This study explored the use of continuous quality improvement (CQI) approaches in the Texas quality rating and improvement system (QRIS), Texas Rising Star. CQI approaches can assist child programs with engaging in quality improvement support and lift the quality of early learning programs to serve young children. We applied an implementation science-based fidelity monitoring framework as we analyzed secondary data from 1,789 child care programs using an online platform, survey data from mentors (n = 97), directors (n = 562), and teachers (n = 211), focus group transcripts (12 focus groups with 48 participants), and data from CQI plans (n = 173). Research Findings: Key findings from the study showed variability in how CQI was implemented across early learning programs, but generally showed (1) opportunities to differentiate delivery of CQI plans with lower star rated programs, (2) promising levels of engagement and participation within the CQI approach, and (3) positive director and teacher perceptions of the CQI approach. Practice or Policy: Study findings suggest that CQI approaches within QRIS may be a useful way to provide differentiated quality improvement support to early learning programs.

This study explored the extent to which kindergarten and first grade teachers provided individualized reading instruction to struggling readers during a unique one-on-one reading instruction task. Three outcomes of teachers' instructional strategies were captured: code-focused strategies, meaning-focused strategies, and level of challenge. Child skills in decoding and vocabulary/oral language as well as teacher qualifications of education, experience, and knowledge of reading were examined in relation to the three instructional strategies. Multilevel analyses showed relationships between child skills and reading instructional strategies, with teachers generally using code-focused and meaning-focused strategies, as well as an appropriate level of challenge, with children who struggled less with early reading. Although teacher education was not associated with any of the reading instructional strategies, teacher experience and knowledge of reading was associated with meaning-based instruction and the level of challenge provided to struggling readers.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Beginning Education: Early Childcare at Home (BEECH) in-tervention for family childcare providers and young children (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers). BEECH emphasizes the use of responsive caregiving practices that can be embedded in daily routines and inter-actions. Family child care providers ( n = 154) were randomized to one of 3 conditions: BEECH ( n = 54), BEECH + ( n = 45), or control ( n = 55). Providers assigned to the BEECH and BEECH + conditions received access to an online course and they attended in-person trainings; BEECH + providers received additional coaching support. Approximately 5 children per family child care provider were included in the study, resulting in a total of 643 children (157 infants, 258 toddlers, and 228 preschoolers). Results showed that family child care providers who participated in the BEECH intervention (regardless of condition) showed significant improvements on the Teacher Behaviors Rating Scale's total score, classroom sensitivity, and oral language use domains relative to the control group. BEECH and BEECH + groups demonstrated similar im-provements in provider-level outcomes, suggesting few to no differences between the two instantiations. Finally, there were limited significant differences in child outcomes between the intervention and control groups.(c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reflective conversations between teachers and coaches are critical to helping teachers improve their classroom instruction. Coaches who encourage teachers to "see, think, and do" are better able to facilitate meaningful reflective conversations with teachers. The "See, Think, Do" framework consists of six steps (observe, describe, process, analyze, draw conclusions, and plan) that can be used to help coaches engage in reflective conversations with teachers. The framework can be readily implemented in remote and face-to-face coaching modalities and in one-on-one and small group delivery formats. Suggestions and strategies for implementing the framework in ongoing coach-teacher conversations are provided.

ABSTRACT This pilot study conducted an initial evaluation of the Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning and Education (CIRCLE) Infant-Toddler Teacher Training program. The program is unique in three ways: 1) use of an online platform with courses that explain social-emotional, language, and literacy development in young children (infants and toddlers) and teaching strategies to support development across these areas; 2) use of child progress monitoring measures (milestones checklists) to identify children who need additional support; and 3) use of remote coaching to support toddler teachers’ professional learning within the program. The purpose of the pilot study was to examine the impact of the CIRCLE Infant-Toddler Teacher Training on the quality of toddler teachers’ instruction and interactions with toddlers and toddlers’ language and social-emotional/behavioral skills. In this study, we utilized a randomized control design, with 38 toddler teachers and 229 toddlers (ages 24–36 months) participating in the pilot study. Research Findings: Findings suggested that toddler teachers who participated in the CIRCLE Infant-Toddler Teacher Training had improved interactions with toddlers. There were no main intervention effects on child-level outcomes. Practice or Policy: Taken together, these findings suggest that providing coaching-based professional development opportunities for toddler teachers may be an important way to improve early learning environments.

