This qualitative phenomenological study utilized structured interviews with 23 preschool administrators to explore their beliefs about preschool inclusion and needed resources for providing high-quality preschool inclusion. Themes emerged regarding administrators' beliefs about inclusion, including divergent understandings of inclusion as…

Background: The past half-century has resulted in a substantial expansion of early childhood center-based care in the United States. Today, over 74% of American children aged 3-5 attend center-based care (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2021). Although public pre-k is considered socially favorable,…

To determine the impact of an administrator's decision on student placement in kindergarten classrooms, teachers were asked to share their perceptions on how that decision impacted their ability to deliver instruction and follow the district scope and sequence, as well as how that decision impacts student academic achievement and social and…

This mixed-methods phenomenological study examined elements that impact Individualized Education Program (IEP) team members in supporting placement for students with disabilities (SWD) in inclusive early childhood education programs. Best practices in education and federal law stipulate that schools educate SWD in settings as close to general…

A homogeneous distribution of students in a class is accepted as a key factor for overall success in primary education. A class of students with similar attributes normally increases academic success. It is also a fact that general academic success might be lower in some classes where students have different intelligence and academic levels. In…

Following a high-quality early care and pre-K experience, the kindergarten-through-third-grade years set the foundation upon which future learning builds; and strengthening this continuum creates opportunities for later success. Key components of a quality experience in K-3 include school readiness and transitions, kindergarten requirements,…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is the administrative law that governs special education services and how students with disabilities should be educated. When students are found eligible for special education and related services, the law states that the general education classroom should be the first placement considered where…

Kindergarten readiness assessments are commonly used in schools nationwide. Prior work shows that the use of such assessments for class placement decisions has increased in recent years. This article uses the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of 2011 to explore whether the use of readiness assessments for such purpose predicts differential…

Research on early intervention (EI) teachers' perceptions toward the educational placement of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been limited. This study examined the influence of daily living skills (DLS) profiles on EI teachers' perception of educational placement in preschool students with ASD using vignettes featuring students…

This exploratory study examines the correlations between teachers' attitudes and the disproportionate representation of African American males in special educational services in the United States education system. Using a sample of teachers from two elementary schools with special education student representation proportional to the student body…

The purpose of this archival quantitative research study was to investigate the effects of relative age and eligibility for special education through third grade. This study further examined relative age as it related to gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and multilingual learner status on eligibility for special education under the…

This paper discusses how academic support prepares undergraduate students for their workplace experience, involving cohorts of students from two universities in England, who offer an undergraduate level, three-year, Early Childhood Studies (ECS) degree. By adopting an interpretive approach, questionnaires were administered to the students…

Given the importance of teachers for students' short- and long-term success, many education policies include mandates to match targeted students with "highly effective" teachers. An example is Michigan's Read by Grade Three Law, which requires students eligible for retention to be assigned "highly effective" teachers. Using a…

Debates about grade retention weigh the academic benefits of remediation against its social and psychological costs. Louisiana adopted a retention policy aimed at capturing these benefits while mitigating the harm. It used test score thresholds to distinguish between retention in grade 8, promotion to grade 9, and a grade "8.5" where…

Relatively little research focuses on the incidence of declassification among young children who are transitioning from a special education preschool program to kindergarten. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the continuity of eligibility for special education from preschool to kindergarten as well as to determine whether or not…