane Waldfogel

Promoting School Readiness and Early Learning

Promoting School Readiness and Early Learning PDF Author: Michel Boivin
Publisher: Guilford Publications
ISBN: 1462511570
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description
Grounded in cutting-edge developmental research, this book examines what school readiness entails and how it can be improved. Compelling longitudinal findings are presented on the benefits of early intervention for preschoolers at risk due to poverty and other factors. The volume identifies the cognitive, language, behavioral, motor, and socioemotional skills that enable young children to function successfully in school contexts. It explores specific ways in which school- and family-based interventions--including programs that target reading and language, math, self-regulation, and social-emotional development--can contribute to school readiness. The book also addresses challenges in the large-scale dissemination of evidence-based practices.

Self-Regulation and Early School Success

Self-Regulation and Early School Success PDF Author: Megan M. McClelland
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134920733
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
Self-regulation has been identified as an important predictor of school readiness and academic achievement in young children. Children who struggle with self-regulation are at risk of experiencing peer rejection and academic difficulties. Teachers report that there is high variability in children’s self-regulatory abilities at school entry and that children with an accumulation of risk factors are especially likely to enter school without adequate self-regulation skills. Moreover, early academic skills are often cumulative, so children who fail to acquire early skills are at risk of falling behind their peers academically and facing achievement gaps that widen over time. Although the relation between self-regulation and school-related outcomes has been clearly documented, our understanding of the pathways through which self-regulation influences early achievement and school success remains unclear. This special issue considers previously neglected areas in the current understanding of self-regulation. The seven articles focus on issues including (a) the complex relations between self-regulation and school readiness, (b) predictors of self-regulation and academic achievement, and (c) advances in measurement of self-regulation and related skills. Research that continues to investigate the complex relations and mechanisms that influence early self-regulation and related outcomes will inform policy and practice in ways that help all children develop the self-regulation skills they need. The volume will be of interest to researchers in the field of child development or education, and educators and policy makers who are interested in promoting school readiness and academic success. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Education and Development.

The Impact of Publicly Provided Early Childhood Education Programs on District-Level Test Scores

The Impact of Publicly Provided Early Childhood Education Programs on District-Level Test Scores PDF Author: Benjamin Artz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
While the existing literature largely finds that standardized test scores are positively associated with participation in pre-kindergarten programs at the student level, there is little research on the policy effect of publicly providing these programs to entire school districts. We attempt to partially fill this void by examining the effect that publicly provided pre-kindergarten and full-day kindergarten programs have on fourth grade student achievement in math and reading at the district level. The models utilize panel data from districts in Wisconsin along with fixed effects estimations. We find that once time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity of a district is accounted for, preschool programs have small but significant impacts on a cohort's future math scores, particularly in less-educated communities. Additionally, there is no evidence that preschool or full-day kindergarten has an impact on future reading scores at the district level.

Tools of the Mind

Tools of the Mind PDF Author: Elena Bodrova
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040005438
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
Now in its third edition, this classic text remains the seminal resource for in-depth information about major concepts and principles of the cultural-historical theory developed by Lev Vygotsky, his students, and colleagues, as well as three generations of neo-Vygotskian scholars in Russia and the West. Featuring two new chapters on brain development and scaffolding in the zone of proximal development, as well as additional content on technology, dual language learners, and students with disabilities, this new edition provides the latest research evidence supporting the basics of the cultural-historical approach alongside Vygotskian-based practical implications. With concrete explanations and strategies on how to scaffold young children’s learning and development, this book is essential reading for students of early childhood theory and development.

Disparities in School Readiness

Disparities in School Readiness PDF Author: Alan Booth
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 0805864350
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
First Published in 2007. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309324882
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 587

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Book Description
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.

Emotion Regulation and Academic School Readiness

Emotion Regulation and Academic School Readiness PDF Author: Blanca M. Velazquez-Martin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description