In the News

In the News

The latest news and articles that highlights our research and collaborative work

Missing Out: Kindergarten Teachers’ Reports of Soft Exclusionary Discipline Practices

Amanda P. Williford, Pilar Alamos, Jessica E. Whittaker & Maria R. Accavitti
Early Education and Development
December, 2023

This study examined teachers’ self-reported use of classroom-based soft exclusionary discipline practices with kindergarten students whom they perceived as displaying the lowest self-regulation and social skills. Findings highlight the importance of better understanding the range and types of exclusionary discipline practices used with young students, and which children are most likely to experience them.

Patterns of children's readiness at school entry and their association with kindergarten academic and social-emotional outcomes: Do classroom interactions matter?

Jessica E. Whittaker, Tara Hofkens, Virginia E. Vitiello, Robert C. Pianta, Jamie DeCoster, Arya Ansari
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
November, 2023

This study identifies children with certain clusters of readiness skills at kindergarten entry and explore whether high-quality teacher-child interactions may be especially critical for particular students.

Narrowing the Research-to-Practice Gap in Effective Professional Development in a State Preschool Program: Describing the Process and Findings from a Research-Practice Partnership

Ann Partee, Amanda Williford, Jason Downer, Jenna Conway, Erin Carroll
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
October, 2023

This study describes the implementation and findings from a consultation process designed to enhance the professional development (PD) offered to teachers working in Virginia’s state-funded preschool program.

Curiosity in Classrooms: An Examination of Curiosity Promotion and Suppression in Preschool Math and Science Classrooms

Natalie S. Evans, Ryan Burke, Virginia Vitiello, Sharon Zumbrunn, Jamie Jirout
Thinking Skills and Creativity
September, 2023

Curiosity is an important driver of student’s learning and school is a promising venue for promoting curiosity through social interactions between teachers and students. This article explore how this critical life skill can be measured and promoted.

UVA-Built Data System Linking Virginia’s Early Childhood Care and Education Resources Will Expand Statewide this Fall

Audrey Breen
UVA School of Education News
September 11, 2023

UVA researchers and Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) partners will scale the novel data system to better understand and improve access to quality early childcare across the Commonwealth.

Considerations For High-Quality Pre-K Curriculum Implementation

Nicole Hsu
New America
April, 2023

What does a high-quality Pre-K curriculum implementation look like? This article highlights the importance of an integrated birth-to-five approach that offers educators autonomy and support as they implement. It also emphasizes the importance of ongoing professional development opportunities.

Building a Professional Early Childhood Workforce Requires a “Compensation-First” Approach

Daphna Bassok, Laura Bellows, Anna J. Markowitz, and Kate Miller-Bains
Brookings Institute – Brown Center Chalkboard
April 11, 2023

In this commentary, researchers unpack the complexities of ECE professionalization efforts and suggest two policy solutions.

Implementation of an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Pilot in Virginia: Critical Tensions and Implications for Scale-Up

Ann Partee, Shubhi Sachdeva, Marissa A. Bivona, Kelsey A. Clayback, Sasha Miller-Marshall, Kyra Parker, Pilar Alamos, Cloe Frank, Jason T. Downer, Amanda Williford
Frontiers in Education
February, 2023

In this article, the authors describe the implementation tensions arising during the first year of a pilot ECMHC program conducted in partnership across multiple agencies and a state’s department of education.

Stability in Kindergarten Assessment Scores Could Signal Academic Recovery

Anna Bryson
Richmond Times-Dispatch
February, 2023

Virginia’s kindergartners showed slight improvement on standardized assessments this fall compared to last year’s class, which could signal academic recovery from coronavirus pandemic-related learning loss.

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