Preparing Teachers for the Early Childhood Classroom: Proven Models and Key Principles

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:

• Who benefits from it? Examine characteristics of the early educator workforce and how to address their obstacles to professional development participation, such as financial resources, education levels, and burnout rates.
• What practices are promising? Explore proven models for choosing the right content, scaffolding skills through coaching and mentoring, and promoting effective professional development across whole communities.
• Where should professional development happen? Learn from successful approaches in community colleges, training programs, and culturally diverse centers.
• When and for how long should it take place? Make sound decisions about the duration and timing of professional development.
• How do you know it's working? Discover the best ways to assess early childhood educators' practices and monitor fidelity of implementation.

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.

This book is part of the NCRECE series.

Susan B. Neuman, Ed.D., is a professor in educational studies specializing in early literacy development. Previously, she directed the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement. Her research and teaching interests include early childhood policy, curriculum, and early reading instruction from prekindergarten to Grade 3. In her role as Assistant Secretary, she established the Reading First program and the Early Reading First program and was responsible for the implementation of all activities in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act.

Professor, School of Education at Stanford University, 123 Cubberly Hall, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA 94305. Dr. Kamil was a member of the National Reading Panel and the RAND Reading Study Group and is a member of the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth. He is Chair of the Planning Committee for the Reading Framework of the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress and is the lead editor of Handbook of Reading Research, Volume III (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2000). In addition, he has edited, authored, or coauthored more than 100 books, chapters, and journal articles.

Dorothy S. Strickland, Ph.D., Samuel DeWitt Proctor Professor of Education, Emerita, Rutgers University; New Brunswick, New Jersey; dorothy.strickland@gse.rutgers.edu. Dr. Strickland is the former president of the International Reading Association and Reading Hall of Fame. She received the International Reading Associationâ (TM)s Outstanding Teacher Educator of Reading Award, the National-Louis University Ferguson Award for Outstanding Contributions to Early Childhood Education, and the William S. Gray Citation of Merit. She served on the Common Core State Standards Validation Committee. Her publications include Essential Readings on Early Literacy, Literacy Leadership in Early Childhood, Bridging the Literacy Achievement Gap: 4--12, and Administration and Supervision of Reading Programs.

Dr. Halle is Codirector of Early Childhood Research at Child Trends. She oversees projects in Child Trendsâ (TM)s Washington, D.C., office. She conducts research on childrenâ (TM)s early cognitive and social development, childrenâ (TM)s school readiness, family and community supports for school readiness, and school characteristics associated with ongoing achievement and positive development. Her recent work focuses on early literacy development among children who are English language learners and evaluations of early childhood curricula, programs, and professional development aimed at supporting childrenâ (TM)s school readiness.

Dr. Tout is Codirector of Early Childhood Research at Child Trends. She oversees projects in Child Trendsâ (TM)s Minnesota office. Her research focuses on policies and programs to improve the quality of early care and education and familiesâ (TM) access to quality settings and programs to improve the quality and effectiveness of the early childhood workforce.

As Director of the Office for Policy and Communications of SRCD, Dr. Zaslow works to bring research on children's development to policy makers and the broader public and to bring information about policy developments to the SRCD membership. She also oversees the SRCD Policy Fellowship program. As Senior Scholar at Child Trends, Dr. Zaslow's research focuses on early childhood development and takes an ecological approach, considering the role of multiple contexts including the family, early care and education (ECE) settings, and programs and policies for families with young children.