Effective teaching leads to positive student outcomes, and professional development for early childhood teachers is key to improving both. But what exactly is meant by "professional development"? What effect does it have on school readiness? Which models and approaches really work? This is the book the early childhood field needs to take the crucial first steps toward definitive answers. A timely volume on a high-priority topic in early education, this resource provides the solid foundation of knowledge the field needs to focus future research studies and make informed decisions about teacher preparation. Following a foreword by Natasha Cabrera and the initial chapter of the book, Introduction: The Context for Critical Issues in Early Childhood Professional Development by Ivelisse Martinez-Beck and Martha Zaslow, this book is organized into five sections. The first section, Toward Better Definition and Measurement of Early Childhood Professional Development (Stephanie M. Curenton), includes the next chapters in the book: (2) Defining and Measuring Professional Development in Early Childhood Research (Kelly L. Maxwell, Cathie C. Feild, and Richard M. Clifford); (3) Estimating the Size and Characteristics of the United States Early Care and Education Workforce (Richard N. Brandon and Ivelisse Martinez-Beck); (4) Quality and Qualifications: Links between Professional Development and Quality in Early Care and Education Settings (Kathryn Tout, Martha Zaslow, and Daniel Berry); and (5) Studying the Culture of Quality Early Education and Care: A Cumulative Approach to Measuring Characteristics of the Workforce and Relations to Quality in Four Midwestern States (Helen H. Raikes, Julia C. Torquati, Susan Hegland, H. Abigail Raikes, Jacqueline Scott, Lana Messner, Carla Peterson, Kathy Thornburg, Becky Houf, and Sandra Scott). The second section, Completing the Model: Connecting Early Child Care Worker Professional Development with Child Outcomes (Kyle L. Snow), presents chapters: (6) Toward Effective Support for Language and Literacy through Professional Development (David K. Dickinson and Joanne P. Brady); (7) Helping Early Childhood Educators to Teach Mathematics (Herbert P. Ginsburg, Rochelle Goldberg Kaplan, Joanna Cannon, Maria I. Cordero, Janet G. Eisenband, Michelle Galanter, and Melissa Morgenlander); and (8) Self-Regulation as a Key to School Readiness: How Early Childhood Teachers Can Promote this Critical Competency (Elena Bodrova and Deborah J. Leong). Next, the third section, Designing Models for Professional Development at the Local, State, and National Levels (Naomi Karp), includes: (9) Standardized Observation and Professional Development: A Focus on Individualized Implementation and Practices (Robert C. Pianta); (10) Alignment in Educator Preparation for Early and Beginning Literacy Instruction: A State-Level Case Example (Kathleen Roskos, Catherine A. Rosemary, and M. Heidi Varner); and (11) NAEYC's Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation: Getting from Here to There (Marilou Hyson and Heather Biggar). The fourth section of the book, Economic Perspectives of Early Care and Education (V. Jeffrey Evans), presents: (12) A Framework for Cost--Benefit Analysis of Professional Development in Early Care and Education (W. Steven Barnett and Pamela J. Kelley); and (13) Early Childhood Professional Development Programs: Accounting for Spillover Effects and Market Intervention (H. Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Bristow). The final section, Charting a Course for Improved Professional Development across Varying Programs and Policies (Martha Zaslow), contains the concluding chapters: (14) Creating and Sustaining a High-Quality Workforce in Child Care, Early Intervention, and School Readiness Programs (Sharon Landesman Ramey and Craig T. Ramey); and (15) Improving Connections Between Professional Development Research and Early Childhood Policies (Melissa Welch-Ross, Anne Wolf, Martha Moorehouse, and Colleen Rathgeb). An index is also included. [This book was published by Brookes Publishing Company.]