Dual language learners (DLLs) – young children whose families speak a language other than English at home – are a growing demographic who make up nearly a third of the U.S. public preschool population, yet the system remains primarily focused on monolingual, English-speaking children. Although preschool participation has been found to be at least as supportive of school readiness for DLLs as for their English-only peers, a gap remains between these two groups in terms of English language and literacy at kindergarten entry. Further, preschool programs vary widely, and little is known about which type of preschool best supports DLLs’ school readiness. This paper examines differences in school readiness between DLLs who participated in two types of publicly funded preschool – Head Start and public school-based pre-K – among Spanish-speaking DLLs from predominantly low-income families in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The results of a difference-in-differences analysis show that students who attended public school-based pre-K experienced greater gains in both quantitative reasoning and English literacy than their peers who attended Head Start. These findings suggest that public pre-K may be more effective than Head Start at supporting DLLs’ academic school readiness.
Research has documented that school readiness is a critical factor that influences children's development over the life-course. However, there is limited research examining school readiness development, and the relationships between teacher-child interactions and school readiness among monolingual English-speaking and dual language learning children in preschool settings. The dissertation was conducted as part of a larger project in which I participated. It is comprised of three stand-alone studies that examined the development of preschool children's executive function, as well as how teacher-child interactions affected school readiness, defined as receptive language, literacy, math, and executive function development, among monolingual English-speaking and dual language learning children. Using two measures of executive function, the Peg Tapping task (PT; Diamond & Taylor, 1996) and the Dimensional Change Card Sort Task (DCCS; Zelazo, 2006), the first study examined the general trajectory and heterogeneity in the growth of executive function among children. Findings showed there was linear growth on children's executive function across monolingual English-speaking and dual language learning children. Both populations varied significantly in their executive function skills at the beginning of the data collection period and in their growth rate of executive function over time. In addition, findings indicated that monolingual English-speaking children tended to have a higher initial level of executive function and a slower rate of growth in their executive function measured by the Peg Tapping task than dual language learning children. However, there was no significant difference between monolingual English-speaking children and dual language learning children in their growth of executive function measured by the DCCS during the data collection period. Utilizing the Classroom Assessment Scoring System Pre-K (CLASS Pre-K; Pianta et al., 2008), the second study tested the association between teacher-child interactions and children's receptive language, math, and literacy achievement. The results showed that CLASS Emotional Support predicted children's literacy and Math skills, Classroom Organization predicted children's receptive language and math skills, and Instructional Support predicted children's receptive language, literacy and math skills. In addition, monolingual English-speaking and dual language learning children tended to have higher math skills as the quality of Classroom Organization and Instructional Support increased. Furthermore, dual language learning children's math skills were higher compared to monolingual English-speaking children when they were in classrooms with higher Classroom Organization or Instructional Support. Finally, the third study examined threshold effects to understand whether associations between each CLASS domain were stronger at higher quality levels of teacher-child interactions, and whether the threshold effects differed between monolingual English-speaking and dual language learning children. Results from the piecewise regression showed that higher-quality-Classroom Organization was more strongly correlated with children's literacy and math skills compared to lower-quality classrooms. Similarly, the association between Instructional Support and math skills was stronger when in higher-quality classrooms. With regard to executive function, findings indicated that the relationship between Classroom Organization and DCCS, as well as Instructional Support and DCCS differed between monolingual English-speaking and dual language learning children. Findings from these three studies provide further evidence regarding the growth of executive function during the preschool period as well as the variability in children's executive function development among monolingual English-speaking children and dual language learners. Study findings further highlight the importance of high quality teacher-child interactions in promoting children's school readiness.
In an effort to better understand the language environments of early childhood education (ECE) classrooms with varying proportions of dual language learners (DLLs), we examined the frequency in which adults use various language facilitation strategies. We further investigated the potential classroom characteristics that may predict teacher strategy use and the impact that teacher strategy use may have on DLL children's lexical and morphosyntactic skills. The study included 21 preschool classrooms and 69 children from a Latine background that spoke Spanish at home. Classroom observations were recorded at three different time points (Fall, Winter, Spring) in one school year. Interval coding was implemented as each observation was randomly divided into three 10-minute segments and coded for frequency of strategy use. A total of 14 strategies were of interest: English-General (n = 5), Spanish-General (n = 5), and DLL-Specific (n = 4) language facilitation strategies.A between-subjects one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the frequency in which teachers are using the strategies did not differ by strategy type; however significant interactions between teacher language status (id est, English-speaking monolingual and Spanish- English speaking bilingual) and strategy use were found. Due to the nested structure of the data, hierarchical linear models (HLM) were examined to analyze how classroom level predictors are linked to teacher strategy use. Results indicated that the proportion of DLLs has significant positive associations with teachers' use of Spanish general language facilitation strategies and DLL-specific language learning strategies. Finally, two-level HLMs examining the association between strategy use and DLL language outcomes revealed a significant negative association between the use of Spanish general language facilitation strategies and English lexical outcomes. Further, the analyses revealed significant positive associations between English general language facilitation strategy use and DLL morphosyntactic outcomes. This study informs our understanding of adult-child interactions in ECE programs, classroom language environments for Spanish-speaking DLLs, the frequency of different language facilitation strategies, and the impact that implementation of such strategies may have on DLL children's language growth. Limitations and implications are discussed.
