Search

Expulsion and suspension (or exclusionary discipline) in early care and education (ECE) are widely recognized as harmful to children. Numerous states have developed expulsion and suspension prevention policies through legislation or administrative rules. However, there is limited research on the implementation of state policies designed to reduce exclusionary discipline and on ECE providers' use of program supports that could help reduce exclusionary discipline practices. In this report, we use survey data to investigate Arkansas ECE program leaders' and teachers' understanding of the state's expulsion prevention policy, their use of suspension and expulsion and their participation in professional development (PD) and other supports to meet the needs of children with challenging behavior. We also explore how teachers' attributions of the reasons for challenging behavior predict their use of the available PD and supports. Key findings include: (1) Publicly funded programs in Arkansas (which are subject to state policy) engaged in exclusionary discipline at lower rates than non-publicly funded programs, despite reporting a higher percentage of children with challenging behavior; (2) Many Arkansas ECE program leaders were aware of the state's expulsion prevention policy, but fewer demonstrated a strong understanding of the requirements; (3) More than three quarters of Arkansas ECE teachers reported receiving some form of PD or training on topics such as encouraging positive teacher-child interactions, promoting children's positive behavior and helping children develop skills like managing their emotions; and (4) The use of exclusionary discipline practices was related to teachers' views of families as a reason for children's challenging behavior. At the end of the report, we offer recommendations based on these findings.

A recently launched professional development initiative in Arkansas, called Array, is designed to proactively identify early care and education (ECE) programs that could benefit from social-emotional-focused (SE-focused) professional development and support, and to offer assistance tailored to a program's particular needs. Because Array is designed to initiate contact with ECE programs, it has the potential to intervene early and prevent serious escalations of teachers' frustration in response to children's challenging behavior. This report examines results from case studies in three ECE programs that participated in Array between June and December 2022. The results focus on unique features of Array, how it operates, reported benefits to programs, and recommendations for continued improvement.

Digital learning programs are a promising tool to support teachers in providing students with strong early literacy instruction, but more research is needed to understand their effectiveness. Sound Town is a digital early literacy program that provides children in prekindergarten with instruction and practice in foundational literacy skills, using video-based activities. A team at SRI Education completed an independent evaluation of Sound Town to learn more about the impact of Sound Town on students' phonological awareness skills and letter-sound correspondence skills. The findings indicate that Sound Town has the potential to support students in their development of foundational literacy skills and shows promise as a supplement to prekindergarten teachers' core literacy instruction. [The team at Hoogalit, Inc. supported this evaluation.]

High-quality early care and education (ECE) provides a developmentally supportive environment for children in foster care that can help address early adversities, but recent studies have shown low levels of ECE participation among these children (Klein et al., 2016; Lee, 2020). To address this important issue, the Arkansas Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is collaborating with SRI International, the National Center for Children in Poverty, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The partnership team is focused on learning about the supply, quality, and stability of ECE settings for children in foster care, as well as the facilitators and barriers to children in foster care accessing high-quality ECE. This brief presents key findings from focus groups and interviews with resource parents (that is, foster parents), ECE center-based program directors, and ECE home-based providers about their experiences caring for children ages birth through 5 in foster care. Key findings from this report include the following: (1) Working parents report that they cannot accept foster child placements if they lack child care and that children benefit from the developmental supports of high-quality ECE; (2) Resource parents struggle to find child care on their own, with many relying on informal networks of support (e.g., social media, faith-based communities) to find child care; (3) Even when a child can be enrolled in a quality program, their ECE placement is often disrupted during transitions (e.g., reunification); (4) Resource parents and ECE providers report challenges related to using and accepting child care vouchers (e.g., delayed voucher payments); and (5) ECE providers recognize that providing care to children in foster care requires deep commitment and specific skills, and they want specialized training and support to do this. We provide suggestions for how these findings can inform strategies to increase the participation of children in foster care in high-quality ECE. [This paper was created with the Arkansas Office of Early Childhood and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.]

