- Achievement Gap
- Administrator Effectiveness
- Child Development
- Community & Neighborhood
- Continuity & Pathways
- Cross-Sector Work
- Data-Driven Improvement
- Early Childhood Education & Programs
- Family Engagement/Involvement
- Instructional Tools
- Learning Environment
- Parent & Family Indicators
- PreK-3rd Grade Continuum
- Sustaining Gains
- Teacher Effectiveness
Also see the At-Risk Children & Families page on the Early Childhood Administration wiki
Literature
Also see the Leadership & Administration page on the Early Childhood Administration wiki
Literature
Educational Leadership on the Social Frontier: Developing Promise Neighborhoods in Urban and Tribal Settings
Click Here
Exploring the Space Between: Social Networks, Trust, and Urban School District Leaders
Click Here, Alan J. Daly & Kara S. Finnigan (2012). Joumal of School Leadership, 22, 493-530.
Child Development
Development of Academic Skills from Preschool Through Second Grade: Family and Classroom Predictors of Developmental Trajectories
Click here for article Journal of School Psychology, Vol. 40, No. 5, pp. 415 – 436, 2002
As expected, children tended to show better academic skills across time if their parents had more education and reported more progressive parenting beliefs and practices. Statistical interactions between family background and teacher–child relationships indicated that a closer relationship with the teacher was positively related to language skills for African-American children and to reading competence for children whose parents reported more authoritarian attitudes.
Community and Neighborhood
Links
See also the Community Engagement page of the Parenting Education wiki
Research
Family, school, community engagement, and partnerships: an area of continued inquiry and growth
Click Here, Teaching Education, 2013, Vol. 24, No. 2, 235–238
Understanding the Positive Role of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Advantage in Achievement: The Contribution of the Home, Child Care, and School Environments
Click Here, Developmental Psychology, 2010, Vol. 46, No. 5, 1227–1244
Results of hierarchical linear growth models based on a diverse sample of 1,364 children indicate that neighborhood socioeconomic advantage was non-linearly associated with youths’ initial vocabulary and reading scores, such that the presence of educated, affluent professionals in the neighborhood had a favorable association with children’s achievement among those in less advantaged neighborhoods until it leveled off at moderate levels of advantage. A similar tendency was observed for math achievement. The quality of the home and child care environments as well as school advantage partially explained these associations. The findings suggest that multiple environments need to be considered simultaneously for understanding neighborhood–achievement links.
Transitions
Effect of School-Based Kindergarten Transition Policies and Practices on Child Academic Outcomes, The
Click Here, Amy B. Schulting, Patrick S. Malone, and Kenneth A. Dodge, (2005), Developmental Psychology, 41 (6), 860–871
For low-SES children, 7 transition practices were associated with a .21 standard deviation increase in predicted achievement scores beyond 0 practices. The effect of transition practices was partially mediated by an intervening effect on parent-initiated involvement in school during the kindergarten year. The findings support education policies to target kindergarten transition efforts to increase parent involvement in low-SES families.
Kindergarten Readiness and Preschools: Teachers’ and Parents’ Beliefs Within and Across Programs
Click Here Early Childhood Research & Practice, Volume 14, Number 2
Parents expressed anxiety regarding kindergarten transitions and expectations. Teachers believed that their programs prepared children for kindergarten, but were unsure if parents shared those beliefs. Responses differed across programs regarding the degree of parental responsibility for readiness, the efficacy of delayed kindergarten entry, and knowledge of local kindergarten expectations.
Pre-Kindergarten Teachers’ Use of Transition Practices and Children’s Adjustment to Kindergarten
Click here for article Early Childhood Research Quarterly 23 (2008) 124–139
Of nine transition practices intended to promote children’s adaptation to kindergarten, pre-kindergarten teachers reported implementing, on average, six transition practices, with notable variation across pre-kindergarten classrooms.
Preschool Children’s Transition to Formal Schooling: The Importance of Collaboration Between Teachers, Parents and Children
Click here for article Australasian Journal of Early Childhood Volume 37 Number 4, December 2012
The findings of published studies to date reveal that, internationally, the value of teacher collaboration across the early years of schooling has been recognised, with research acknowledging the benefits of creating meaningful relationships between the teaching professionals, the children they teach, and their parents.
