Quasi-Experimental Study of a Learning Collaborative to Improve Public Preschool Quality and Children's Language Outcomes in Chile

Abstract

Background Decades of research shows that early childhood interventions can positively impact children's short-and long-term health, academic and economic outcomes, but that interventions' effectiveness depend on their quality. Interest in continuous quality improvement (CQI) methods is rising among early childhood clinicians, educators and policymakers. We report on a study that integrated CQI into an existing professional development program that aimed to improve the quality of preschool education in Chile and the outcomes of participating children. Objectives To analyze how CQI methods can be applied in education to impact child development, in the context of a project centered on literacy instructional strategies supported by health, socio-emotional skills and family involvement. Methods Teachers from 40 low-income classrooms received training in instructional strategies. A subset of 18 early adopters participated in a Collaborative that taught CQI methods and facilitated shared learning. Children's language skills were assessed at the beginning and end of a 2 year period using an internationally validated test. Quasi-experimental methods ( propensity scores and inverse-propensity weighting) were used to estimate the impact of professional development in instructional strategies combined with CQI methods versus professional development in instructional strategies alone.

Improving 21st-century teaching skills: The key to effective 21st-century learners

“…We posit feedback to the teacher on his/her own teaching performance as a key deliverable of observation instruments. Thus, our focus shifts from earlier efforts that focused on utilizing classroom observation as a means for understanding and highlighting facets of teaching quality to that of identifying key contributors to teacher feedback in a cycle of continuous professional development (Arbour et al, 2015; Yoshikawa et al, 2015). However, for teachers to improve their practices, the manner in which professional feedback occurs needs to change.…”

Proposing a model for promoting Children's Health in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings

“…Thus, we invoke the work of Bryk et al (2010) on networked improvement communities and of Arbour et al. (2015) on continuous quality improvement to guide our thinking and action for a participatory approach to promoting child health. Bryk et al.…”

“…(2010) Networked Improvement Model and Arbour et al. 's (2015) continuous quality improvement (CQI) method. These ideas informed the development of an original tool, Child Health Promotion: A Toolkit for Early Childhood Education and Care Practitioners , containing a 5 Step Programme for Early Childhood Health Promotion.…”

Children, Youth and Developmental Science in the 2015‐2030 Global Sustainable Development Goals

“…Recent advances in observational assessments of the quality of classrooms have built on decades of developmental science. Several such assessments have been examined as possible mediators of quality improvement initiatives and child outcomes in early and later education in countries such as Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, and Jamaica (Baker-Henningham, Scott, Jones, & Walker, 2012;Bernal, 2015;Moore, Akhter, & Aboud, 2008;Yoshikawa et al, 2015). In Europe, the breadth and meaning of "quality" across countries has been documented, along with points of similarity between countries (e.g., OECD, 2015), a narrative that highlights shared and distinct conceptual bases for defi ning quality in the United States and other high-income countries.…”

“…initiative; Sodzi-Tettey et al, 2015). The effects of efforts to intentionally scale programs with quality on child development are only beginning to be evaluated (e.g., Arbour et al, 2015;Boller et al, 2015).…”