This study describes the implementation and findings from a consultation process designed to enhance the professional development (PD) offered to teachers working in Virginia's state-funded preschool program. A PD Rubric was developed to translate research on effective PD (i.e., PD practices linked to positive changes in teacher practice and/or…

The use of the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) to improve early childhood education program quality is based in part on assumptions that the quality of programs can be measured and that quality ratings are associated with meaningful differences in learning outcomes for children. This report reviews all of the state QRIS validation…

The Reading Apprenticeship instructional framework was developed by WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI) two decades ago to help teachers provide the literacy support students need to be successful readers in the content areas. It has since reached over 100,000 teachers in schools across the country, at the middle school, high school, and…

This report summarizes highlights from the Austin Independent School District Dual Language Program rubric classroom observations conducted in October 2015. Observers rated several aspects of program implementation according to the rubric and provided comments about classroom practices observed.

Low-income preschool children face many risks to their social-emotional development that can affect their school experience and social outcomes for years to come. Although there are some promising approaches to improving young children's social-emotional competence, the evidence base is limited, particularly on the effectiveness of these…

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) conducted a case study of six public high schools in New York City as part of a multifaceted evaluation of a small schools initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Through surveys, interviews, and focus groups, the authors gathered information and opinions from the schools'…

The ECERS-R is a thorough revision of the widely used program quality assessment instrument, the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS). Designed for use in preschool, kindergarten, and child care classrooms serving children 2-and-a-half through 5 years of age, the ECERS-R can be used by program directors for supervision and program…

This project involved a program for improving student behavior. The targeted population consisted of second and third grade students in a rural community located west of Chicago, Illinois. Data indicated that behavior problems were disrupting instructional time and students' involvement in learning. The evidence for the existence of the problem…

This manual explains how to administer the instrument, Guidance Program Assessment--Elementary School, and suggests ways to interpret the data obtained. Four aspects of a comprehensive guidance program are examined through the use of this assessment instrument: advice areas, school helping processes, classroom environment, and group topics…

In 1989, the Hawaii State Department of Education initiated a study of the practices of successful kindergarten teachers involved in the Early Provisions for School Success (EPSS) program. Seven teachers identified as having a large percentage of students with language needs who progressed to the non-needs category were recruited from seven school…

This checklist is intended to be used as a rating instrument to assist in the design and description of classroom learning environments that provide for student diversity, including the mainstreaming of students with disabilities. Specific purposes of the checklist are to provide a framework for describing the organizational characteristics of…

Providing suggestions on how to develop an age-appropriate schedule for guiding children through daily transitions, this guide serves as an evaluative tool as well as a transition resource book. A transition is the movement of children between one activity or routine to another. Children are in transition during clean-up, while waiting for group…

Results of an assessment of 50 ecological and stress management competencies that were developed as part of a Kansas project to improve retention of special education personnel are presented in narrative and data sections. Ecological considerations include those that contribute to job success, such as job challenge and community atmosphere, while…

This document examines the intricate web of active learning strategies, focusing on how to make the student an active thinker through specific writing and speaking activities. The introduction sets the learning and teaching context for the following chapters. It establishes the importance of a positive classroom climate and of engaging student…

This set of quality standards for Colorado's early child care and education programs is intended to help these programs move toward quality services for all young children. It includes self-evaluation checklists designed to help programs document the state standards they have achieved, the standards they are seeking to meet, and the resources…