Infusing Diversity in Preservice Infusing Diversity in Preservice Education: One Way to Address Education: One Way to Address

System ImprovementSystem Improvement

Camille Catlett

FPG Child Development Institute

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Susan Maude, University of Vermont

Susan Moore, UC-Boulder

Sylvia Sánchez

George Mason University

PurposePurpose

Research QuestionsResearch Questions

• Does participation in Crosswalks produce a significant increase in the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of participants about cultural and linguistic diversity?

– Faculty and Students

• Does participation in Crosswalks produce an increased emphasis on cultural and linguistic diversity in coursework, fieldwork and program practices in participating B-K programs?

• Does participation in Crosswalks yield changes in how faculty members, family members and community partners collaborate to support the B-K program?

InterventionIntervention

Areas of Targeted ChangeAreas of Targeted Change

Program Practices

PracticaCoursework

Essential AlliesEssential Allies

• Campus Partners– Faculty– Administrators– Students (current and former)

• Family Partners

• Community Partners

• State Partners

Unit of StudyUnit of Study

State-approved, blended (early childhood/early childhood special education) preservice programs offering bachelor's level Birth-Kindergarten (B-K) licensure in North Carolina

ParticipantsParticipants

• Partner ProgramsPartner Programs – Six B-K programs provided input and feedback on the process and design.

• Experimental ProgramsExperimental Programs*– Two B-K programs

• Control ProgramsControl Programs* – Three B-K programs

*consisting of faculty, administrators, community college faculty, family members, teachers, community agency representatives, program graduates.

Supports for Experimental SitesSupports for Experimental Sites

Two-day needs assessment and planning process to identify strengths, challenges and needed CLAD-related changes in program coursework and practica

Crosswalks TalksCrosswalks Talks

• Professional development days on evidence-based content and instructional strategies – Language and Culture: Respecting

Family Choices – Using Instructional Dilemmas to

Explore Issues of Culture and Social Justice

Crosswalks Care PackagesCrosswalks Care Packages

• Bi-monthly electronic deliveries of resources related to diversity– Content– Instructional strategies– Professional development opportunities

Crosswalks ToolboxCrosswalks Toolbox

• Resources that address key areas of early childhood or early intervention content AND diversity

• Videos, articles, syllabi and other resources for increasing the emphasis on cultural and linguistic diversity in your work

• www.fpg.unc.edu/~scpp/crosswalks/toolbox/

National Standards for IndexingNational Standards for Indexing

• Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Recommended Practices

• Head Start Child Outcomes • National Association for the Education of Young

Children DEC/CEC content standards• National Board of Professional Teaching Standards

Also search by . . .Also search by . . .

•Tool type (e.g., activity, assignment, teaching case, syllabus)

•Resource type (e.g., book, video, DVD, CD, PDF/web, article)

•Topic (e.g., assessment, literacy, math/science, emotional/social)

•ALL online resources (n=83)

What did we measure?What did we measure?

Measures – Measures – Dependent VariablesDependent Variables

• Campus- Community Partners– Values, Beliefs:

CMAS – Knowledge, Skills,

and Instructional Strategies: CAKSkIS

– Coursework, Practica, & Program Evaluation: CCPPE

• Students– Demographics– Values, Beliefs:

CMAS*– Knowledge & Skills:

CASKS*– Coursework,

Practica, & Program Evaluation: CCPPE*

*Student VersionInstruments (italics)

Measures – QualitativeMeasures – QualitativeIn ProcessIn Process

• In-depth interviews, focus groups, open-ended items on instruments – leading to case studies– Faculty– Student– Crosswalks Staff

• Document Analysis– Syllabi, Handbooks, Types of TA requested– Other

Measures - OtherMeasures - Other

– Formative feedback on training and technical assistance, used for continuous improvement efforts, obtained throughout the intervention

MethodsMethods

• Randomized Assignment to Intervention

• Pretest/Posttest

• Retrospective Post

• ANOVAs***

• Significance Level (.05)

What did we learn?What did we learn?

