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As a team of teacher educators at a university in the United States, we engage in participatory action research to reflect on how reflective tools which we design engage teacher candidates (TCs) in their reflecting on teaching. In this paper, we describe how we invite TCs to write in-class reflections, respond to self-assessment probes, and practice problem-solving processes. We critically analyze our approaches and identify further intentional approaches to promote university students' understandings of (1) links between the self and working with children and families and (2) connections between attitudes and pedagogy towards social justice and inclusion. We conclude that we must continue to explore how the teaching practices we use affect students' understandings of social justice in education. Doing so demands our focus on examining attitudes through self-reflection among and between faculty and university students so that identity, relationships, attitudes, inclusion, and social justice are prioritized as pillars of curriculum in early childhood education at all levels of schooling.

Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act Amendments of 2004, special educators and related services personnel are required to support a child with disabilities in the setting deemed the least restrictive and most natural for that particular child. There is considerable variation in the consultation experiences and skills specialists possess and the approaches they use to support children with disabilities in early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers. Specialists who have not been prepared to assume a consultative role are often confused about the nature of consultation and may not be familiar with the evidence base supporting this practice. To work effectively with each other and with ECEC providers on behalf of young children, specialists need to understand the consultation process and the different ways in which the process can be implemented in Pre-K settings. In this article, the authors discuss how specialists can create a collaborative consultation partnership with ECEC providers (including preschool teachers and families) to support the inclusion of a child with disabilities in a Pre-K classroom. (Contains 2 tables.)

Universal design for instruction is an inclusive teaching model that the authors advocate for responding to the diverse learning needs of students in today's postsecondary classrooms. The goal of universally designed courses is to allow all students to have available a menu of choices by which they can access curriculum content, engage in learning activities, and participate in assessments. The authors first outline the framework of universal design; next, they explore the need for universal design for instruction in higher education; and finally, they provide an overview of the universal design model they implement in their courses.

In this case study, a co-operative inquiry process was used to facilitate the expansion of inclusive early childhood education and care practices in a rural community in the Midwest. A university and a community researcher first engaged in interviews and site visits, during which they learned how a three-member inclusion team of early care and education professionals initiated changes in practice from self-contained to inclusive special education and therapy. Key practices included responding to families' priorities, changing roles, and providing integrated services and support for children's successful transitions into Kindergarten. The second part of the research consisted of action planning during focus groups and community meetings, which resulted in social recognition from the school district, technical assistance through state improvement grant funding, and better preschool options for young children with disabilities.

A study explored how six childcare providers who have included children with special needs are able to provide care on a daily basis. Factors included the providers' commitment, finding the balance between resources and needs, problem-solving with parents, access to emotional support and technical assistance, and access to other supports. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of faculty and preprofessional students who teach and learn within cohorts. The authors also explored how common cohort learning experiences [...]

Increasingly, young children with disabilities are included in natural learning environments such as home- and center-based childcare settings. Childcare providers are asked to adapt their practices and make accommodations to include these children. In this qualitative study, six childcare providers who provide inclusive childcare in a Midwest city were interviewed. They discussed factors that contribute to their ability to provide inclusive childcare. The authors analyzed the data according to grounded theory methodology. They identified the following main contributing factors: (a) the providers' commitment, (b) finding the balance between resources and needs, (c) problem-solving with parents, (d) access to emotional support and technical assistance, and (e) access to other supports. The authors discuss commonalties and divergences between home-based and center-based programs and implications for future practices., Many early childhood professionals, parents, and concerned citizens are currently discussing childcare issues which center on the affordability of childcare and the quality of care. Parents of young children are [...]

In this paper the authors provide a summary of educational thinkers’ conceptualizations of the process, characteristics, purposes, and outcomes of reflection in education. Furthermore, they describe the process of conceptualizing a developmental continuum for analyzing reflective thinking, reflective communication, and cognitive processes of teacher candidates. They present the Developmental Continuum of Reflection on-/for-Action Rubric (DCRo/fA Rubric) and discuss the approach they used in testing and refining the instrument. The purpose of the DCRo/fA Rubric is twofold: First, to analyze the reflective dimensions evident in candidates’ work samples they develop during coursework and student teaching such as reflections on lessons, classroom observations, digital stories, or philosophies on education. And second, to analyze the level of sophistication of the dimensions of reflection within artifacts for the purpose of assignment revision and to allow teacher educators to identify the dimensions of reflective practice that need to be nurtured. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Examines the perspectives of inclusive childcare in the United States. Factors contributing to the success of inclusive childcare; Comparison between home-based and center-based programs; Implications for child care practices; Concerns for the affordability of childcare and the quantity of care.