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1. Family Perceptions of Participating in a Structured Summer Kindergarten Transition Program

Author

Merideth, Christopher, Cavanaugh, Beth, Romas, Sue, Ralston, Nicole, Arias, Eva, Tarasawa, Beth, and Waggoner, Jacqueline

Abstract

Many school districts provide one-time transition events to help students prepare for the rigors of kindergarten; yet, research shows families desire additional information and opportunities to help their children thrive once school begins. Researchers for this study interviewed 39 parents whose children participated in a three-week structured kindergarten transition program designed to promote parental involvement in school, reduce students' chronic absenteeism, and increase children's readiness for kindergarten. All interviewees expressed that participating in the program yielded benefits for themselves and their children. Respondents shared that meeting education staff members early during the summer, familiarizing themselves with the layout and routines of their schools, and building stronger social connections with other families were of particular value in helping them prepare for the start of kindergarten. Similarly, understanding kindergarten expectations more thoroughly and acquiring tools to support their children at home were deemed especially beneficial for those families who had not previously participated in preschool or other structured school opportunities. In addition to positive feedback, participants proposed various ways that adjusting the program could better meet the needs of all stakeholders. Suggestions included increasing the length of the student sessions, improving communication between district and families, re-structuring the parent information sessions to be more conducive to working families, and staffing the program with more individuals who would stay on as teachers during the transition from summer to fall. Parent suggestions from this study were synthesized into multiple implications for practice and substantiated by current relevant literature.

Published
2022
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2. 'It's a Together Process': A Grounded Theory Study of Equity Leadership and Professional Learning

Author

Romas, Sue

Abstract

Professional development is a main strategy that schools use to change educator practice (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Desimone, 2009), which has increasingly become a focus because of community pressure to ensure educational equity (Ahebee, 2020; Graves, 2020; Miller, 2022; Vegas & Winthrop, 2020). Yet there is little consensus about how to pursue professional development related to equity practice, especially outside of administrator leadership (Bottiani et al., 2018; Ishimaru & Galloway, 2014; Kezar et al., 2021; Theoharis, 2007; 2010). Teacher leaders, equity directors, and educators in the non-profit space are uniquely positioned to provide new insight into professional development for equity. This qualitative study utilized grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014) and included intensive interviews, document analysis, and a community circle with nine participants (Boyes-Watson & Pranis, 2020; Charmaz, 2014). Analysis utilized "in vivo" and process coding methods throughout four phases of analysis (Charmaz, 2014; Saldana, 2016). Findings include that emotional discomfort with the content of equity learning emerges in many forms. Skilled equity leaders expect, plan for, and prepare learners for emotional discomfort and transformative learning in their professional development by using strategies such as story sharing and slowing down to build trust, and using social and emotional learning for adults. They also create custom frameworks for practice for their schools that combine approaches to equity, including culturally responsive teaching, anti-racism, restorative practice, trauma informed care, and social and emotional learning. A proposed framework for professional development for equity integrates best practice in professional development with attention to emotions and transformative learning. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Published
2022

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