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New Research

Below are highlights from our most recent acquisitions of research reports and journal articles. Research Connections scans its newest acquisitions, focusing on those from key organizations and journals, to identify up to ten articles of high policy relevance to feature here. To view them, click on the titles. For information about full-text access to journal articles and other resources for which full text is not available through Research Connections, see Accessing the Full Text of a Resource.

How does child care quality differ in inclusive and non-inclusive classrooms?

Differences in child care quality for children with and without disabilities
Grisham-Brown, Jennifer , 01/01/2010

This study compared child care quality between inclusive settings, or classrooms that serve one or more children with disabilities, and non-inclusive settings, which do not serve any children with disabilities. As a part of Kentucky’s KIDS NOW initiative, data related to classroom quality were gathered through surveys and interviews with directors and teachers, as well as through observations of classrooms. The results found that classrooms serving children with disabilities, or inclusion classrooms, were of higher quality than non-inclusive classrooms. Further, the observed language and literacy scores in inclusion classrooms were higher than those of non-inclusion classrooms.

How did a parent engagement intervention affect the social-emotional competencies of Head Start students?

Parent engagement and school readiness: Effects of the “Getting Ready” intervention on preschool children's social-emotional competencies
Sheridan, Susan M. , 01/01/2010

Researchers at the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools conducted a randomized trial with 220 Head Start students to examine the impact of a parent engagement intervention (Getting Ready). The intervention was created to improve children's social-emotional competence and school readiness through strategies that build parent-child and parent-professional (family-school) relationships. The study found the intervention improved interpersonal competencies (i.e., attachment, initiative) but did not affect behavioral concerns (such as anger/aggression and self-control).

Is the Banking Time intervention effective at supporting teacher-child relationships in Head Start classrooms?

Banking time in Head Start: Early efficacy of an intervention designed to promote supportive teacher-child relationships
Driscoll, Katherine C. , 01/01/2010

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Banking Time intervention, designed to improve teacher-child relationships. The intervention featured one-on-one meetings between the teacher and the child, which consist of play sessions led by the child and facilitated by the teacher. For present study, 116 children and 29 Head Start Teachers participated, with children randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. Through pre and post intervention ratings, as well as coded videotaped sessions between the teacher and the child, the study revealed the Banking Time intervention had a positive, albeit modest, effect on teacher-child relationships. Specifically, teachers felt closer with the children, and children exhibited a higher tolerance for frustration and fewer conduct problems.

How can a new biodevelopmental framework guide future early childhood policy?

Building a new biodevelopmental framework to guide the future of early childhood policy
Shonkoff, Jack P. , 01/01/2010

In this article, Dr. Jack Shonkoff challenged the field to strengthen the impact of current best practices in early childhood by applying lessons from recent advances in biological and behavioral sciences. He offered an integrated, biodevelopmental framework to promote greater understanding of the antecedents and causal pathways that lead to disparities in health, learning, and behavior in order to refine theories of change to address significant threats in the early years of life and drive innovation in early childhood policies and programs.

How does early education intervention affect outcomes in young adults who experienced cumulative risks in early childhood?

Early educational intervention, early cumulative risk, and the early home environment as predictors of young adult outcomes within a high-risk sample
Pungello, Elizabeth Puhn , 01/01/2010

This study examined the long-term effects of early educational intervention in a child care setting, multiple risk exposure occurring in the first 5 years of life (i.e., early childhood period), and the early home environment in relation to key outcomes in young adulthood. The key outcome variables in early adulthood include educational attainment, teen parenthood, criminal activity, and employment. The sample was drawn from the Abecedarian and CARE projects and consisted of individuals who were born into low-income families, almost all African American. Treatment and control groups were followed from infancy through young adulthood, 20 to 25 years of age. Findings indicated that cumulative risk during early childhood negatively predicted educational attainment, specifically high school graduation, employment, and avoidance of teen parenthood. Positive effects of participating in the intervention were found for educational attainment, specifically attending college and skilled employment. The authors suggest that within a high-risk sample, early risk exerts the greatest influence on basic accomplishments such as graduating high school, while the early intervention had the largest impact on higher-level accomplishments, such as college attendance. The findings also indicated that high quality child care buffered the treatment children against the long-term effects of a poor quality home environment on educational attainment.