Research Around the World

The European Early Childhood Education Research Association offers journals and research in the field of early childhood education.  This site provides information about research on learning, program improvement, and individual learning strategies.  The site allows people to search for various topics in its back catalog.  I chose to search for language programs for Hispanics because I am researching bilingual programs for Hispanic children.  The site returned a list of journals based on Hispanics in education.  Therefore, I plan to use this site in the future for research information.

 References’

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA). Retrieved from

http://www.eecera.org/

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Research benefits families because it provides strategies and solutions that empower families to create change.  I read a research study where the achievement gap was studied, and it was determined that the quality of teachers and attention to student needs could reduce the achievement gap.  In another research, poverty was addressed by creating programs that assist low-income parents in education.  These research projects made it possible for educators to improve the quality of education in schools.  Although further research is needed to combat poverty and the achievement gap, the current research has provided a foundation for the future.

Slaby, R., Loucks, S., & Stelwagon, P. (2005). Why is preschool essential in closing the achievement gap? Educational Leadership & Administration: Teaching & Program Development, 1747-57.

Teale, W. H., Paciga, K. A., & Hoffman, J. L. (2007). Beginning reading instruction in urban schools: The curriculum gap ensures a continuing achievement gap. Reading Teacher, 61(4), 344-348.

Personal Research Journey

Bilingual educatoin is a growing concern in public education.  Families are more diverse, and there is a growing Hispanic population in my own area.  As a result, teachers in the Head Start program are not equipped to work with bilingual children or children needing ESL programs.  Currently, there are only four teachers in the Head Start program that speak a second language.  Three of these teachers speak Spanish and are overloaded with Spanish speaking children.  Therefore, I would like to research the benefits of bilingual education in the early childhood learning environment.