Setting
The study was conducted in two urban public school districts and 106 pre-kindergarten classrooms. The classrooms were located in 42 schools in low-resource communities.
Study sample
Approximately 51% of the students were female, 85% were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and 14% were English learners. 53% of the children were African American, 19% were White, 4% were Asian, 2% were American Indian, and 22% did not report race. 22% were Hispanic or Latino and 78% did not report ethnicity.
Intervention Group
The Building Blocks curriculum was implemented in the second year of the study, after teachers received professional development and encouraged to incorporate elements of the curriculum in the first year. The Building Blocks approach develops mathematics from children's experiences and interests; they are guided to extend from everyday activities such as block building and puzzles. Building Blocks helps teachers understand children's developmental progressions (learning trajectories) and connects these progressions to instructional tasks. Topics covered by the Building Blocks curriculum include communicating, reasoning, representing, problem solving, number and shape composition, and patterning.
Comparison Group
Both districts focused more on mathematics during the study period, and both implemented new programs. One district implemented Where Bright Futures Begin, with a mathematics component that had specific number learning and measurement goals. Topics including counting, recognizing numbers and shapes, measurement, patterning, and graphing. Mathematics materials included concept cards, counters, and cubes, and mathematics was primarily taught during small group time. The second district implemented Opening the World of Learning, with topics such as number concepts, one-to-one correspondence, geometry, and measurement. Teachers were provided professional development in approximately six sessions over 2 years. Three teachers in the comparison condition mentioned combining curriculums with DLM Early Childhood Express, of which the mathematics component was an earlier version of the Building Blocks curriculum. There was also the possibility of spillover in the first district, with the district holding summer training sessions for teachers (some of whom were in the comparison condition) on the Building Blocks curriculum.
Support for implementation
Teachers in the Building Blocks condition received 8 days of professional development in the first year and an additional 5 days of professional development in the second year. Professional development included viewing, analyzing, and discussing video enactments of instructional tasks. During professional development sessions, teachers practiced interpreting children's thinking and choosing appropriate instructional tasks for the class. In addition, teachers had mentors who observed and supported implementation, visiting classrooms about twice per month. Intervention teachers were evaluated on the fidelity of their implementation of the Building Blocks. However, it is not clear whether any follow-up with teachers occurred on the basis of the evaluations.
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Teaching Math to Young Children Practice Guide