Early childhood professionals can use this one-of-a-kind work to better serve Korean American children in the United States. Four transnational mother-educators share the lived experiences of Korean American children and their families through candid and vivid narratives that counter stereotypical and prejudicial beliefs about Asian American communities. Topics include parenting beliefs and practices, naming practices, portrayals in children’s picturebooks, translingual home practices, and responses to microaggressions. The text raises awareness about various dynamics within the Korean American community for a more nuanced discourse. The authors bring a wealth of hybrid positioning and experiences as former early childhood educators, first-generation Korean American immigrants, current teacher educators working with pre- and inservice teachers, and researchers in different states, as well as mothers of second-generation Korean American children. Book Features: Shares original stories and experiences of Korean American children and families to dismantle prevalent narrow narratives.Offers practical implications and considerations for classroom teachers regarding family engagement, critical literacy, translanguaging, and social–emotional learning. Includes user-friendly features such as discussion questions, lesson ideas, and a list of appropriate picturebooks.

The first five years in early education is especially important for immigrant parents whose home culture is different from the dominant society. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore Korean-American parents and their perceptions, practices, and challenges in early childhood education. The study aimed to identify (a) how Korean-American parents perceived early childhood education and development, (b) what challenges they faced in providing high-quality early education, and (c) what strategies they used as minority parents to meet the needs of their children. Data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews with six parents along with teachers' experiences employed as member checks. Several themes were found, including differences in the perceived definition of early childhood education and development, concepts around parent involvement, and issues parents faced as minorities in a society that is culturally different from their own. Major findings that emerged from this study indicated the desire for participants to develop their children's social skills. The parent's reason to enroll their child in early education was to help them become more socially adept. Furthermore, parents were also eager for their children to learn and preserve their native language and culture. The parents desired to have community support for their preschooler's education.

This essential and urgent book presents research-based understandings about Asian American early childhood, bringing to light the battle Asian Americans face against American nativism from their early years’ experiences. The first of its kind in academic literature, the book addresses the well-known issue of underrepresentation of Asian Americans in early childhood education research and practice, and in American society in general. Using the intersectionality and multiple identities perspectives, the authors explore a myriad of inaccurate cultural perceptions and misrepresentations, centering within-group differences among Asian American children and giving particular attention to disempowered groups among them. Issues related to socioeconomic status, gender, dis/abilities, linguistic backgrounds, and minority groups among Asian American populations are addressed, with implications for researchers and educators as well as context for examining the policies that cause inequities among Asian American children. This book is key reading for early childhood education researchers, professors, and graduate students to become more productively engaged in discussions and practices toward racial justice.

"Influential leaders reveal how they have helped to shape the field of early childhood education to help us understand what is important to young children and their families"--

"This book provides evidence-based curriculum examples, pedagogies, and resources; demonstrates how teachers can achieve Pro-Black teaching while also addressing curricular standards; and explains the benefit of Pro-Black teaching for all children"--

"This comprehensive, user-friendly book provides a rationale and guidance for integrating teacher well-being content into both preservice and inservice professional learning environments. It explores the connections between teacher well-being, equity, and social justice, and shares examples of well-being programs that have been implemented throughout the United States"--

