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Reflective conversations between teachers and coaches are critical to helping teachers improve their classroom instruction. Coaches who encourage teachers to "see, think, and do" are better able to facilitate meaningful reflective conversations with teachers. The "See, Think, Do" framework consists of six steps (observe, describe, process, analyze, draw conclusions, and plan) that can be used to help coaches engage in reflective conversations with teachers. The framework can be readily implemented in remote and face-to-face coaching modalities and in one-on-one and small group delivery formats. Suggestions and strategies for implementing the framework in ongoing coach-teacher conversations are provided.

Teachers' implementation of differentiated supplemental instruction is critical to help students with or at risk for reading-related disabilities acquire early reading and vocabulary skills. This study represents an initial investigation of whether classroom teachers' intervention fidelity (exposure, adherence, and quality) of targeted reading instruction (TRI, formerly called targeted reading intervention), a professional development program with embedded student intervention and weekly webcam literacy coaching support, was related to spring reading and oral vocabulary gains for students at risk for reading-related disabilities. The study also examined whether teachers' years of participation in TRI (1 year vs. 2 years) moderated associations between intervention fidelity and students' reading and oral vocabulary outcomes. Findings suggested that teachers' adherence to TRI strategies was directly associated with students' vocabulary gains as well as word reading skills for teachers in their second year of participation. Furthermore, when teachers provided students with more TRI exposure during their second year of participation, students made greater gains in word reading and reading comprehension.

Students most at risk for reading-related disabilities frequently struggle with word recognition and oral language, including, in the earliest grades, specific skills related to phonological awareness and vocabulary. Classroom teachers' delivery of high-quality differentiated supplemental instruction may promote reading acquisition for these students. The current study examined whether the Targeted Reading Intervention, a webcam-coaching literacy professional development program for kindergarten and first grade classroom teachers, was more effective in producing reading gains for students who had the lowest scores on fall measures of phonological awareness and/or vocabulary as compared with students with higher scores. Findings revealed that students who participated in the Targeted Reading Intervention and who scored lowest on the fall vocabulary measure had the highest scores on spring decoding measures.

The current paper discusses the implementation and scaling of an early education program (Texas School Ready; TSR). Implementation and scaling of the TSR program were initially met with challenges such as participant/site recruitment, participant retention, and staff training. These 3 challenges are highlighted along with the ways in which delivery and support systems were used to address and mitigate these challenges. We highlight several key continuous quality improvement measures (for administrators, coaches/coordinators, teachers, and students) that are used to monitor and improve the implementation of the TSR program across the state. Collectively, the delivery and support systems along with the continuous quality improvement measures allow for the TSR program to be implemented not only at scale but also in ways that are sustainable across communities.

This pilot study conducted an initial evaluation of the Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning and Education (CIRCLE) Infant-Toddler Teacher Training program. The program is unique in three ways: 1) use of an online platform with courses that explain social-emotional, language, and literacy development in young children (infants and toddlers) and teaching strategies to support development across these areas; 2) use of child progress monitoring measures (milestones checklists) to identify children who need additional support; and 3) use of remote coaching to support toddler teachers' professional learning within the program. The purpose of the pilot study was to examine the impact of the CIRCLE Infant-Toddler Teacher Training on the quality of toddler teachers' instruction and interactions with toddlers and toddlers' language and social-emotional/behavioral skills. In this study, we utilized a randomized control design, with 38 toddler teachers and 229 toddlers (ages 24-36 months) participating in the pilot study. Research Findings: Findings suggested that toddler teachers who participated in the CIRCLE Infant-Toddler Teacher Training had improved interactions with toddlers. There were no main intervention effects on child-level outcomes. Practice or Policy: Taken together, these findings suggest that providing coaching-based professional development opportunities for toddler teachers may be an important way to improve early learning environments.

This study contrasted face-to-face and remote coaching models using an empirically-based professional development model, The Early Education model (TEEM). Child care teachers (n = 174) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: remote coaching (n = 59), face-to-face coaching (n = 66), and business-as-usual (n = 49). This study examined intervention effects in addition to coaching modality effects on teacher and child outcomes. Findings suggested that child care teachers who received coaching (regardless of modality) demonstrated improved teaching behaviors compared to the business-as-usual group. Compared to remote coaching, there were also advantages of face-to-face coaching on some teaching behaviors, although these advantages were no longer evident after accounting for teachers' levels of responsiveness to the intervention. Additionally, although there were no direct effects of the intervention on child outcomes, there was evidence of positive indirect associations of the intervention and coaching modality on child-level outcomes through improvements in teachers' instructional practices.