Background & Context: Accurate, reliable, and scalable measurement of classroom quality is critical to ensure that children benefit from early childhood programs. Early childhood classroom quality is most commonly measured using classroom observation tools serving multiple purposes including (1) teacher support (e.g., coaching, professional development), (2) accountability systems (e.g., quality rating and improvement systems), and (3) education research. Education policymakers have expressed interest in using video technology to improve the accuracy, usefulness, and reduce the costs of classroom observations (Curby et al., 2016; Kane et al., 2020). The use of video recordings might provide classroom teachers with greater agency in the timing of observations and opportunities to review the results (Teachstone & Intentional Futures, 2023). Video might also enable researchers to better understand how early educational experiences differ for racially, culturally, and linguistically minoritized learners (Meek et al., 2022). Although some prior research has documented the comparability of classroom observations in homogenous contexts (Curby et al., 2016), little is known about the reliability of video-based observations in the wider range of publicly funded preschool classrooms, nor the extent to which they may feasibly be implemented to support teacher coaching, improve accountability systems, and provide data on classrooms. Objective: We address this gap by examining the reliability of scores from video based and live observations of early childhood classrooms. We do this with two observation tools commonly used in early childhood settings: the Classroom Assessment Scoring System PreK-3rd (CLASS 2nd edition; Pianta & Hamre, 2022) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales (ECERS-3; Harms et al., 2014). We address three research questions: (1) Do live and video observations, respectively, have sufficient inter-rater reliability (IRR) within-condition?; (2) Do live and video observations have sufficient between-condition IRR (i.e., do observers assign similar ratings to the same observation period scored on video and live)?; and (3) Do scores on domains/subscales and dimensions/items vary systematically across live and video-based coders? Additionally, we will address exploratory questions about the feasibility of video-based classroom observations using data from teacher surveys and interviews with teachers and program leaders. Setting: The study team conducted observations in preschool programs in Washington DC, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Virginia, including public pre-K, public charter schools, community-based childcare centers, faith-based programs, and cooperative nursery schools. Participants: The sample includes 100 CLASS and 60 ECERS observations. Most participating lead teachers (88%) identified as women; 6% identify as Asian, 26% identify as Black, 16% identify as Hispanic/Latine, 42% identify as White, and 6% identify as multiracial. Most teachers (77%) had at least a B.A. Years of teaching experience ranged from 1 to 45 years. Practice: This study focuses on identifying whether the practice of conducting classroom observations via video is reliable, feasible, and useful to support teacher professional development, accountability systems, and research. We include a tool focused on process quality (CLASS) and a tool that includes both process and structural quality (ECERS-3). Research Design: This mixed-methods study (preregistered at https://osf.io/hy638) includes psychometric analyses of reliability and differential item functioning, descriptive analysis of teacher survey data, and thematic analysis using inductive coding methods to synthesize findings across qualitative teacher and program leader interviews. Data Collection and Analysis: Certified CLASS 2nd edition and ECERS-3 observers conducted observations live while simultaneously recording the classroom to be coded later by a different certified observer. Videos were recorded using a stationary recording device that rotated to track the lead teacher's movements and microphones worn by teachers and observers. Following the observation, all lead teachers were invited to complete a survey about the observation experience and the usefulness, burden, and perceived accuracy of observations. Selected teachers and program directors were also invited to participate in interviews. To understand whether live and video observations produce reliable and equivalent ratings, we first calculated within-condition IRR separately for live and video observations. Second, we assessed IRR between conditions by calculating agreement where the live and video observations, respectively, are considered different raters. Third, we used multivariate regression models to predict scores from condition, controlling for observer to account for the fact that observers were not randomly distributed across live and video observations. To provide insights on exploratory questions about feasibility, we will incorporate descriptive statistics from teacher surveys and use inductive coding methods to identify themes from the teacher and program leader interviews. Preliminary Results: Preliminary results indicate that video-based scoring of the CLASS has sufficient within-condition IRR (88%, above the standard cut-off of 80%; Landis & Koch, 1977). Additionally, observers have sufficient between-condition IRR, as preliminary results indicate 89% percent-within-one agreement between live and video raters of the same observation. Yet despite these levels of reliability, scores reflected somewhat higher quality teaching for live observations than video across several dimensions of the CLASS (Figure 1). As such, preliminary evidence indicates that despite meeting reliability standards, using video observations interchangeably with live scores or in comparison to quality cut-offs based on live scores may disadvantage classrooms observed via video. Next steps for analysis include (1) re-estimating analyses on the final sample; (2) replicating the analyses for the CLASS with the ECERS; and (3) conducting descriptive and thematic analysis of survey and interview data. Conclusions: Understanding the reliability, feasibility, and utility of video-based classroom observations is essential as the educational landscape integrates increasingly advanced technology into professional development, accountability, and research. Preliminary findings highlight how evidence of the effectiveness of new technologies in education should be considered with insights from practitioners and in light of the distinct use case scenarios. For example, results suggest video-based CLASS observations have sufficient reliability and as such, may be useful for instructional coaching. However, the systematic differences in scores across live and video observations suggests that, if used in high-stakes accountability settings such as QRIS, programs or teachers scored on video may be disadvantaged compared to those scored live. While the results of this study focus on current use cases, results have implications for scenarios that education researchers and practitioners may encounter in the future.