This author not only identifies the major shortcomings of the American Public Elementary School, but makes thirty-three specific recommendations as to how to improve them. He does this because he fears America is falling behind other nations, particularly the Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, and China. He decries the short teaching day and teaching year of the United States in comparison with those nations that are leaving us behind such as South Korea. He pulls no punches in taking on the politicians. In the process parents are not spared as they have exempted their children from walking to neighborhood schools and losing the exercise children experienced in walking by driving them. "Our drop out rate of one third is a disgrace when other nations graduate over 93% from high school," says Hedges. After describing Korean education and making recommendations in the first three chapters, the author then sets forth how modern elementary schools should be and can be organized and operated in contrast with the way so many of them are organized and operated today. This development would help them in contrast with Korean Schools which are more lockstep. He points out that one reason for so many home study children is that parents are not pleased with what the elementary public schools are providing. They want an education tailor made for their children and they set about doing it when the public schools come up short. Too many of our schools proceed in lock step, tracking children into dumb, average, above average, and bright groups when with modern computers this is no longer necessary. Hedges, an author of two books on testing and one on early childhood education, maintains that the testing going on is for all of the wrong reasons, i.e. (1) to evaluate teachers, (2) to compare students with one another, (3) to compare schools with one another. In his view tests should be used as the medical profession uses tests, i.e. to diagnose individual needs and thus to serve as a basis for how to help the student not just give him an A or an F. As he says, “What if when you go to the doctor he hands you a card which gives you a C- on your health. What the devil does that mean?” Instead, the doctor reviews the test data, analyzes it, and gives you a prescription. So why aren’t our schools doing that in education? The book is not only a clarion call to arms, but a practical How To. How to provide for individual differences. How to make sure your child will succeed in primary school. How to organize other than by grades. How to enable more independent study and encourage creativity in your youngster. How can parents tell if their school is any good? How to be clear on the objectives of the school. How should young children be graded and evaluated? This book is for superintendents and principals, as they are the leaders, for elementary teachers as they are the doers, for school board member as they are the policy makers, and for those parents, who want to know what an excellent elementary school should be like. It is not pie in the school dreaming, but a down to earth description of how things are versus how they might be in the modern up to date school. Consider just one of his practical tips for some parents. What can the parent of a a slightly immature child do to increase the probability his or her child will be a ‘smash hit?’ Here is how. Let us say that he can enter first grade at age six. Well, age six is 365 days. If this child was born January 1 he is 364 days younger than the child born on December 31. A whole year! Think what that means in terms of his growth, development, and readiness for first grade! So, throw in that many of the children will be more mature than his child. The result? His or her child is a failure in the eyes of the other kids who are doing so much better than he because America grades on the curve.

This volume provides a comprehensive critical analysis of the research in mathematics education for young children. The researchers who conducted the critical analysis focused on the relationship between (1) mathematics learning in the early years and domain specific approaches to cognitive development, (2) the children’s social learning and their developing understanding of math, and (3) the children’s learning in a natural context and their understanding of mathematics concepts. The work of these scholars can help guide those researchers who are interested in pursuing studies in early childhood mathematics in a specific area of study. This volume will facilitate the research conducted by both novice and expert researchers. The volume has accomplished its major goals, which consists of critically analyzing important research in a specific area that would be most useful in advancing the field and provide recommendations for both researchers and educators.

A comprehensive collection of essays from leading experts on family and community engagement The Wiley Handbook of Family, School, and Community Relationships in Educationbrings together in one comprehensive volume a collection of writings from leading scholars on family and community engagement to provide an authoritative overview of the field. The expert contributors identify the contemporary and future issues related to the intersection of students’ families, schools, and their communities. The Handbook’s chapters are organized to cover the topic from a wide-range of perspectives and vantage points including families, practitioners, policymakers, advocates, as well as researchers. In addition, the Handbook contains writings from several international researchers acknowledging that school, family, and community partnerships is a vital topic for researchers and policymakers worldwide. The contributors explore the essential issues related to the policies and sociopolitical concerns, curriculum and practice, leadership, and the role of families and advocates. This vital resource: Contains a diverse range of topics related to the field Includes information on current research as well as the historical origins Projects the breadth and depth of the field into the future Fills a void in the current literature Offers contributions from leading scholars on family and community engagement Written for faculty and graduate students in education, psychology, and sociology, The Wiley Handbook of Family, School, and Community Relationships in Educationis a comprehensive and authoritative guide to family and community engagement with schools.

This book gives an overview of the linguistic development of Korean-English bilingual children living in the US. It provides a detailed longitudinal account of English and Korean acquisition in early childhood, offering a close examination of Korean-American children’s code-switching and morphology and syntax development during a time when their language dominance is shifting rapidly. The book sheds light on the broad and creative linguistic capabilities of bilingual children, expands our understanding of heritage language acquisition and furthers bilingualism research on typologically distinct language pairings. Researchers investigating heritage language development in early childhood will find the extensive longitudinal data a rich source of comparison and the book will be a useful resource for scholars and graduate students interested in sequential bilingualism, second language acquisition and heritage speakers.