How Policies and Policy Actors Shape the Pre-K Borderland: Implications for Early Childhood Educators’ Work Experiences

Abstract

Background/Context: Public prekindergarten (pre-K) is increasingly common in U.S. public schools. The policy decision to house pre-K classrooms in public schools places pre-K teachers in a “borderland of practice,” where the separate worlds of the early childhood and K–12 systems collide. Borderland work has implications for pre-K teachers’ job satisfaction, professional identities, and sense of belonging. Focus of Study: The purpose of this study was to understand how pre-K borderlands come to be constituted and how features of the borderland shape the lived experiences of school-based pre-K teachers. The context for the study was Michigan’s state-funded pre-K program, Great Start Readiness Program. We drew on scholarship in border studies to conceptualize the pre-K borderland as the space around the borders separating early childhood education (ECE) and K–12 systems. We sought to understand how the pre-K borderland was shaped by policies and policy actors and the implications this had for pre-K teachers’ work experiences and well-being. Research Design: This comparative case study was conducted in two Michigan counties during the 2017–2018 school year. Data included interviews and focus groups with district officials (12), interviews with pre-K teachers (28), and interviews with principals (10) and kindergarten teachers (13). Findings: Results indicate that school districts in Michigan provided pre-K through two main implementation models: elementary school and district early learning centers (ELCs). This complicates previous literature that equates school-based pre-K with the elementary model. We found that pre-K teachers in both settings faced challenges that negatively affected their work experiences and well-being. All teachers, regardless of implementation model, struggled to build professional connections with elementary school colleagues. Many also felt unsupported by administrators who lacked an understanding of pre-K. Teachers in elementary buildings had to navigate conflicting policies and building colleagues who perceived their work as “just playing.” Pre-K teachers in district ELCs faced compensation disparities that resulted in low morale and threatened to push them out of pre-K. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that neither borderland—elementary school, district ELC—was ideal, suggesting that the solution to better supporting pre-K teachers does not lie in simply altering one aspect of their work experience. Conclusions/Recommendations: School-based pre-K has multiple meanings and multiple borderlands of practice. Across these borderlands, we note the significance of classroom location decisions, teacher compensation, administrator support, and policy (in)compatibility. We advocate for (1) intentionality around the placement of pre-K classrooms within school districts, (2) compensation parity between pre-K and elementary teachers, (3) increased attention to opportunities for collaboration and professional development, and (4) fostering elementary principals’ understanding of early childhood education so they can better support pre-K teachers.

Pre-K teachers’ professional identity development at community-based organizations during universal Pre-K expansion in New York City

“…These disparities are fractures within the system related to CBO teachers’ PD, salary disparities, and an added requirement for credentialing. These perpetuate inequities in workforce development which is consistent with Wilinski’s ( 2017 ) findings. For instance, opportunities for professional learning and career ladders are secured for public school teachers by the DOE, yet these are not guaranteed for CBO teachers (Reid et al, 2018 ).…”

“…It is, therefore, important that all teachers are provided with PD opportunities and able to participate in them to shape their professional identities in the midst of policy changes. Wilinski ( 2017 ), however, describes the unequal variability of access to opportunities for PD experiences based on school settings (public district school or community-based childcare center) due to inflexibility caused by program scheduling and low adult coverage, as a result of Wisconsin’s statewide universal Pre-K program policy. While teachers who are not provided PD opportunities fail to learn about policy reform and recommended practices that are directly related to accountability, they are also excluded from their professional communities that might help them develop stronger relationships with their peers and colleagues (Akaba et al, 2020a ).…”

Book Review: Reshaping universal preschool: Critical perspectives on power and policy by Lucinda G Heimer and Ann Elizabeth Ramminger

“…The publication of Reshaping Universal Preschool comes as early childhood education is returning the spotlight to “school readiness” as a panacea for addressing the “underperformance” in US K–12 education (Altun, 2018; Gupta and Lucia, 2019; Nxumalo and Brown, 2020; Russo et al, 2019). This book aligns with the conversations among policymakers, educators, parents, and other stakeholders as to how to confront the opportunity gap and establish equity in education and life outcomes for all children (Michael-Luna and Grey, 2019; Wilinski, 2017).…”

Early Childhood Teachers’ Inclusion in Their Elementary School’s Social-Emotional Multitiered System of Supports: A Mixed Methods Study

“…Furthermore, preschool teachers may feel isolated in their school, as many elementary schools only have one preschool or Pre-K classroom (Little, 2020). In addition to feeling separate, some school-based preschool teachers perceive their work as being less valued within the elementary school context (Wilinski, 2017).…”