The authors draw on their experiences as a developmental psychologist and as a teacher educator to provide ways for teachers to create positive child-teacher relationships and classroom climates. This forward-looking volume applies attachment theory to child-teacher relationships...explores strategies that teachers can use to foster positive student behavior...provides narrative examples from early childhood classrooms serving primarily low-income children of color...and uses stories from exemplary classrooms as well as those in which teachers are struggling with relationships.

Early childhood education programs are expected to provide exemplary care for all children - poor and affluent, children of colour and White children - while also adapting care to include children's families and cultures. These two sets of expectations are often difficult for teachers and programs to meet. In this book, Carollee Howes shows how high-quality programs successfully adapt child development guidelines within cultural contexts, and why quality needs to be and can be measured in culturally specific ways.

Professional development practices that really improve child outcomes--that's what every early childhood education program needs. With this authoritative research volume, administrators and policy makers will discover the latest findings on best professional development practices--and learn how to scale up successful efforts across an entire district or state.

Based on the annual leadership symposium of the National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (NCRECE), this book is a must for anyone engaged in high-level efforts to ensure teacher quality. Through clear explanations of cutting-edge research from two dozen respected contributors, readers will

• investigate specific, field-tested professional development (PD) models that improved both teacher practice and child outcomes (with a spotlight on Robert Pianta's effective MyTeachingPartner framework)
• learn how these models helped educators teach academic content areas (early literacy, math, and science) and improve children's social-emotional skills
• examine positive teacher attributes that PD efforts should target, such as increased self-regulation skills and reduced cognitive overload
• discover success strategies for scaling up professional development efforts through existing infrastructure and more investment in teacher quality (includes an extended case study on a comprehensive PD program in Texas)
• explore the policy implications of the professional development interventions described in this volume

Essential reading for early childhood administrators, policy makers, and researchers, this important book will help bring about widespread improvements in professional development programs--key to advancing teacher quality and better outcomes for young children.

Improving teacher quality in early education is a major part of ensuring young children's school readiness and closing the achievement gap. This is the book decision-makers and administrators need to begin developing coordinated, effective teacher quality systems--ones that not only get teachers ready for the classroom, but also promote continuous learning of new skills and strategies. Edited by renowned ECE experts Carollee Howes and Robert Pianta, this book is the first effort to integrate at a state level three critical components of teacher quality: Early Childhood Education Competencies, Professional Development, and Quality Rating Systems (see below). After an in-depth exploration of all three components and their role in high-quality education, readers will get detailed analyses of how six states are making progress toward integrating them. Through case studies on each state--Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania--readers will examine the diverse approaches these systems are taking to determine early childhood education competencies and systematically link them with professional development and quality rating systems (QRS) develop and manage the structure, content, and delivery of effective professional development establish the staff qualifications required at each QRS level, encourage teachers to move beyond basic licensing requirements organize and direct their funds provide incentives and motivation for staff participation in professional development create clear partnerships between state organizations to promote integration of systems and more A call-to-action volume on three of the hottest topics in ECE, Foundations for Teaching Excellence represents today's best thinking about teacher quality and accountability, straight from 20 expert researchers, program directors, and leaders in the ECE policy field. Decision-makers and administrators will consider this book an essential reference as they take the first steps toward statewide, integrated teacher quality systems--and ensure that every young child gets the best possible education. Promote state-level integration of Early Childhood Education Competencies (ECEC). Define the knowledge and skills teachers need to be successful. Professional Development (PD). Help teachers acquire those critical skills and knowledge. Quality Rating Systems (QRS). Implement accountability mechanisms that encourage higher levels of competence.

High-quality pre-K that really improves children's outcomes--that's the goal early childhood professionals will work toward with this groundbreaking text, the first volume in the NEW National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (NCRECE) series. Combining the most current knowledge of top researchers, policy makers, and federal and state officials, this book examines where pre-K is today and inspires decision-makers with concrete examples of successful programs.

With this in-depth examination of the latest research and practice, readers will be better prepared to

• make a compelling argument for supporting high-quality pre-K, articulating how it boosts children's school readiness and academic performance
• address the complex challenges of expanding pre-K at the national and state level
• understand the pros and cons of different types of pre-K programs: universal vs. targeted, whole day vs. part day, centralized vs. local, one curriculum vs. many
• make informed decisions about the most important issues in program development
• To find out what's already working in pre-K program development, readers will get an inside look at five successful state-level programs in New York, Maryland, Louisiana, Georgia, and North Carolina. Through detailed analyses of each program's characteristics, these extended case examples give decision-makers a template for effective, child-centered early education.

  An essential resource for policy makers, researchers, and teacher educators, this important volume will help early childhood professionals make progress toward their ultimate goal: pre-K that responds to children's changing needs, helps close the achievement gap, and ensures school readiness.

  Critical insights on key issues in pre-K program development:

  • program funding
  • adherence to early learning standards
  • assessment of both children and program quality
  • teacher preparation
  • class size
  • curriculum selection
  • technical assistance and other infrastructure needs