Making all children "ready to learn" is the first, and probably the most important, national education goal for the year 2000. What does it mean for children to be "ready to learn?" This book is about the beliefs of the people who are shaping preschool policy. McGill-Franzen tells us what key decision-makers are thinking about preschool education -- what counts as school, who should pay for it, what should be taught, and especially, whether there should be reading and writing programs for four-year-olds. This book also explores the history of these beliefs. The author locates contemporary early childhood concepts about "developmental appropriateness" in the ideas of physicians and psychologists of the 1920s, 1930s, and in even earlier periods of time. She believes that these ideas no longer work within the broader framework of literacy as embedded in the interactions of cultures children know and the lives they live.
This descriptive study provides a snapshot of the correlations between a child's learning experiences a year before entering kindergarten and the reading/literacy skills a child has entering kindergarten. Early literacy assessment scores were used to evaluate the effectiveness of four categories of learning experiences prior to entering kindergarten, Head Start, NC Pre-K/More At Four, private preschools and no formal preschool experience. The study presents data which looked at the effects on gender, ethnicity, English as a second language, students with disabilities and students that received free/reduced lunches.
Abstract: Preschool aged children who come from a non-English speaking household are a unique population of students since they are not only learning English, but they are also still developing proficiency in their home language. Thus, these students are considered dual language learners (DLL). Students who attend English speaking schools that are not proficient in English face many challenges. Research shows the importance of early identification and interventions for DLLs to increase students' English proficiency before entering kindergarten. Using quality assessments to identify DLL students' oral English language proficiency in preschool allow us to provide more individualized language instruction and interventions that can help put these students on track with their native English-speaking peers when they enter kindergarten, as well as keep them on track as they progress through school. The purpose of my Capstone internship project is to construct an assessment timeline for assessing all students who speak a language other than English in the home at the beginning of the school year, and then perform the assessments to identify DLL students at the preschool level using the Pre-IPT Oral English lanugage proficiency. I organized and analyzed the data obtained from the assessment and collaborated with my site leader to determine the next instructional steps that need to be taken to meet our DLL's unique learning needs. I then provided professional development to my colleagues to inform them what the assessment is, how to read the results, and how the results can then drive their instruction to meet the specific needs of our DLL students. I provided training to staff on how to also assess their students that start later in the school year using the Pre-IPT, as this will be an ongoing process after I compete my Capstone internship. I also provided training on refugees and their experiences as a well as Ethiopian culture, which is our largest student population.
High quality pre-K that really improves children's outcomes; that's the goal early childhood professional will work toward with this groundbreaking text, the first volume in the NEW National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (NCRECE) series. Combining the most current knowlege of top researchers, policy makers, and federal and state officials, this book examines where pre-K is today and inspires decision-makers with concrete examples fo successful programs. Wotj tjos om=depth examination of the latest research and practice readers will be better prepared to: make a compelling argument for supportign high-quality pre-K; address the complex challenges of expanding pre-K; understand the pros and cons of different types of pre-K programs; and make informed decisions about the most important issues in program development. To find out what's already working in pre-K program development, readers will get an inside look at five successful state-level prgrams in New York, Maryland, Louisiana, Georgia, and North Carolina. throug detailed analyses of each programs characteristics, these extended case examples give decision-makers a template for effective, child-centered early education. An essential resource for policy makers, researchers, and teach educators, this important volume will help early childhood professionals make progress toward their ultimate goal: pre-k that responds to children's changing needs, helps close the achievemetn gap, and ensures school readiness.
Educating dual language learners (DLLs) and English learners (ELs) effectively is a national challenge with consequences both for individuals and for American society. Despite their linguistic, cognitive, and social potential, many ELsâ€"who account for more than 9 percent of enrollment in grades K-12 in U.S. schoolsâ€"are struggling to meet the requirements for academic success, and their prospects for success in postsecondary education and in the workforce are jeopardized as a result. Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures examines how evidence based on research relevant to the development of DLLs/ELs from birth to age 21 can inform education and health policies and related practices that can result in better educational outcomes. This report makes recommendations for policy, practice, and research and data collection focused on addressing the challenges in caring for and educating DLLs/ELs from birth to grade 12.
