Bridging research and practice: Using multiagency collaboration to guide practice and influence policy

through research

Shannon Riley-Ayers, Ph.D.Alexandra Figueras DanielLisa Markman-Pithers, Ph.D.

Presented at the National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development 2011

Agenda• Inception of the Preschool Research Network• Application process• Year 1- Exploration• Year 2- Professional Development• Year 3- Research Plan• Cohort 2 • Developing your own collaborative network• Chutes and Ladders

Collaboration

• Education Research Section Princeton University (ERS)

• National Institute for Early Education Research Rutgers University (NIEER)

• Department of Early Childhood Education, NJDOE (DECE)

• Local Districts with preschool programs

Purpose of the PRN

• A small, diverse group of NJ districts committed to processing and disseminating information as well as conducting research to guide preschool policies and practice with a special focus on English Language Learners (ELL).

WWYS?

What would you study?

Our Beginning• Asked districts to apply to participate in the

PRN and commit to the network– 3 participants from each district– One with sufficient decision-making ability– Support from board/superintendent – Background on district• Classrooms/children/teachers• ELL population• Current initiatives• Assessment/curriculum• Expectations for the PRN/rationale for applying

Asked the districts why they were applying

– Interested in sharing our own data and experiences with others

– We are always looking for the newest research and policies to enhance our program

– We are interested in learning about how other districts are meeting the needs of ELL students and students with disabilities in an integrated preschool

– How to strengthen our assessment practices (i.e.: data-driven instruction, reporting to parents who speak Spanish, progress monitoring in addition to formative and summative assessments, etc)

– The PRN will provide access to research, expertise, and strategies that are responsive to our goal of maximizing the learning potential of our ELL students

Our Journey• Met several times the first year • Reviewed current research as a group• Participants read several research

articles • Districts asked teachers to complete a

survey of teacher attitudes toward ELL– Districts were surprised by results– Full range of 5 point scale for each question in

several districts

Teacher Attitude Survey– ELL parents should be encouraged to speak to

their children in English whenever possible– Enough books and other props from all children’s

home languages and cultures are present in the classroom

– The home language should be used to give directions but not for instructional purposes in the classroom

– Children should learn both English and Spanish at school

Cuellar-Klitzke, D., & Frede, E. (2010). English Language Learners Teacher Survey. The National Institute for Early Education Research

Planning as a PRN

• Jointly developed possible research questions• Reviewed research methods– Districts needed support

• Discussed feasibility (randomization)• Finalized research questions and developed a

research plan

Our Plan• Year 2– What are the PD needs of the teachers on ELL?– What impact does PD have on teachers’ attitudes

and practices toward ELL?

Determining PD Needs of Teachers

• The Self Evaluation of Supports for Emergent Bilingual Acquisition (SESEBA) was used to determine what areas teachers were most in need of developing

• Coaches were trained on the instrument • Reliability type observations were then conducted on

the first visit to ensure inter rater reliability• Observations were conducted by coaches on all

teachers that would potentially observe in the study• Members of the PRN staff then collected the

observations and read through them looking for themes and areas that might be important focal points for a workshop with teachers

SESEBA Items

Item 1: Gathering InformationItem 2: Classroom Environment and MaterialsItem 3: Planned ActivitiesItem 4: Supports for Language and Literacy Development

4.1 Teacher Talk4.2 Emergent Literacy

Item 5: Family Involvement Item 6: Social-Emotional Supports Item 7: Assessment

SESEBA Findings: Emergent Themes Across Districts

• Questioning strategies were weak and needed some suggestions

- Using strategies such as: clarifying, expanding and making personal connections to what children had said

- Strategies being used included introduction of vocabulary by saying:

• Introduction of new vocabulary - Introducing words in context or as part of

a study rather than in isolation- Revisiting words throughout the day “Do you know what a ___ is?”

SESEBA Findings: Emergent Themes Across Districts

• Family life and culture was largely missing too• A need for defining culture and how to incorporate it

into the classroom appropriately and meaningfully• Read- alouds – there was lacking evidence that

teachers knew how to read a book to a bilingual class. - Do you read it in English and then Spanish? - Do you read most in English and translate

some into Spanish? - Do you read in English but have conversations

about it in Spanish? • Also missing were strategies for English only teachers

to incorporate the home language

PD with Teachers• Professional development addressing the specific

needs of each group was presented to each district individually

• It was explained that the content of the workshop was born out of the data that were collected by their respective coaches

• Teachers were also asked to fill in the DLL Inventory: Inventory of Practices to Foster Language and Literacy Development for Young Dual Language Learners to capture pre-PD impressions of the language and literacy practices in their classrooms

• Teachers also filled out a post DLL Inventory at the conclusion of the school year

Year 3 Study 1) What effect does dual language instruction have on

children’s language (Spanish and English) and literacy skills for those children whose first language is Spanish and those whose first language is English?

2) Do children in the dual language program differ in language (Spanish and English) and literacy skills than children in an mono-language English program?

3) Is the effect of the program approach (dual language or English immersion) mediated by classroom quality?

4) Do the teachers in the dual language classroom differ in attitude and practice from those teachers in the mono-lingual classroom?

Variations by District• Program description of dual language

instruction– Classroom switching– Day switching– Percentages (scripted?)

• Randomization levels– District wide/school based– All children/all classrooms– Only new children to the program/all children– Only ELL children/all children

Impact• Educators sharing knowledge, practice, and

experience• Sharing of published research • Movement of dual language from one school

to district-wide • Implementation of a new dual language

program• Movement from English immersion to dual

language• Hiring bilingual teachers

Consider your path to build a Preschool Research Network

What are your chutes?

What are your ladders?

PRN Ladders

• “Hot” topic • Strong collaborative team• Monetary support from Education Research

Section at Princeton University• Cooperative and committed district personnel• Direct impact on district policy

PRN Chutes

• Less responsive districts• Time constraints• Future funding support• Undefined research question(s)

For more information about the Preschool Research Network Contact

Dr. Lisa Markman-Pithers lmarkman@princeton.eduAlexandra Figueras Daniel

adaniel@nieer.org Dr. Shannon Riley-Ayers

sayers@nieer.org