Preschool to Kindergarten Transition Patterns for African American Boys
Click Here, Iheoma U. Iruka et al (2014). Early Childhood Research Quarterly 29, 106– 117.
Family income and parenting practices and interactions were associated withan increased probability of being in the group that showed a significant increase in academics, suggest-ing the importance of parents’ provision of enriching opportunities and experiences for African American boys as they transition from preschool to kindergarten.
Resource Guide for Early Childhood Transitions: Annotated Bibliography
Click here for article Harvard Family Research Project, September 2011
This bibliographic resource provides a selected listing of journal articles, research briefs, and reports that focus on early childhood transitions and school readiness.. The resource covers a variety of topics central to the issue of early childhood transitions, including family engagement and home–school and program–school partnerships.
Connecting Research to Practice: Viewing Data Utilization Through the Lens of Professional Development
Click Here, Early Education and Development, 24: 63–67
Educare Chicago Research-Program Partnership and Follow-Up Study: Using Data on Program Graduates to Enhance Quality Improvement Efforts, The
Click Here Early Education and Development, 24: 19–41
Embedded, Collaborative, Comprehensive: One Model of Data Utilization
Click Here, Early Education and Development, 24: 68–70, 2013.
Early Childhood Education & Programs
Early Childhood Predictors of Early School Success: A Selective Review of the Literature
Click Here, Susmita Pati, Kyleen Hashim, Brett Brown, Alex Fiks, & Christopher B. Forrest (2009). Child Trends.
High-Quality Preschool: The Socioeconomic Composition of Preschool Classrooms and Children’s Learning
Click Here, Early Education and Development, 24: 1082–1111
Schooling Effects on Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation, Early Literacy, and Language Growth
Click Here, Lori E. Skibbe, Carol McDonald Connor, Frederick J. Morrison & Abigail M. Jewkes (2011). Early Childhood Research Quarterly 26, 42–49.
Social Disparities in Children’s Vocabulary in Early Childhood. Does Pre-school Education Help to Close the Gap?
Click Here, Birgit Becker (2011). The British Journal of Sociology, 62 (1), 69-88.
Understanding the Mechanisms Through Which an Influential Early Childhood Program Boosted Adult Outcomes
Click Here American Economic Review, 2013, 103(6): 2052–2086
Family Engagement/Involvement
A Case Study of School-Linked, Collective Parent Engagement
Click Here, American Educational Research Journal, August 2012, Vol. 49, No. 4, pp. 651–684
A Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Different Types of Parental Involvement Programs for Urban Students
Click Here, William Jeynes (2012), Urban Education, 47 (4) 706–742.
A Randomized Trial Examining the Effects of Parent Engagement on Early Language and Literacy: The Getting Ready Intervention
Click Here, Journal of School Psychology 49 (2011) 361–383
Capitalizing on Early Childhood Education: Low-Income Immigrant Mothers’ Use of Early Childhood Education to Build Human, Social, and Navigational Capital
Click Here, Colleen K. Vesely , Marriam Ewaida & Katina B. Kearney (2013), Early Education & Development, 24:5, 744-765.
The findings from this study highlight the significant role that ECE providers play in the lives of families, and particularly immigrant families, that goes beyond basic economic and educational supports. These findings point to the importance of training ECE educators and staff in fostering connections among and between families in their programs; educating parents, as many parents rely on their ECE programs for parenting advice and support; and working with local community agencies and resources to benefit children and families.
Family Engagement, Diverse Families, and Early Childhood Education Programs: An Integrated Review of the Literature
Click Here NAEYC and Pre-K Now, 2009.
Family Involvement Bibliographies - Harvard Family Research Project
Click Here
Family, school, community engagement, and partnerships: an area of continued inquiry and growth
Click Here, Sarina C. Molina (2013), Teaching Education, 24:2, 235-238
Family–School Connectedness and Children’s Early Social Development
Click Here Social Development, 21, 1, 2012
Results indicated that after controlling for child and family characteristics, the perceived quality of the parent–teacher relationship during prekindergarten was associated with prekindergarten teachers’ ratings of children’s social development during prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers’ ratings at the beginning of kindergarten. Furthermore, the association between quality of the parent–teacher relationship and reductions in problem behavior was stronger among children who experienced social/economic risks.