A workshop with virtual consultation practice-based professional development model for self-regulated strategy development persuasive writing instruction was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. Nineteen general education teachers and 564 Grade 5 and 6 students in 16 low-wealth rural schools participated. Following training, teachers provided instruction in their inclusive classrooms. Results indicated that students receiving instruction improved in the number of persuasive elements and words written when compared with students in the control group. Differences in element type were evaluated with largest effects noted for reasons and explanations. Student group differences were noted with nonstruggling students having greater gains than struggling students.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted early childhood programs serving infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in dramatic ways. After temporarily closing, many educators quickly adapted their procedures to ensure children's safety as they reopened to provide childcare for essential workers and then the community at large. This manuscript reports on statewide efforts to continue quality improvement initiatives for early childhood programs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We first describe the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for over 2000 educators-teachers, administrators, and specialists--who completed surveys in the Spring and Fall of 2020. These survey data come from a statewide system called the Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System (TECPDS), designed to track the professional development needs/progress of early childhood educators. Second, we describe an example of how a statewide professional development and quality improvement program shifted to remote delivery during the pandemic. As an increasing number of educators turn to virtual training resources, we explain lessons learned from these response efforts and how they can inform future virtual professional development efforts, even amidst crisis, to ensure that a focus on quality improvement continues while supporting teachers' individual needs.

Although evidence of negative associations between early literacy development and children's behavior problems exists, the field still lacks an understanding of the complicated links between these two areas. Children's gender has often not been included in much of the extant research as a potential moderating variable, yet gender differences may provide insights into the nuanced relationship between early literacy development and maladaptive behaviors. Results from the current study of 472 kindergarten and first-grade children suggested that compared with nonstruggling readers, teachers rated struggling readers as higher on internalizing behaviors and hyperactivity/inattention, but not externalizing behaviors, when accounting for children's socioeconomic status. Furthermore, higher levels of internalizing behaviors and hyperactivity/inattention in struggling readers predicted lower reading scores at the end of the school year across a variety of domains, but these negative effects were more prominent for young boys. Implications for early intervention are discussed.

This case study examined an approach for sustaining the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI) in rural schools. Researchers, teachers, and district-level partners collaboratively implemented the TRI Certification Process in order to sustain the TRI in one rural school district once researcher-based support ended. Primarily drawing from semi-structured interviews with TRI Facilitators, principals, and TRI coaches, findings indicated that student and teacher growth were important motivators. TRI coaches, the straightforward certification process, and leadership opportunities were supports that enabled teachers to complete the TRI Certification Process. Technology difficulties and student recruitment were challenging aspects of the TRI Certification Process. Our findings suggest that the TRI Certification Process may be a promising model for sustaining other interventions in schools.

The authors examined the associations between observed classroom management and teacher-child relationships with individual children during kindergarten and Grade 1. We used a sample of nonstruggling and struggling readers and their teachers in rural schools in the Southeastern United States to examine whether gender and struggling reader status explained associations between classroom management and conflictual or close teacher-child relationships. After controlling for child- and teacher-level characteristics, results from multilevel model analyses indicated that stronger classroom management was significantly related to less teacher-rated conflict, but was not related to teacher-rated closeness. Gender was a significant moderator, with boys who were in classrooms with lower levels of classroom management having poorer teacher-child relationships as rated by their teachers. Struggling reader status was not a significant moderator of the association between classroom management and teacher-child relationships.

This article reports the results of a randomized controlled trial that replicated and extended research on the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI), a professional development program for kindergarten and first-grade teachers in low-wealth rural schools that helps enhance literacy skills of struggling readers. In weekly webcam coaching sessions, literacy coaches delivered real-time feedback to classroom teachers as they worked one-on-one with struggling readers. Teachers worked with 1 child for 15 minutes a day for 6 to 8 weeks before moving to another struggling reader. Hierarchical linear models replicated previous findings that struggling readers in TRI treatment classrooms showed greater gains in early literacy compared with struggling readers in control classrooms. This study extended previous TRI work by examining whether teachers who received a second year of TRI training produced greater gains for their students compared with their first year. Results showed no advantage of teachers' 2-year TRI participation.

