Against Race- and Class-Based Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education Palgrave Studies in Urban Education Series Editors: Alan R. Sadovnik and Susan F. Semel Reforming Boston Schools, 1930–2006: Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation By Joseph Marr Cronin (April 2008) What Mothers Say about Special Education: From the 1960s to the Present By Jan W. Valle (March 2009) Charter Schools: From Reform Imagery to Reform Reality By Jeanne M. Powers (June 2009) Becoming an Engineer in Public Universities: Pathways for Women and Minorities Edited by Kathryn M. Borman, Will Tyson, and Rhoda H. Halperin (May 2010) The Multiracial Urban High School: Fearing Peers and Trusting Friends Susan Rakosi Rosenbloom (October 2010) Reforming Boston Schools, 1930 to the Present: Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation (updated paperback edition of Reforming Boston Schools, 1930–2006 ) By Joseph Marr Cronin (August 2011) The History of “Zero Tolerance” in American Public Schooling By Judith Kafka (December 2011) Advisory in Urban High Schools: A Study of Expanded Teacher Roles By Kate Phillippo (August 2013) Public Housing and School Choice in a Gentrified City: Youth Experiences of Uneven Opportunity By Molly Vollman Makris (March 2015) Against Race- and Class-Based Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education By Stephanie C. Smith (October 2015) Against Race- and Class-Based Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education Stephanie C. Smith AGAINST RACE- AND CLASS-BASED PEDAGOGY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Copyright © Stephanie C. Smith, 2015. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-48201-3 All rights reserved. First published in 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-55317-4 ISBN 978-1-137-48202-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-137-48202-0 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smith, Stephanie C. (Stephanie Carol) Against race- and class-based pedagogy in early childhood education / Stephanie C. Smith. pages cm.—(Palgrave studies in urban education) Summary: “Against Race- and Class-Based Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education examines differing classroom pedagogies in two early childhood programs serving vulnerable populations in Chicago, one program Reggio Emilia-inspired, while the other uses a more didactic pedagogy. The structure of clas”—Provided by publisher. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Children with social disabilities—Education (Early childhood)— Illinois—Chicago—Case studies. 2. Early childhood education—Social aspects—Illinois—Chicago—Case studies. 3. Reggio Emilia approach (Early childhood education)—Illinois—Chicago—Case studies. I. Title. LC4069.2.S55 2015 372.21—dc23 2015013450 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: October 2015 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Bryan Contents List of Tables ix Series Foreword xi Acknowledgments xiii Part I Legacies of Race- and Class-Based Pedagogies in Early Childhood One A Look inside Two Chicago Preschools 3 Two Early Childhood Policy and Practice 13 Three Urban Early Childhood 43 Part II Inside Classrooms, Inside Pedagogy Four Classroom Teaching 67 Five The Development of the Whole Child 103 Six Classroom Management 115 Seven Roles of Teachers and Language Codes 131 Eight Field Trips and Demonstrating Internalization 145 Nine Engaging Parents 153 Part III Differing Pedagogies, Differing Outcomes Ten Pedagogical Differences and Child Outcomes 171 Eleven Against Race- and Class-Based Teaching in Early Childhood Education 201 Appendix 219 Notes 223 References 229 Index 237 Tables 3.1 Data collected by student at Wright 54 3.2 Data collected by student at Pulaski 55 6.1 Transition times per classroom 124 7.1 Frequency of types of teacher language use 135 7.2 Frequency of types of child language use 138 9.1 Wright parent participants 154 9.2 Pulaski parent participants 160 10.1 Classification in Classroom 1, Wright 172 10.2 Classification in Classroom 2, Wright 172 10.3 Classification in Classroom 3, Pulaski 172 10.4 Classification in Classroom 4, Pulaski 173 10.5 Framing in Classroom 1, Wright 174 10.6 Framing in Classroom 2, Wright 174 10.7 Framing in Classroom 3, Pulaski 175 10.8 Framing in Classroom 4, Pulaski 175 10.9 Average numbers of academic events observed during a single, three-hour observation 177 10.10 Differences in number of events between classrooms 177 10.11 Percentage of time spent in each area, based on academic events 177 10.12 Letter-word identification results by classroom 181 10.13 Highest and lowest individual gains per classroom: Letter-word identification 182 10.14 Story recalls results by classroom 182 10.15 Highest and lowest individual gains per classroom: Story recall 183 10.16 Understanding directions results by classroom 184 10.17 Highest and lowest individual gains per classroom: Understanding directions 185 10.18 Spelling results by classroom 185 10.19 Highest and lowest individual gains per classroom: Spelling 186 10.20 Applied problems results by classroom 187