Background: A large evidence base suggests that without effective early intervention, young children who exhibit persistent challenging behavior often face a host of long-term social and academic challenges (Bulotsky-Shearer & Fantuzzo, 2011; Hauser-Cram & Woodman, 2016; Kazdin, 1995; Lane et al., 2008; Miller et al., 2017). Challenging behavior is characterized as "any repeated pattern of behavior... interfering with the child's optimal learning or engagement in prosocial interactions with peers and adults" (Smith & Fox, 2003). Some preschool and kindergarten teachers resort to suspending or expelling children (Brock & Beaman-Diglia, 2018); these practices deprive children of learning experiences and may have negative long-term effects, such as disengagement from school, diminished educational opportunities (Adamu & Hogan, 2015; Lochner & Moretti, 2004), and expulsion and suspension in later school grades (Raffaele Mendez, 2003). These interventions come at a critical time to support children's social-emotional development, which has been significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, early childhood teachers report feeling underprepared to address social emotional needs, while acknowledging that these issues are of utmost concern (Alkon et al., 2003; Benedict et al., 2007; Joseph & Strain, 2003). Consequently, there is an unmet need for ensuring that teachers are equipped to help young children develop necessary social-emotional skills. The Pyramid Model (PM) trains and coaches teachers in evidence-based practices that have demonstrated effectiveness in promoting the social-emotional and behavioral skills of preschool children. However, prior studies have not examined the effects of the PM among kindergarten children. Professional development (PD) emphasizing a strength-based approach to support children's social development may help kindergarten teachers address problem behaviors without using exclusionary discipline and employ more developmentally appropriate supports for building social-emotional competence in their young students. Objective: There is existing evidence of the effectiveness of the Pyramid Model in supporting teachers of preschool children and promoting children's social-emotional and behavioral skills (Hemmeter, et al., 2016; 2021). In this study, we will present findings and discuss implications for extending PM training and Practice-Based Coaching supports to kindergarten teachers. Setting: This study occurred in one mid-sized urban district and one rural district in the southern United States. Participants: The study included 60 teachers in 25 schools and 409 kindergarten children enrolled in their classrooms and whose parents consented for their participation. The Pyramid Model (PM) Intervention: The PM provides early educators with a three-tiered model of classroom strategies that promote social-emotional competence and address challenging behavior of children with and without disabilities in preschool classrooms. The PM includes four components and is based upon research on effective instruction for young children (National Research Council, 2001), the promotion of children's social competence (Guralnick & Neville, 1997; Webster-Stratton, 1999; Hyson, 2004), and the implementation of individual positive behavior support for children with the most severe behavior challenges (Fox et al., 2002). The first two PM components -- responsive interactions and classroom preventive practices -- are universal approaches that are delivered to all children in a classroom. The third component -- social emotional teaching strategies -- offers secondary interventions designed to address the needs of children at risk for problem behavior. The fourth component provides an individualized intervention approach for children with the most severe and persistent challenging behavior. When teachers implement the universal and secondary strategies of the PM, only a small percentage of children are likely to need more intensive supports (Sugai et al., 2000). Research Design: To examine the effects of PM on teachers' practices and children's social competence, we conducted a teacher-level, cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) with teachers randomized to either the PM (treatment) or to "business as usual" (BAU; control) conditions. In this study, kindergarten teachers in the treatment condition participated in a two-day training and received ongoing biweekly coaching from trained PM coaches and staff for a full school year. Teachers assigned to the control condition were asked to implement their BAU curriculum and activities. Data Collection and Analysis: We collected direct assessments and teacher ratings of children's social-emotional competence, executive functions, problem-solving skills, and academic competence in the fall of the kindergarten year, prior to randomization and teacher training. Direct assessments include Peg Tapping (Diamond & Taylor, 1996; executive functioning), Head Toes Knees Shoulders (Ponitz, et al., 2008) and the Challenging Situations Task (Denham et al., 1994). Teachers provided information about their students' social and academic skills using the Social Skills Improvement System (Gresham & Elliott, 2008) and Academic Rating Scale (Rock & Pollack, 2002), respectively. We will collect all direct assessments and teacher reports again in the spring, after kindergarten teachers in the PM condition have received training and ongoing coaching supports. In addition, the research team completed classroom observations to monitor fidelity of implementation to the PM. Once spring outcome data are collected, we will perform intent-to-treat and treatment-on-the-treated analyses. We will analyze data using two-level HLM models, as students are nested in teachers and teachers are the unit of random assignment. Results & Discussion: In this presentation, we will present findings from our analyses of the impact of the PM on kindergarten child outcomes (to be conducted in summer 2022, after data collection concludes in spring 2022). We will also discuss lessons learned about how to scale up an evidence-based model across a district with district staff, extending that model to kindergarten, and challenges in designing and conducting a rigorous RCT in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results will build on what is known about the effects of the PM by extending evidence to kindergarten classrooms in the context of a sustainability model relying on district-hired coaching staff to train and support teachers.