2-064 - Quality Matters: An in-depth look into policies, practices, and language interactions within preschool programs serving DLLs

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Preschool is a critical time for building academic readiness with recent research linking school readiness at preschool to reading and math achievement at fifth grade (Burchinal, 2016). DLLs are especially vulnerable, starting school behind their peers with the gap increasing throughout elementary school (NCES, 2011). The current symposium takes an in-depth look into preschool programs serving DLLs in order to understand instructional practices, including language environments, and policies that help this population enter kindergarten ready to succeed. The first paper provides an in-depth look into the language environment of preschool classrooms serving DLLs. Findings indicate that teachers provided minimal high quality talk. Additionally, although research supports the use of Spanish to facilitate DLL’s learning, very limited talk occurred in Spanish despite the vast majority of classrooms having a Spanish-speaking teacher. The second paper qualitatively examines policies and practices guiding instruction in preschool classrooms serving DLLs. The authors explain that quality ECE programs need to have a more focused understanding of practices which help DLLs be successful, including culturally competent staff, appropriate curricula, and assessment practices. The third paper continues the theme of quality within preschool classrooms conducting an in-depth analysis into the language interactions occurring in classrooms with high concentrations of DLLs. Adding to the findings of the first two papers, the third paper shows that the quality of language interactions matters more than quantity of language for DLLs. The discussant will highlight implications for practices and policies across the three papers emphasizing quality variables for DLLs within preschool programs.

Sub Unit

• School Readiness/Childcare

Chair

• Lisa Lopez, University of South Florida

Discussant

• Carol Scheffner Hammer, Columbia University

Individual Presentations

• Variations in Classroom Language Environments of Preschool Children who are Low-Income and Linguistically Diverse - Presenting Author: Brook Sawyer, Lehigh University; Sally Atkins-Burnett, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.; Carol Scheffner Hammer, Columbia University; Lisa Lopez, University of South Florida

• Serving Dual Language Learners Across Different Types of Programs: Head Start, Private and Public Preschools - Presenting Author: Mariela Paez, Boston College; Megina Baker, Boston College

• An in-depth analysis of language interactions across high and low quality ECE programs serving at-risk and DLL preschool children - Presenting Author: Lisa Lopez, University of South Florida; Rica Ramirez, University of South Florida; Olivia Hernandez Gonzalez, University of South Florida