Troubling Fidelity of Implementation

• In Event: 26.080 - Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: 26.080-15 - Early Childhood: Standards, Policies, and Programs

Abstract

This session presents findings from a case study of the experiences of preschool teachers and administrators in two states with differing policies for public preschool programs. The findings of this study illustrate how standards are interpreted and enacted differently in local sites of practice within each state and how often multiple and competing standards operate to both limit and enable quality preschool teaching. We argue that preschool policy implementation should not be viewed as a matter of fidelity of implementation to the policy but rather as a negotiated political process.

Authors

• Sharon Ryan, Rutgers University

• Mary Elizabeth (Beth) Graue, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Bethany Wilinski, Michigan State University

• Kaitlin Northey-Berg, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway