Synopses & Reviews
The school readiness of young dual language learners depends on high-quality preschool programs that meet their needs— but how should schools promote and measure the progress of children learning two languages? Find out what the research says in this authoritative resource, which investigates the experiences of dual language learners in preschool classrooms and the policy implications of these critical findings.
The most comprehensive, up-to-date research volume on this topic, this book is a must for policy makers and administrators serving the growing number of dual language learners in today's classrooms. Presenting the eye-opening results of their observational studies of early education classrooms, more than 25 experts give readers the invaluable insights they'll need to
- assess the quality of instruction and classroom practices with sensitive, reliable measurement tools
- identify and strengthen factors that contribute to the development of English language proficiency
- determine whether instruction in children's home language helps them develop school readiness skills
- ensure a culturally responsive classroom environment that promotes gains in both languages
- support the teacher-child relationship, vital to promoting language and literacy development
- understand and improve the early learning experiences of low-income dual language learners
- shape future research efforts and policy decisions with a helpful synthesis of the research in this volume
With this compendium of current research— sure to influence preschool practices for years to come— policy makers and administrators will have the foundational knowledge they need to ensure a high-quality, appropriate education for young children learning two languages.
Review
"A much-needed framework and tools for identifying the critical processes that characterize quality educational environments for young dual language learners. This book is a very important step towards the improvement of the educational outcomes of young DLLs." Cristina Gillanders, Ph.D.
Synopsis
Enhance the school readiness of young dual language learners with this comprehensive research volume, filled with the baseline knowledge readers need to promote and measure the progress of children learning two languages.
About the Author
Jason T. Downer, Ph.D., is a senior research scientist at the University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning in Charlottesville. He is a clinical–community psychologist whose work focuses on the identification and understanding of contextual and relational contributors to young at-risk children's early achievement and social competence. Specifically, Dr. Downer is interested in the role of fathers in children's early learning, as well as the development of observational methods to capture valid, reliable estimates of teacher–child interactions in prekindergarten through elementary classrooms. Dr. Downer also has a keen interest in translating research-to-practice through school-based, classroom-focused interventions.
Ellen C. Frede, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Early Learning, Research, and Training, Acelero Learning, Inc., 63 West 125th Street, 6th Floor, New York, New York 10027. Until recently, Dr. Frede served as Co-director at the National Institute for Early Education Research. She is a developmental psychologist who specializes in research to inform policy and practice and helped design and administer New Jersey's successful Abbott Preschool Program.
Carollee Howes, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for Improving Child Care Quality, Department of Education, and a professor of the Applied Developmental Psychology doctorate program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Howes is an internationally recognized developmental psychologist focusing on children's social and emotional development. She has served as a principal investigator on a number of seminal studies in early child care and preschool education, including the National Child Care Staffing Study; the Family and Relative Care Study; the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study; and the National Study of Child Care in Low Income Families.
Dr. Howes has been active in public policy for children and families in California as well as across the United States. Her research focuses on children's experiences in child care, their concurrent and long-term outcomes from child care experiences, and child care quality and efforts to improve child care quality. Dr. Howes is the editor of Teaching 4- to 8-Year-Olds: Literacy, Math, Multiculturalism, and Classroom Community (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2003) and the coeditor of The Promise of Pre-K (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2009) and Foundations for Teaching Excellence: Connecting Early Childhood Quality Rating, Professional Development, and Competency Systems in States (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2011).
Dr. Michael López is Executive Director of the National Center for Latino Child and Family Research, which is dedicated to research on issues relevant to practices and policies affecting the lives of Latino children and families. Previously, Dr. López directed the Child Outcomes Research and Evaluation team in the Administration for Children and Families, where he managed a number of largescale national, Head Start research studies, including the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey; the Head Start Transition Evaluation; and the National Head Start Impact Study, a nationally representative, randomized study examining the impact of Head Start on children’s school readiness. Dr. López’s current work is focused on applied policy research and programmatic activities on such topics as early childhood care and education; language and literacy development; bilingual education; early childhood prevention and intervention programs; and young children’s mental health, with an emphasis on at-risk, low-income, and/or culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
Dr. Susan Landry, a nationally recognized expert in early childhood education, is the founder and director of the Children’s Learning Institute. Dr. Landry’s research into environme
Table of Contents
Series Preface
About the Editors
About the Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Classroom Experiences and Learning Outcomes for Dual Language Learning Children: An Early Childhood Agenda for Educators and Policy Makers… Eugene E. GarcÃa
I Describing the Classroom Experiences of Dual Language Learners
- Experiences of Low-Income Dual Language Learning Preschoolers in Diverse Early Learning Settings
Allison Sidle Fuligni and Carollee Howes
- The Importance of Sensitive Measurement Tools for Understanding What Instructional Practices Promote School Readiness for Dual Language Learners
Emily J. Solari, Susan H. Landry, Tricia A. Zucker, and April D. Crawford
- Preschool Classroom Experiences of Dual Language Learners: Summary of Findings from Publicly Funded Programs in 11 States
Virginia E. Vitiello, Jason T. Downer, and Amanda P. Williford
- The Role of Teacherâ€"Child Relationships in Spanish-Speaking Dual Language Learners’ Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years
Youngok Jung, Carollee Howes, Deborah Parrish, Heather Quick, Karen Manship, and Alison Hauser
II Describing the Language and Literacy Practices in Classrooms with Dual Language Learners
- The Language Interaction Snapshot (LISn): A New Observational Measure for Assessing Language Interactions in Linguistically Diverse Early Childhood Programs
Sally Atkins-Burnett, Susan Sprachman, Michael López, Margaret Caspe, and Katie Fallin
- Using the Observation Measures of Language and Literacy Instruction (OMLIT) to Characterize Early Literacy Classrooms— Focus on Dual Language Learners
Carolyn Layzer and Kenyon R. Maree
- The Classroom Assessment of Supports for Emergent Bilingual Acquisition: Psychometric Properties and Key Initial Findings from New Jersey’s Abbott Preschool Program
Margaret Freedson, Alexandra Figueras-Daniel, Ellen Frede, Kwanghee Jung, and John Sideris
Conclusion: Early Childhood Classrooms Serving English/Spanish Dual Language Learning Children: An Afterword... Carollee Howes
Index