This replication study examined remote delivery of 2 evidence-based prekindergarten (pre-k) interventions to evaluate whether the combination of interventions, one in Head Start classrooms (online The Early Education Model, eTEEM) and one in the home (online Play and Learning Strategies, ePALS) resulted in enhanced effects on at-risk 3-to 5-year-old children's school readiness skills when compared to either of these interventions alone. The aligned interventions trained adults - teachers and parents - to use responsiveness and guided learning approaches within routine activities with the aim of increasing children's social-behavioral and academic skills. Both the original in-person study (Landry et al., 2017) and the present remote study used a four-group factorial design. The present study first randomized classrooms to eTEEM ( n = 36) or control ( n = 33). Next, within classrooms, parent-child dyads were randomized to ePALS or No ePALS, resulting in four conditions: n = 186 eTEEM/ePALS; n = 151 eTEEM/No ePALS; n = 160 No eTEEM/ePALS; and n = 133 No eTEEM/No ePALS control. The original study found small to moderate effects on parent and teacher behaviors ( d = 0.18 to 0.55). In this remote study, there were generally larger parent and teacher effects for responsiveness ( g = 0.63 to 0.70) and for guided learning ( g = 0.37 to 1.05), behaviors targeted by the interventions. Results of the original study showed few effects on children's academic outcomes and the strongest effect on children's social-behavioral skills for the parent intervention ( d = 0.15 to 0.19). The present study produced similar patterns of results for child outcomes with larger social-behavioral effects ( g = 0.19 to 0.27) than academic ( g =-0.23 to 0.30). We discuss the importance of these replication findings when delivering interventions remotely to improve scalability. (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Teachers' implementation of differentiated supplemental instruction is critical to help students with or at risk for reading-related disabilities acquire early reading and vocabulary skills. This study represents an initial investigation of whether classroom teachers' intervention fidelity (exposure, adherence, and quality) of targeted reading instruction (TRI, formerly called targeted reading intervention), a professional development program with embedded student intervention and weekly webcam literacy coaching support, was related to spring reading and oral vocabulary gains for students at risk for reading-related disabilities. The study also examined whether teachers' years of participation in TRI (1 year vs 2 years) moderated associations between intervention fidelity and students' reading and oral vocabulary outcomes. Findings suggested that teachers' adherence to TRI strategies was directly associated with students' vocabulary gains as well as word reading skills for teachers in their second year of participation. Furthermore, when teachers provided students with more TRI exposure during their second year of participation, students made greater gains in word reading and reading comprehension.

Educational Impact and Implications Statement Remote and face-to-face coaching models were both found to be effective in improving many child care teachers' and children's outcomes. Findings from this study highlight the promise of professional development with coaching and point to the need for making these supports more accessible for early childhood teachers across settings. This study contrasted face-to-face and remote coaching models using an empirically-based professional development model, The Early Education model (TEEM). Child care teachers (n = 174) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: remote coaching (n = 59), face-to-face coaching (n = 66), and business-as-usual (n = 49). This study examined intervention effects in addition to coaching modality effects on teacher and child outcomes. Findings suggested that child care teachers who received coaching (regardless of modality) demonstrated improved teaching behaviors compared to the business-as-usual group. Compared to remote coaching, there were also advantages of face-to-face coaching on some teaching behaviors, although these advantages were no longer evident after accounting for teachers' levels of responsiveness to the intervention. Additionally, although there were no direct effects of the intervention on child outcomes, there was evidence of positive indirect associations of the intervention and coaching modality on child-level outcomes through improvements in teachers' instructional practices.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted early childhood programs serving infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in dramatic ways. After temporarily closing, many educators quickly adapted their procedures to ensure children's safety as they reopened to provide childcare for essential workers and then the community at large. This manuscript reports on statewide efforts to continue quality improvement initiatives for early childhood programs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We first describe the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for over 2000 educators—teachers, administrators, and specialists—who completed surveys in the Spring and Fall of 2020. These survey data come from a statewide system called the Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System (TECPDS), designed to track the professional development needs/progress of early childhood educators. Second, we describe an example of how a statewide professional development and quality improvement program shifted to remote delivery during the pandemic. As an increasing number of educators turn to virtual training resources, we explain lessons learned from these response efforts and how they can inform future virtual professional development efforts, even amidst crisis, to ensure that a focus on quality improvement continues while supporting teachers' individual needs.