The researchers of this study used a mixed-methods approach to understand issues of rural special education teacher burnout. Results of survey responses (n = 64) and follow-up focus group interviews (n = 12) from rural special education teachers indicated several factors contributing to stress and burnout. Teachers noted that lack of clarity in their roles, too many facets to the roles, emotional exhaustion, and lack of accomplishment contributed to their perceptions. Good working relationships with colleagues and administrators, building relationships with students, and a high level of self-advocacy were noted as helping to maintain mental health and a work--life balance. Possible steps to alleviate risk factors of rural special education teacher burnout are discussed.

This study explored the extent to which kindergarten and first grade teachers provided individualized reading instruction to struggling readers during a unique one-on-one reading instruction task. Three outcomes of teachers' instructional strategies were captured: code-focused strategies, meaning-focused strategies, and level of challenge. Child skills in decoding and vocabulary/oral language as well as teacher qualifications of education, experience, and knowledge of reading were examined in relation to the three instructional strategies. Multilevel analyses showed relationships between child skills and reading instructional strategies, with teachers generally using code-focused and meaning-focused strategies, as well as an appropriate level of challenge, with children who struggled less with early reading. Although teacher education was not associated with any of the reading instructional strategies, teacher experience and knowledge of reading was associated with meaning-based instruction and the level of challenge provided to struggling readers.

This pilot study conducted an initial evaluation of the Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning and Education (CIRCLE) Infant-Toddler Teacher Training program. The program is unique in three ways: 1) use of an online platform with courses that explain social-emotional, language, and literacy development in young children (infants and toddlers) and teaching strategies to support development across these areas; 2) use of child progress monitoring measures (milestones checklists) to identify children who need additional support; and 3) use of remote coaching to support toddler teachers' professional learning within the program. The purpose of the pilot study was to examine the impact of the CIRCLE Infant-Toddler Teacher Training on the quality of toddler teachers' instruction and interactions with toddlers and toddlers' language and social-emotional/behavioral skills. In this study, we utilized a randomized control design, with 38 toddler teachers and 229 toddlers (ages 24–36 months) participating in the pilot study. Research Findings: Findings suggested that toddler teachers who participated in the CIRCLE Infant-Toddler Teacher Training had improved interactions with toddlers. There were no main intervention effects on child-level outcomes. Practice or Policy: Taken together, these findings suggest that providing coaching-based professional development opportunities for toddler teachers may be an important way to improve early learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper discusses the implementation and scaling of an early education program (Texas School Ready; TSR). Implementation and scaling of the TSR program were initially met with challenges such as participant/site recruitment, participant retention, and staff training. These 3 challenges are highlighted along with the ways in which delivery and support systems were used to address and mitigate these challenges. We highlight several key continuous quality improvement measures (for administrators, coaches/coordinators, teachers, and students) that are used to monitor and improve the implementation of the TSR program across the state. Collectively, the delivery and support systems along with the continuous quality improvement measures allow for the TSR program to be implemented not only at scale but also in ways that are sustainable across communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The researchers of this study used a mixed-methods approach to understand issues of rural special education teacher burnout. Results of survey responses (n = 64) and follow-up focus group interviews (n = 12) from rural special education teachers indicated several factors contributing to stress and burnout. Teachers noted that lack of clarity in their roles, too many facets to the roles, emotional exhaustion, and lack of accomplishment contributed to their perceptions. Good working relationships with colleagues and administrators, building relationships with students, and a high level of self-advocacy were noted as helping to maintain mental health and a work–life balance. Possible steps to alleviate risk factors of rural special education teacher burnout are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review synthesizes findings from the literature about the impact of father involvement on children's literacy and language outcomes. Various proximal and distal factors influence levels of fathers’ involvement in literacy activities and fathers’ contributions to language development. Fathers’ education, income level, residence status, and relationship with the child's mother were indirect factors associated with children's literacy and language outcomes. Fathers also made unique, direct contributions to their children's literacy and language outcomes through the use of complex language, engagement in reading and writing activities, and responsive parenting behaviors. This review concludes by identifying gaps in the literature about other important contextual factors that may influence father involvement and about specific types of literacy activities that fathers engage in with their children. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]