National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education

Topic: Early Childhood Development and Education

Purpose:The National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (NCRECE) focuses on conducting research, disseminating research findings, and carrying out leadership activities aimed at improving the quality of early childhood education across the United States. The Center is based at the University of Virginia and is directed by Robert Pianta. Major activities include:

• Research — A randomized, controlled evaluation of the effects of two forms of professional development support for teachers. These supports to teachers will improve the implementation of curricula and interactions with children, as well as, promote gains in children's social and academic development. These approaches will focus in particular on promoting language and literacy skills, domains of child development that operate as gatekeepers to later achievement.
• Dissemination — Producing and distributing peer-reviewed research, and an assortment of consumer-friendly reports and publications
• Leadership — Providing leadership in the field of early childhood education.

Projects

Professional Development Study
Principal Investigator: Robert Pianta, University of Virginia
To improve early language and literacy skills, the Center is using an experimental, random assignment design to examine the impact of a professional support program for teachers that focuses on literacy and language instruction. The program aims to improve the implementation of curricula and interactions with children, as well as to promote gains in children's social and academic development. Specifically, the Center is conducting a series of experimental studies investigating the impact of a training program when it is delivered as a professional development in-service training program for current early childhood teachers. The intervention will be delivered as a course followed by in-service consultation using the MyTeachingPartner consultation model. The researchers are examining the impact of the training program, which involves both coursework and consultancy support, on children's language and literacy development, as well as on teachers' knowledge, instructional interactions, and classroom practices. Effects will be tested for four combinations of treatment and control conditions: (1) no course/no in-service; (2) no course/in-service; (3) course/no-inservice; and (4) course/in-service.

Key Personnel: Robert Pianta, Donna Bryant, Margaret Burchinal, Jason Downer, Bridget Hamre, Carollee Howes, Karen La Paro, Andrew Mashburn, Catherine Scott-Little.

Publications:

Journal Articles:

Burchinal, M. (in press). How Measurement Error Affects the Interpretation and Understanding of Effect Sizes. Child Development Perspectives.

Pianta, R.C., Mashburn, A.J., Downer, J.T., Hamre, B.K., and Justice, L. (in press). Effects of Web-Mediated Professional Development Resources on Teacher-Child Interactions in Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms. Early Childhood Research Quarterly.

Vu, J.A., Jeon, H-J, and Howes, C. (2008). Formal Education, Credential, or Both: Early Childhood Program Practices. Early Education and Development, 19: 479–504.

Book Chapters:

Grissmer, D.W., and Eiseman, E. (in press). Can Gaps in the Quality of Early Environment and Non-Cognitive Skills Help Explain Persisting Black-White Achievement Gaps? In J. Waldfogel and K. Magnuson (Eds.), Steady Gains and Stalled Progress: Inequality and the Black-White Test Score Gap. Russell Sage Foundation.

Pianta, R.C., and Hadden, D.S. (in press). What We Know About the Quality of Early Education Settings: Implications for Research on Teacher Preparation and Professional Development. In State Education Standard. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Boards of Education.

Books:

Pianta, R.C., and Howes, C. (Eds.), (in press). The Promise of Pre-Kindergarten. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing Co. White Papers:

Howes, C., Pianta, R., Bryant, D., Hamre, B., Downer, J., and Soliday-Hong, S. (2008). NCRECE White Paper — Ensuring Effective Teaching in Early Childhood Education through Linked Professional Development Systems, Quality Rating Systems and State Competencies: The Role of Research in an Evidence-Driven System.

Center Website: http://www.ncrece.org/.

IES Program Contact: Dr. Caroline Ebanks
Email: Caroline.Ebanks@ed.gov
Telephone: (202) 219-1410