Preparing Early Childhood Educators to Teach Math: Professional Development That Works

Herbert P. Ginsburg, the Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, has conducted basic research on the development of mathematical thinking, with particular attention to young children and disadvantaged populations. He has drawn on cognitive developmental research to develop a mathematics curriculum, "Big Math for Little Kids." Rebecca E. Gomez, M.Ed., Graduate Research Fellow, National Center for Children and Families, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, Box 226, New York, New York 10027. Ms. Gomez is a doctoral student in early childhood policy at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has worked for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, and the State of New Hampshire helping to build professional development systems for early childhood education practitioners. Bridget K. Hamre, Ph.D., is Research Associate Professor in the Curry School of Education and Associate Director of University of Virginiaa s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL). Dr. Hamrea s areas of expertise include student-teacher relationships and classroom processes that promote positive academic and social development for young children, and she has authored numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts on these topics. This work documents the ways in which early teacher-child relationships are predictive of later academic and social development and the ways in which exposure to high-quality classroom social and instructional interactions may help close the achievement gap for students at risk of school failure. Dr. Hamre leads efforts to use the CLASS(TM) tool as an assessment, accountability, and professional development tool in early childhood and other educational settings. Most recently, she was engaged in the development and testing of interventions designed to improve the quality of teachersa interactions with students, including MyTeachingPartner and a 14-week course developed for early childhood teachers. Dr. Hamre received her bachelora s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her mastera s degree and doctorate in clinical and school psychology from the University of Virginia. Dr. Hyson is Affiliate Faculty Member in Applied Developmental Psychology at George Mason University. Formerly Editor-in-Chief of "Early Childhood Research Quarterly" and Associate Executive Director for Professional Development with the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Dr. Hyson has consulted in Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Bhutan through the World Bank and Save the Children. Sharon Lynn Kagan, Ed.D., Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy and Co-director of the National Center for Children and Families, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, Box 226, New York, New York 10027. Dr. Kagan is Professor Adjunct at Yale University's Child Study Center. Through her leadership in the field and her 15 books and 250 articles, Dr. Kagan has helped shape early childhood practice and policies in the United States and in countries throughout the world. Taniesha A. Woods, Ph.D., is the director of chapter programming and research at Say Yes to Education, Inc. (Say Yes). A theme throughout her career has been studying issues related to educational equity. In Dr. Woods's role, she is developing a program of research that examines the academic, social, and emotional supports that students and their families need so that students are ready for and successful in the K-12 grades, college, and life. She also works with the Say Yes chapters using applied research to inform high-quality programming aimed at fostering scholars' academic achievement and overall well-being. Dr. Woods's early research invest"