Mark Nagasawa
This is the summary report for the second year of the Listening to Teachers Study which asks how early childhood educators in New York City (NYC) have been faring through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The exploratory, mixed methods study’s purpose has been to seek deeper understandings of what NYC’s early care and education (ECE) workforce has experienced during the Pandemic to inform decision-making about the city's future ECE systems by raising issues for reflection and action-oriented discussion.
Myra Rosenbaum
This report summarizes recent developments in Early care and Education (ECE) in New York City. Some issues discussed include the increase in funding, disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and new City ECE initiatives. Additionally, it makes suggestions for future changes needed to strengthen the City's ECE system.
Rachel Abenavoli, Jessica Siegel, Natalia Rojas, Pamela Morris-Perez, Elise Cappella
This report summarizes findings from research by New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development in partnership with the NYC Public Schools’ Division of Early Childhood Education (DECE). The study examins professional learning (PL) experiences of New York City (NYC) early childhood educators during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). Through surveys and one-on-one interviews, the research team gathered broad and deep information about “outside-in” and “inside-out” PL experiences. “Outside-in” PL includes learning provided by external sources (e.g., group-based training series, individualized coaching), while “inside-out” PL describes support among colleagues (e.g., teacher-teacher interactions).
Sarika S. Gupta & Xiaohan Zhu
This brief was shared with The NYC Department of Education during a briefing held in November 2023. It summarizes initial findings and recommendations from the Disparities in NYC Preschool Program Ecologies, Equitable Referrals, and Inclusive Practice study.
Sarika Gupta, Gregory Cheatham, Natasha Strassfeld, Xiaohan Zhu, Cristina Medellin, & Mark Nagasawa
Abstract
Our team was awarded a grant by a private organization in partnership with a local research network to examine disparities in the special education referrals and services provided to young children in New York City (NYC). Our convergent mixed-methods study is exploring how the NYC preschool ecology—consisting of process, people and their positionalities, and practices—influences teachers’ decisions to refer and include minoritized young children who are at risk for or have developmental delays or disabilities. In this colloquium we: (1) describe key issues in the US and the NYC contexts that led to this design; (2) present the study methodology, including its theoretical underpinnings; and (3) discuss implications for systems change in NYC.
Citation
Gupta, S. S., Cheatham, G. A., Strassfeld, N., Zhu, X., Medellin, C., & Nagasawa, M. (2024). Examining the ecology of preschool inclusion in New York City: A mixed-methods study underway. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14639491241229229
Rachel Abenavoli, Natalia Rojas, Rebecca Unterman, Elise Cappella, Josh Wallack, & Pamela Morris
This article explores what can be gained from research-practice partnerships in Early Childhood Education (ECE). Through discussing their partnership with NYC Department of Education during the expansion of its universal pre-k initiative, they argue that these types of partnerships offer a unique opportunity for researchers to address larger questions in ECE. They suggest recommendations for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners considering this type of research.
Jill Gandhi, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Chloe Cargill, Eunho Cha, Matthew Maury, Kathryn Neckerman, Schuyler Ross, & Jane Waldfogel
This report examines the participation in New York City's Universal Pre-K for All program during the years 2018-2021. Data evaluated includes applications, enrollment, and attendance. The report provides insight into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on participation by comparing pre-pandemic and pandemic trends.
Vivian Tseng
Vivian Tseng, president of the Foundation for Child Development, discusses in this essay the role research-practice-partnerships (RPPs) can play in advancing research related to social justice for children and families. Tseng argues that intentionality in research design is key for RPPs. In this essay, she suggests three design principles for RPPs: centering children marginalized by oppression, embracing historical perspectives, and contending with power asymmetries.