Identifying and Decreasing Barriers to Parent Involvement for Inner-City Parents
Click Here, Youth & Society, 45(1) 54–74. 2011
Improving Family Engagement: The Organizational Context and Its Influence on Partnering with Parents in Formal Child Care Settings
Click Here Early Childhood Research & Practice, Volume 13, Number 2
Results showed that (1) a “relational bureaucratic” organizational context was associated with high-quality family partnership practices and (2) a “conventional bureaucratic” context was associated with low-quality family partnership practices. The “relational bureaucratic” organizations shared several key characteristics, including administrators who model and support caring and responsive staff relationships within the organization and the use of specific structures and processes to promote a caring and responsive professionalism. Results point to the importance of a relationship-centered organizational system as a key ingredient for effective partnerships with families, with implications for policy and practice.
Including All Families in Education: School District-Level Efforts to Promote Parent Engagement in Ontario, Canada
Click Here, Teaching Education, 2013, Vol. 24, No. 2, 134–149
Latino Parent Home-based Practices That Bolster Student Academic Persistence
Click Here Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 33(4) 490–506
Latino Parent Involvement: Examining Commitment and Empowerment in Schools
Click Here Urban Education, 47(1) 65–89
Look! Listen! Learn! Parent Narratives and Grounded Theory Models of Parent Voice, Presence, and Engagement in K–12 Education
Click Here, School Community Journal, 2013, Vol. 23, No. 1 9
National Profiles of classroom quality and family involvement: A multilevel examination of proximal influences on Head Start children’s school readiness
Click here for article R. J. Bulotsky-Shearera, et al, Early Childhood Research Quarterly
The strongest positive associations between profile membership and child outcomes were seen for children in profiles characterized by high levels of parent involvement and above-average levels of Head Start classroom quality
No Parent Left Behind: Predicting Parental Involvement in Adolescents’ Education Within a Sociodemographically Diverse Population
Click Here The Journal of Educational Research, 106:105–119, 2013
The analysis largely confirmed the power of the HDS model. Furthermore, the findings suggest that school outreach efforts are particularly important in promoting historically disenfranchised parents’ involvement in the schools, whereas enhancing parenting self-efficacy is crucial for supporting their engagement at home.
Parent Engagement and School Readiness: Effects of the Getting Ready Intervention on Preschool Children’s Social–Emotional Competencies
Click Here, Early Education and Development, 21(1), 125–156
Parental Involvement in Schooling, Classroom Environment and Student Outcomes
Click Here Learning Environ Res (2013) 16:315–328
Strong associations were found for parental involvement with students’ learning environment perceptions and student outcomes, and for Spanish classroom environment with student outcomes. When the unique and common variances in student outcomes explained by the classroom environment and the home environment were examined, the home environment was more influential than the classroom environment in terms of students’ attitudes, but the classroom environment was more influential than the home environment in terms of achievement.
Parent and Family Perception of Engagement: Lessons from Early Years Programs and Supports
Click Here Canadian Journal of Education, 35, 4 (2012): 376 - 414
Parent Involvement in Education as a Moderator of Family and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Context on School Readiness among Young Children
Click Here Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 41, No. 3, 265–276 (2013)
Parent involvement moderated the effect of family and neighborhood socioeconomic resources on the social-emotional-behavioral components of school readiness. Increased parent involvement in education was related to lower rates of behavior problems among children of single parents and among children from neighborhoods with higher levels of childcare burden. In contrast, parent involvement did not moderate the relation between socioeconomic risk and cognitive-academic components of school readiness skills.
Parent–school relationships and children's academic and social outcomes in public school pre-kindergarten
Click here for article Journal of School Psychology 48 (2010) 269–292
Hierarchical Linear Modeling analyses revealed that parental school involvement positively predicted children's social skills and mathematics skills, and negatively predicted problem behaviors.
Parent’s Perceptions of Involvement in Children’s Education: Findings from a Qualitative Study of Public Housing Residents
Click Here, Child Adolescent Social Work Journal, (2013) 30:415–433
Results suggest that parents are hopeful about engaging in education, but often fail to become actively involved because they feel marginalized. Furthermore, tangible barriers, a hurdle they were previously able to combat, was more challenging for them to overcome in the face of oppression.