Students most at risk for reading-related disabilities frequently struggle with word recognition and oral language, including, in the earliest grades, specific skills related to phonological awareness and vocabulary. Classroom teachers’ delivery of high-quality differentiated supplemental instruction may promote reading acquisition for these students. The current study examined whether the Targeted Reading Intervention, a webcam-coaching literacy professional development program for kindergarten and first grade classroom teachers, was more effective in producing reading gains for students who had the lowest scores on fall measures of phonological awareness and/or vocabulary as compared with students with higher scores. Findings revealed that students who participated in the Targeted Reading Intervention and who scored lowest on the fall vocabulary measure had the highest scores on spring decoding measures.

A major developmental task for young children in the United States involves the acquisition of knowledge about the letters in the English alphabet. In the current study, we examined the growth trajectories of children's letter name knowledge (LNK) during pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. A diverse sample of 1,015 children was drawn from the National Center for Early Development and Learning Multi-State Study of Pre-Kindergarten. Latent class growth analyses were used to identify three heterogeneous classes of children based on their LNK growth trajectories. Children's fall-of-pre-kindergarten language skills were associated with trajectory class membership, which in turn was associated with children's spring-of-kindergarten literacy skills. We also found that the association between children's fall-of-pre-kindergarten language skills and spring-of-kindergarten literacy skills was partially mediated by trajectory class membership. These findings point to the importance of LNK skill development as a marker variable to monitor and support children's emergent literacy development.

This case study examined an approach for sustaining the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI) in rural schools. Researchers, teachers, and district-level partners collaboratively implemented the TRI Certification Process in order to sustain the TRI in one rural school district once researcher-based support ended. Primarily drawing from semi-structured interviews with TRI Facilitators, principals, and TRI coaches, findings indicated that student and teacher growth were important motivators. TRI coaches, the straightforward certification process, and leadership opportunities were supports that enabled teachers to complete the TRI Certification Process. Technology difficulties and student recruitment were challenging aspects of the TRI Certification Process. Our findings suggest that the TRI Certification Process may be a promising model for sustaining other interventions in schools.

The current paper discusses the implementation and scaling of an early education program (Texas School Ready; TSR). Implementation and scaling of the TSR program was initially met with challenges such as participant/site recruitment, participant retention, and staff training. The three challenges are highlighted along with the ways in which delivery and support systems were used to address and mitigate these challenges. Additionally, we highlight several key continuous quality improvement measures (for administrators, coaches/coordinators, teachers, and students) that are used to monitor and improve the implementation of the TSR program across the state. Collectively, the delivery and support systems along with the continuous quality improvement measures allow for the TSR program to not only be implemented at scale, but also to be implemented in ways that are sustainable across communities.

The authors examined the associations between observed classroom management and teacher-child relationships with individual children during kindergarten and Grade 1. We used a sample of nonstruggling and struggling readers and their teachers in rural schools in the Southeastern United States to examine whether gender and struggling reader status explained associations between classroom management and conflictual or close teacher-child relationships. After controlling for child- and teacher-level characteristics, results from multilevel model analyses indicated that stronger classroom management was significantly related to less teacher-rated conflict, but was not related to teacher-rated closeness. Gender was a significant moderator, with boys who were in classrooms with lower levels of classroom management having poorer teacher-child relationships as rated by their teachers. Struggling reader status was not a significant moderator of the association between classroom management and teacher-child relationships.

