For early childhood educators, high-quality professional development can have an enormous positive impact on teaching practices—and boost young children's outcomes and school readiness. But since early childhood teachers come from diverse backgrounds and educational levels, it can be a challenge to create effective, customized professional development programs for them. This is the book administrators and program directors need to meet that challenge and take the first critical steps toward improving their training practices.
Bringing together lessons learned from the eight top-performing programs to receive professional development grants from the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program in the U.S. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, this book gives readers a valuable inside look at what's really working today. Program directors and administrators will fully explore the who, what, when, where, and how of high-quality, practice-based professional development:
Throughout the book, cutting-edge research blends with vignettes and case studies from the eight successful programs—ideal models that readers can use as a starting point to improve their own practices. A breakthrough resource that will change the way early childhood educators are trained, this book will help programs lay the important groundwork for better professional development, better teachers, and better outcomes for all young children.
About the Editors vii
Contributors ix
Foreword Dorothy S. Strickland xv
Preface xix
Acknowledgments xxi
1 A Comprehensive Perspective on Early Childhood: Educator Professional Development Michael L. Kamil 1
I Who Are Early Childhood Educators: Understanding the Needs, Challenges, and Opportunities 17
2 Emerging Research on Early Childhood Professional Development Martha Zaslow Kathryn Tout Tamara Halle Jessica E. Vick Whittaker Bridget Lavelle 19
3 Beyond Babysitting: Challenges and Opportunities in Early Childhood Education Shira M. Peterson Constance Valk 49
II What Practices Are Promising 65
4 Choosing Content Richard G. Lambert Annette Sibley Robert Lawrence 67
5 Coaching: It's Not Just for Little League Sarah Jo Sandefur Amye R. Warren Anne B. Gamble Jenny M. Holcombe Heather K. Hicks 87
6 Mentoring: More Than a Promising Strategy Annette Sibley Robert Lawrence Richard G. Lambert 105
7 Participatory Action Research: An Effective Methodology for Promoting Community-Based Professional Development Amy C. Baker Shira M. Peterson 123
III Where Does Professional Development Occur? 135
8 Professional Development in the Community College Setting Susan M. Doescher Jennifer Knapp Beudert 137
9 Professional Development in Training Programs Jacqueline Hawkins Courtney Crim Jenifer Thornton Amye R. Warren 151
10 Professional Development in Culturally Diverse Settings Renee Rubin John A. Sutterby James V. Hoffman 163
IV When to Do It and How to Know It's Working 173
11 Beyond How Much: What We Are Learning About Structuring Effective Early Childhood Professional Development Tamara Halle Martha Zaslow Kathryn Tout Rebecca Starr Julia Wessel Meagan McSwiggan 175
12 Measuring Early Childhood Educators' Instructional Practices and Interactions Amye R. Warren Jenny M. Holcombe Sarah Jo Sandefur Anne B. Gamble Heather K. Hicks 189
13 Online Logs: A Tool to Monitor Fidelity of Implementation in Large-Scale Interventions Tanya S. Wright 207
14 The Research We Have; The Research We Need Susan B. Neuman 221
Glossary 237
Index 243
Overview
For early childhood educators, high-quality professional development can have an enormous positive impact on teaching practices—and boost young children's outcomes and school readiness. But since early childhood teachers come from diverse backgrounds and educational levels, it can be a challenge to create effective, customized professional development programs for them. This is the book administrators and program directors need to meet that ...