School and home connections and children’s kindergarten achievement gains: The mediating role of family involvement
Click Here Early Childhood Research Quarterly 27 (2012) 90– 103
We used a nationally representative sample of kindergartners (16,425 students from 864 schools) and found that schools’ efforts to communicate with and engage \ families predicted greater family involvement in school and higher levels of student achievement in reading and math at the end of kindergarten. We also found that, on average, family involvement at school and parents’ educational expectations were associated with gains in reading and math achievement in kindergarten. We discuss the implications of our findings for policy makers, researchers, and practitioners.
Social Demographics, the School Environment, and Parenting Practices Associated with Parents’ Participation in Schools and Academic Success among Black, Hispanic, and White Students
Click Here Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 23:237–255, 2013
Analysis of 12,426 parents who completed the National Household Education Surveys-Parent and Family Involvement Survey revealed that parent’s participation in school is linked to better grades and is associated with supportive schools and positive parenting practices. The study also revealed that parents who were Black and Hispanic, non-native English speakers, lived in unsafe neighborhoods, and had less than a high school education were less likely to visit the school. The article suggests culturally responsive strategies for school leaders and parent advocates to engage parents in their children’s education.
Tracing My Research on Parent Engagement: Working to Interrupt the Story of School as Protectorate
Click Here Action in Teacher Education, 34:464-479, 2012
The author uses the term parent engagement consciously to differentiate it from such notions as parent involvement or parent partnerships that also populate the literature pertaining to educators' relationships with parents and family members of the children they school. In exploring taken-for-granted assumptions, the author defines what parent engagement is, analyzes how notions of parent engagement have been enlarged and expanded over the past decade and a half, and explores how a "curriculum of parents" in teacher education—at preservice, in-service, and graduate levels—could redefine what it means to be a professional by conceptualizing it as being in relationship with and working alongside parents and families.
Assessment of Early Developing Phonological Awareness Skills: A Comparison of the Preschool Individual Growth and Development Indicators and the Phonological Awareness and Literacy Screening–PreK
Click Here, Maura Jones Moyle , John Heilmann & S. Sue Berman (2013), Early Education & Development, 24:5, 668-686
Evaluating Alignment Between Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction
Click Here Review of Educational Research, December 2009, Vol. 79, No. 4, pp. 1332-1361
Parent & Family Indicators
Associations among Maternal Behavior, Delay of Gratification, and School Readiness across the Early Childhood Years
Click here for article
Findings indicate maternal sensitivity and delay of gratification as potential targets for efforts aimed at enhancing school readiness among young children.
Differential Contributions of Three Parenting Dimensions to Preschool Literacy and Social Skills in a Middle-Income Sample
Click here for article Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, Vol . 58, No. 2
Findings suggested that parenting could be conceptualized as three relatively independent dimensions, each of which demonstrated domain-specific contributions to early literacy and social skills.
Early academic skills and childhood experiences across the urban–rural continuum
Click here for article P. Miller, E. Votruba-Drzal, Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Results showed that children in large urban and rural areas entered kindergarten with less advanced academic skills than children in small urban areas and suburbs. Lower achievement for rural children was partly explained by less advantageous home environments and increased use of home-based, rather than center-based, preschool. Parents living in large urban areas had less knowledge of child development, which helped explain their children’s lower achievement.
Effect of family processes on school achievement as moderated by socioeconomic context, The
Click Here for article Journal of School Psychology 49 (2011) 597–612
Family stress and parenting were shown to operate differently depending on the socioeconomic context, whereas child-based school readiness characteristics were shown to operate similarly across socieodemographic contexts. Implications for intervention are discussed.
How home gets to school: Parental control strategies predict children’s school readiness
Click Here Early Childhood Research Quarterly 26 (2011) 355–364
The results indicate that a developmental cascade exists between parental control strategies and academic indices of school readiness, emphasizing the importance of family context models of school readiness. Furthermore, strong correlations between the domains of school readiness were found in both samples, reinforcing calls for a multidimensional approach to supporting school readiness in early childhood education programs.
Identifying Family and Classroom Practices Associated With Stability and Change of Social-Emotional Readiness for a National Sample of Low-Income Children
Click Here Research in Human Development, 10(2), 116–140, 2013
‘‘If You Can Dream It, You Can Achieve It.’’ Parent Memorable Messages as Indicators of College Student Success
Click Here, Communication Education, 61(1), January 2012, pp. 4466
Intergenerational Family Predictors of the Black–White Achievement Gap
Click here for article Journal of Educational Psychology (2009)
An intergenerational model of the process by which family factors contribute to the achievement gap was tested.