Participant DemographicsParticipant DemographicsCampus-Community PartnersCampus-Community Partners

44/49 (90%)44/49 (90%)

• Experimental Sites: N = 25/27– Two experimental Sites

• Experimental #1 n = 13/14• Experimental #2 n = 12/13

• Control Sites: N = 19/22– Three control Sites

• Control #1 n = 8/8• Control #2 n = 6/9• Control #3 n = 5/5

14%

0%

73%

0%

11%2%

Native American Asian/Pacific Islander Caucasian

Hispanic/latino African American Other

Campus/Community PartnersRace/Ethnicity

•Female - 41

•Male - 3

Student ParticipantsStudent Participants100/115 (87%)100/115 (87%)

• Experimental Sites: N = 57– Two experimental Sites

• Experimental #1 n = 28• Experimental #2 n = 29

• Control Sites: N = 43– Three control Sites

• Control #1 n = 11• Control #2 n = 28• Control #3 n = 4

StudentRace/Ethnicity

N=100

11%

1%

72%

4%

11%1%

Native American Asian/Pacific Islander Caucasian

Hispanic/Latino African American Other

99 Female1 Male

Status in the B-K ProgramStatus in the B-K Program

• Need Bachelor’s Degree 58

• Have BA need B-K Degree 11

• Have BA need B-K Licensure 21

• Licensed need Preschool

Add-on License 8

Participation FormatParticipation Format

• All face-to-face (on and off campus)– 38%

• All through technology (online, distance, ITV)– 20%

• Face-to-face AND technology– 42%

Campus-Community PartnersCampus-Community PartnersImpact ResultsImpact Results

CMAS, CAKSkIS, CCPPECMAS, CAKSkIS, CCPPE• Positive effects:

(a) an increase in knowledge and skills related to supporting young children who are cultural, linguistic and ability diverse by participating faculty, (b) an increased emphasis on cultural and linguistic diversity in coursework, fieldwork and program practices in participating B-K programs, and (c) changes in how faculty members and community partners collaborate to support the B-K program

Results across multiple measures were also significant at p > .05 level (Catlett, Maude, & Corso, 2006).

Qualitative ResultsQualitative Results

• “The emphasis I place on cultural and linguistic diversity in my work is a constant now; not just a fleeting thought but as looking through a lens.”– Faculty Member

• “It has changed the way I think about teaching. With every activity, I think about how I can incorporate diversity and Crosswalks has provided so many wonderful resources that I can usually find something easily to incorporate into my plans.” – Faculty Member

Student Impact ResultsStudent Impact ResultsCMAS, CASKS, CCPPECMAS, CASKS, CCPPE

• To a more limited degree, students in the experimental group also reported some statistically significant changes as compared to students in the control group.

• Some of the areas in which the experimental group reported significant change included:

– (a) knowledge on how to design learning experiences so children are exposed to multiple cultures and languages;

– (b) knowledge on how to engage and support interpreters, cultural mediators, and translators;

– (c) beliefs about the responsibility of ECI professionals to be aware of the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of those they serve and teach; and

– (4) having practica/field experiences with diverse children and families.

– Results across multiple measures were also significant at p > .05 level (Catlett et al., 2006).

• “Many [students] have stated that the assignment to work with a young English Language Learner was the most beneficial of all the field assignments they have completed in their teacher education experience. Results such as these prove to me that you and your team are on the right track to prepare effective teachers for the future.”

Formative FeedbackFormative Feedbackon Training and Technical on Training and Technical

AssistanceAssistanceCrosswalks Summative Feedback

4.8 4.74.9 4.9 4.9

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Training TA Informationand Materials

Organization Overall

Overall Categories

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Quote Supporting Quote Supporting Information and MaterialsInformation and Materials

• “So many resources have found their way into classes. Many times when I want to include materials in classes, I have to search and search to find the right article, book, DVD, etc. Participating in Crosswalks has given me resources at my fingertips, with tons of ideas to choose from!” – Faculty Member

Formative FeedbackFormative Feedbackon Training and Technical on Training and Technical

AssistanceAssistanceCrosswalks Summative Feedback

4.7 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.64.3

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Specific Category of Support

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• Care Packages

www.fpg.unc.edu/~scpp/crosswalks/pages/carepackages.cfm

• Crosswalks Talkswww.fpg.unc.edu/~scpp/crosswalks/pages/carepackages.cfm pages/crosswalktalks.cfm

WIIFM?WIIFM?

Crosswalks Web SiteCrosswalks Web Site

http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~scpp/crosswalks/

• Research

• Participants

• Resources– Crosswalks Talks– Care Packages

Crosswalks National InstituteCrosswalks National Institute

• July 12-14, 2007• Asheville, North Carolina• Resources and instructional strategies for

increasing the emphasis on cultural, linguistic and ability diversity in early childhood and early childhood special education preservice programs

• Contact Camille Catlett for details– camille@mail.fpg.unc.edu

Next stepsNext steps

Proposal submitted to IES to develop and test an intervention for addressing both content (language, literacy, social/emotional) and context (cultural, linguistic and ability diversity)