Among 440 early childhood teachers, half were randomly assigned to take a 14-week course on effective teacher-child interactions. This course used the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) as the basis to organize, describe, and demonstrate effective teacher-child interactions. Compared to teachers in a control condition, those exposed to the course reported more intentional teaching beliefs and demonstrated greater knowledge of and skills in detecting effective interactions. Furthermore, teachers who took the course were observed to demonstrate more effective emotional and instructional interactions. The course was equally effective across teachers with less than an associate's degree as well as those with advanced degrees. Results have implications for efforts to improve the quality of early childhood programs through the higher education system. Keywords: early childhood education | professional development | teacher-child interactions | randomized-control trial | coursework Article: Despite substantial investments, the promise of early childhood education in the United States is not being realized-poor children continue to enter kindergarten far behind their more well-off peers (Jacobson-Chernoff, Flanagan, McPhee, & Park, 2007;Johnson, 2002; National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2000). Although there are many reasons, recent evidence suggests that the mediocre quality of teacher-child interactions within early childhood settings plays a significant role, particularly in relation to children's development of literacy and language skills

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This research used the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care database of 1,364 children to identify children at 3 years of age who could generally be characterized as exhibiting specific language impairment. Seventy-three identified children were classified into 2 groups on the basis of standardized assessment of language skills at 4.5 years: children whose language impairment had resolved (n = 33) versus those whose language impairment persisted (n = 40). A logistic regression model using measures of maternal sensitivity, maternal depression, child externalizing behaviors, child health history, family income-to-needs ratio, and quality of home environment was used to predict group membership. Maternal sensitivity and maternal depression contributed significantly to the prediction model for group membership. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical and clinical implications.

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Preparing students in the early childhood field to work with children both with and without disabilities and to collaborate with different professionals is an important endeavor for colleges and universities. The purpose of this paper is to articulate a unique model of program collaboration between early childhood special education and early childhood regular education that demonstrates a cohesive preservice teacher education program across two departments within one university. This unique 10-year history of interdisciplinary collaboration and team teaching provides insights into many of the benefits and challenges of this type of program. This paper presents an historical overview of the development of this collaborative program and describes the logistics of operating an interdisciplinary program at the administrative level. Information collected from faculty and students illustrates the benefits and challenges of team teaching. Finally, strategies for developing a successful program are discussed.