Teacher-child relationships (TCRs) have been found to play important roles in children's classroom experiences and learning during the elementary school years. Given the importance of TCRs, the present study examined the associations between conflictual and close TCRs, children's literacy achievement, and children's social competencies using a sample of 503 kindergarten and first grade non-struggling and struggling readers and their teachers in ten rural schools in the Southeastern United States. Moderation by struggling reader status was also explored in the associations between conflictual or close TCRs and children's literacy achievement and social competencies. After controlling for child- and teacher-level characteristics, results from multilevel model analyses indicated that conflictual TCRs were significantly related to lower literacy achievement, more internalizing behaviors, more externalizing behaviors, and fewer prosocial behaviors. Close TCRs were not related to child outcomes, and moderation by struggling reader status was not significant. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The researchers of this study used a mixed-methods approach to understand issues of rural special education teacher burnout. Results of survey responses ( n = 64) and follow-up focus group interviews ( n = 12) from rural special education teachers indicated several factors contributing to stress and burnout. Teachers noted that lack of clarity in their roles, too many facets to the roles, emotional exhaustion, and lack of accomplishment contributed to their perceptions. Good working relationships with colleagues and administrators, building relationships with students, and a high level of self-advocacy were noted as helping to maintain mental health and a work–life balance. Possible steps to alleviate risk factors of rural special education teacher burnout are discussed.

This article reports the results of a randomized controlled trial that replicated and extended research on the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI), a professional development program for kindergarten and first-grade teachers in low-wealth rural schools that helps enhance literacy skills of struggling readers. In weekly webcam coaching sessions, literacy coaches delivered real-time feedback to classroom teachers as they worked one-on-one with struggling readers. Teachers worked with 1 child for 15 minutes a day for 6 to 8 weeks before moving to another struggling reader. Hierarchical linear models replicated previous findings that struggling readers in TRI treatment classrooms showed greater gains in early literacy compared with struggling readers in control classrooms. This study extended previous TRI work by examining whether teachers who received a second year of TRI training produced greater gains for their students compared with their first year. Results showed no advantage of teachers' 2-year TRI participation.

A workshop with virtual consultation practice-based professional development model for self-regulated strategy development persuasive writing instruction was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. Nineteen general education teachers and 564 Grade 5 and 6 students in 16 low-wealth rural schools participated. Following training, teachers provided instruction in their inclusive classrooms. Results indicated that students receiving instruction improved in the number of persuasive elements and words written when compared with students in the control group. Differences in element type were evaluated with largest effects noted for reasons and explanations. Student group differences were noted with nonstruggling students having greater gains than struggling students.

Although evidence of negative associations between early literacy development and children’s behavior problems exists, the field still lacks an understanding of the complicated links between these two areas. Children’s gender has often not been included in much of the extant research as a potential moderating variable, yet gender differences may provide insights into the nuanced relationship between early literacy development and maladaptive behaviors. Results from the current study of 472 kindergarten and first-grade children suggested that compared with nonstruggling readers, teachers rated struggling readers as higher on internalizing behaviors and hyperactivity/inattention, but not externalizing behaviors, when accounting for children’s socioeconomic status. Furthermore, higher levels of internalizing behaviors and hyperactivity/inattention in struggling readers predicted lower reading scores at the end of the school year across a variety of domains, but these negative effects were more prominent for young boys. Implications for early intervention are discussed.

Increasingly, coaching-based professional development models are used to support classroom teachers' implementation of the literacy interventions. Research suggests that these models may positively impact classroom teachers' self-efficacy, which is critical to effective literacy instruction. The current study uses the context of a coaching-based professional model, the Targeted Reading Intervention, to examine how changes in three measures of teachers' sense of efficacy related to changes in students' literacy outcomes. Multilevel models suggest a significant and positive association between teachers' classroom management efficacy and students' growth in literacy skills. Both directions for future research and implications for practitioners are discussed.