This article describes experiences of a literary coach working with a first-grade teacher to make Pro-Black culturally relevant pedagogy foundational to the coaching relationship. Responding to the failure of mandated programs to support Black students' literacy proficiency and the success of culturally relevant pedagogies, they addressed the…

This paper presents the results from a randomized controlled trial of Chapter One, an early elementary reading tutoring program that embeds part-time tutors into the classroom to provide short bursts of 1:1 instruction. Eligible kindergarten students were randomly assigned to receive supplementary tutoring during the 2021-22 school year (N=818).…

Proficiency in reading is an essential skill for achieving success in the modern era, and African American students have struggled with reading due to insufficient support during literacy instruction. Through the implementation of the Science of Reading™ course, this research aimed to examine the effect of the Language Essentials for Teachers of…

With a focus on Parker, a Black second-grader, this paper explores how photographs taken "by" children reveal aspects of identity that adults do not always capture or deem important in school spaces. In fact, while Parker was often imaged and positioned in deficit ways, children's photographs expanded static narratives told about Parker.…

This study examined whether varying dimensions of teacher-child relationship quality and gender moderated associations between knowledge of negative emotion-eliciting situations and peer victimization among Black preschoolers (60 boys, 54 girls) who ranged in age from 35 to 65 months. Fifty-one children had a Black teacher, 46 had a White teacher,…

In the United States, Muhammad (2020) explains how Black students who attend schools have a greater potential for success when they see themselves represented in the curriculum and when their cultural, gender, and racial identities are affirmed. This dissertation study examined the ways in which third grade Black girls and boys (n=8) see…

For too long, Black children's educational needs have not been prioritized with attention to their culture, language, historical and contemporary racialized experiences, and building their positive racial identity. It is critical that early childhood education settings for young children be transformed to be a place of learning and healing by…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative descriptive study was to examine the perceptions of PreK-12th grade educators from a public school district in northwest Houston, Texas, regarding factors that may contribute to the disproportionate placement of African American males. The researcher used this methodology to explain and describe the…

This guide provides cross-sector teams at the state, territory, tribal, and local levels with strategies for collecting and using data across the mixed delivery system of early care and education programs. (This guide uses the term "state and local" to refer to all of these levels.) Collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative…

When it comes to education, motivation and access have always contributed to the success or failure of young people in this country. Individuals' mindsets were correlated with their academic attainment. It is possible that a person's openness of mind is the gatekeeper of their success. The purpose of this ex post facto study was to determine if…

The problem underpinning this study was a pronounced achievement gap between Black and White students, evident in standardized test score pass rates of third through fifth graders, in a school district in the U.S. state of Virginia. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the extent to which culturally responsive instructional…

Research examining reading abilities among Black children diverges significantly from prior literature, which either lacked focus or lacked substantial representation of Black children. Black students, particularly boys, tend to exhibit lower academic achievement compared to their peers. The problem addressed in this study is that Black boys, in…

Purpose: Syntax provides critical support for both academic success and linguistic growth, yet it has not been a focus of language research in school-age African American children. This study examines complex syntax performance of African American children in second through fifth grades. Method: The current study explores the syntactic…

Recognition of social and emotional learning (SEL), as an essential educational component, has increased in recent years, and early childhood educators' perceptions of SEL are likely to impact the delivery, evaluation, and outcomes of SEL opportunities for young children. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate SEL perceptions of…

Over the course of 18 months, I found myself on a journey that began with two research questions based on my wonderings and observations about the lives of the women I witnessed engaging with young Black children in ways that the academic literature had not expounded upon. In this article, I use poetic inquiry to elucidate the liberatory practices…