Links between Family Social Status and Preschoolers’ Persistence: The Role of Maternal Values and Quality of Parenting
Click here for article Infant & Child Development. 21: 617–633 (2012)
Focusing on parental values of self-direction and provision of support during challenging tasks may help to reduce the gap in school success between children from lower and higher social status families.
Marital Satisfaction, Family Emotional Expressiveness, Home Learning Environments, and Children’s Emergent Literacy
Click here for article Journal of Marriage and Family 75 (February 2013): 42 – 55
Study findings underscore the importance of marital and family processes when considering young children’s academic development.
Maternal Psychological Functioning and Children’s School Readiness: The Mediating Role of Home Environments for African American Children
Click Here, Claire E. Baker & Iheoma U. Iruka (2013). Early Childhood Research Quarterly 28, 509– 519
Path analyses revealed a direct negative effect of maternal depression and parenting stress on maternal warmth, home learning stimulation, and cultural socialization. Home learning stimulation emerged as an important mediator between maternal parenting stress and math achievement. Further, maternal warmth mediated the relation between maternal depression and reading achievement. Implications for early childhood research, practice and policy are discussed.
Parenting, Race, and Socioeconomic Status: Links to School Readiness
Click Here, Aryn Dotterer, Iheoma Iruka, Elizabeth Pungello (2012). Family Relations 61, 657–670.
These results indicate that the meaning and effects of parenting behaviors can vary by racial groups, and findings obtained for European American families cannot be assumed to apply to ethnic minority families as well. Among the implications of these findings is that programs aimed at increasing school readiness and closing the achievement gap need to be mindful of the cultural context in which children are raised.
PreK-3rd Grade Continuum
From Birth to School: Early Childhood Initiatives and Third-Grade Outcomes in North Carolina
Click Here, Helen F. Ladd, Clara G. Muschkin, Kenneth A. Dodge (2014). Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 33 (1), 162–187
McKnight Foundation Education and Learning Program PreK–Third Grade Literacy and Alignment Formative Evaluation Findings, The: October 2013
Click Here for Document
Preschool-to-third grade programs and practices: A review of research
Click Here Children and Youth Services Review 32 (2010) 1121–1131
Summary of Selected Longitudinal Studies that Inform PK-3 Click Here
The Research Base for a Birth through Age Eight State Policy Framework
The Alliance for Early Success developed the Birth Through Age Eight State Policy Framework as a tool, or roadmap, that can inform decision-making and guide policy choices. It focuses attention on what is critical within and across different aspects of early childhood development to address the physical, social, and cognitive needs of young children within various contexts. The framework is the collective work of more than 150 experts, including leaders in the fields of early childhood and K-12 education, advocates, researchers, policymakers, and foundation officers. Building on decades of research and theory identifying the essential supports for children’s development, the framework emphasizes health, family support, and learning as critical policy areas, and standards, assessment practices, and accountability systems as critical foundations to implement the policies.
Click Here for Document
Sustaining Gains
Facts about Fadeout: The Research Base on Long-Term Impacts of High Quality Pre-K
Click Here or http://ceelo.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ceelo_fast_fact_fadeout.pdf
Teacher Quality & Best Practice
A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of Teacher Effectiveness: Analyses of Award-Winning Teachers in the United States and China
Click Here, Leslie W. Grant, James H. Stronge & Xianxuan Xu (2013). Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 25, 251–276.
Identifying Family and Classroom Practices Associated With Stability and Change of Social-Emotional Readiness for a National Sample of Low-Income Children
Click Here Research in Human Development, 10(2), 116–140, 2013
Preschool teacher attachment, school readiness and risk of learning difficulties
Click here for article Early Childhood Research Quarterly 28 (2013) 123– 133
The results showed that attachment to preschool teachers is related to linguistic development level, the psychomotor skills involved in school readiness, and learning difficulty risk.
Principals’ Approaches to Cultivating Teacher Effectiveness: Constraints and Opportunities in Hiring, Assigning, Evaluating, and Developing Teachers
Click Here, Educational Administration Quarterly 49(5) 838–882
Professional Development and Closing the Achievement Gap
Click Here, Theory Into Practice, 44(1), 38-44
