Program Evaluation in Schools: Looking Across the Early Childhood Continuum

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium focuses on the quality of early childhood education beyond the oft-studied preschool year. This is a timely examination as preschool through grade three systems has become a focus for many state and local education agencies which are often generating policies to guide the work. However, informed policy making cannot be enacted without the careful examination of the current state of school-age early childhood education. The formal evaluations of the implementation of three programs/initiatives at the local level that are aimed at creating a cohesive system of early childhood teaching quality are presented together. These papers provide a detailed examination of classroom teaching practices across settings and initiatives using a variety of classroom measurement tools.

Sub Unit

• Division H - Research, Evaluation and Assessment in Schools / Division H - Section 2: Program Evaluation in Schools

Chair

• Shannon Eileen Ayers, The Nicholson Foundation

Discussant

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

Papers

• A Study of the K–3 Classroom: District-Level Differences in Quality and Time Use - Shannon Eileen Ayers, The Nicholson Foundation; Alexandra Figueras-Daniel, Rutgers University; Sharon Ryan, Rutgers University; Nicole DiCrecchio, National Institute for Early Education Research

• Improving the School Experiences of Underserved Pre-Kindergarten to Third-Grade Children - Sharon Ritchie, University of North Carolina

• Instructional Practices in the Midwest Child-Parent Center Pre-K–3 Program and Student Learning - Arthur J. Reynolds, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities; Allyson Joelle Candee, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities