This study examines professional development activities for students and teachers in two Dutch professional development schools (PDSs). The PDSs consist of a partnership between the kindergarten classes of the elementary school and accompanying playgroup (with children aged 4-6 and 2.6-4, respectively), a teacher's training college and a research…

In the first part of this article we will briefly point out the learning areas in the Norwegian Framework plan for contents and tasks in kindergartens from 2006, and argue that the introduction of these areas means a large potential for focusing on different kinds of subject-oriented language in kindergarten. We will present some features of…

In Germany during the past few years the nursery school (for ages three-six) is increasingly regarded as an educational institution rather than a childcare centre. This is reflected in the increasing number of curricula for young children, which include mathematics as a domain of learning skills. In the past mathematics has not been part of the…

Researchers investigated whether the Classroom Assessment Scoring System[TM] reliably characterized prekindergarten classrooms having varying ethnic and language compositions across the instrument's three domains (Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, and Instructional Support). They also examined whether the instrument predicted children's…

This study compared universal (available to all children) and targeted (offered only to children with specific risk factors) Pre-Kindergarten programs. Results showed that two aspects of structural quality (e.g., hours per day and teacher education) were higher in universal programs, but process quality (e.g., child interactions and feedback) was…

This study found that teachers who were randomly assigned to take a 14-week course on effective teacher-child interactions demonstrated significant changes in beliefs and knowledge about effective practices and provided more stimulating and engaging interactions in the classroom. [This research brief is based on: Hamre, B. K., Pianta, R. C.,…

While current literature identifies the characteristics of a successful professional development school (PDS)/university partnership, it is imperative for universities to consider the impact of clinical placements on the training and development of preservice teachers. What is missing from the literature are the views of the preservice teachers on…

Recent education literature underscores the need to prepare teachers who are culturally sensitive and responsive in order to work in the diverse classrooms of the 21st century. Changing demographics and increasing immigration are bringing a new complexity to the cultural diversity within regions and local communities. A school-university…

Teacher education programs throughout the United States are grappling with how to raise the achievement levels of children in diverse communities. The fact that urban schools show a downward trend in achievement levels among their student populations speaks to the gravity of the situation and brings to the forefront the need for more culturally…

This article discusses one first-time student teacher's experience. Her experience was not unsuccessful, but was different than she had expected. She passed the semester with an acceptable report and found a position the next fall in her chosen school district as a kindergarten teacher, and perhaps more importantly, she learned some valuable…

To look at practitioners in the field of early childhood education is to look at a kaleidoscope of education, experience, and practice, from practitioners who are beginning in the field to practitioners who have extensive experience and education and have mastered the art of teaching. This kaleidoscope of practitioners brings into the light a…

As the effects of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and its ensuing mandates for compliance are felt in classrooms across the United States, the issues of high-stakes testing and rigorous benchmark paradigms are becoming a daily challenge for teachers. NCLB mandates rigorous testing for every child in grades 3-8 in reading and math. Children…

Reading specialists, as well as members of the general public, have long sought to understand why so many children in the United States read below grade level and why so many of its adult citizens are illiterate. While problems associated with reading are not unique to the United States, it is noteworthy that some nations do not experience major…

Good teachers possess a capacity for connectedness. They are able to weave a complex web of connections among themselves, their subjects, and their students so that students can learn to weave a world for themselves. The methods used by these weavers vary widely; lectures, Socratic dialogues, laboratory experiments, collaborative problem solving,…

Text rendering is a method of deconstructing text that allows students to make decisions regarding the importance of the text, select the portions that are most meaningful to them, and then share it with classmates--all without fear of being ridiculed. The research on students constructing meaning from text is clear. In order for knowledge to…