A Productive Scholar's Guide to Respectful, Responsible Inquiry During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Moving Forward.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, schools across the country have pivoted to providing a range of instructional opportunities including remote, hybrid, and modified in-person options with a commitment to keeping our society safe and supporting our nations' youth in continuing their education. One byproduct of this most challenging situation has been the interruption of scientific inquiry in many fields, including educational research. Using a framework of self-leadership, in this feature article, we provide reflections to guide discussion among scholars involved in school-based research during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

How the Science of Reading Informs 21st-Century Education.

The science of reading should be informed by an evolving evidence base built upon the scientific method. Decades of basic research and randomized controlled trials of interventions and instructional routines have formed a substantial evidence base to guide best practices in reading instruction, reading intervention, and the early identification of at-risk readers. The recent resurfacing of questions about what constitutes the science of reading is leading to misinformation in the public space that may be viewed by educational stakeholders as merely differences of opinion among scientists.

Improving Preschoolers' Language and Literacy Skills through Web-Mediated Professional Development.

MyTeachingPartner (MTP) is a web-mediated approach that provides ongoing support for teachers to improve the quality of their interactions with children. This study examined the effects of MTP on the preschool language and literacy development of children who are at risk for later academic difficulties. Results of this randomized controlled trial indicated that for English-only classrooms, teachers receiving a high level of support had students who made greater gains in language and literacy skills than teachers who only received access to a curricular supplement.

The role of frequent, interactive prekindergarten shared reading in the longitudinal development of language and literacy skills.

In this study, we examined the longitudinal relations between frequency and features of reading experiences within the preschool classroom to children's language and literacy outcomes in kindergarten and 1st grade. Frequency refers to the number of shared reading sessions conducted each week as measured by teachers' written reading logs recorded across the academic year. Features refers to teachers' extratextual talk about literal, inferential, or print or phonological topics as assessed by analysis of 6 videotaped readings of narrative and informational texts collected across the preschool year.

The impact of teacher responsivity education on preschoolers' language and literacy skills.

Purpose: This study examined the extent to which teacher responsivity education affected preschoolers' language and literacy development over an academic year. Additional aims were to determine whether children's initial language abilities and teachers' use of responsivity strategies were associated with language outcomes, in particular.

Method: In this randomized controlled trial, preschool centers were assigned to a responsivity education intervention (n = 19 centers, 25 teachers, and 174 children) or a "business-as-usual" control condition (n = 19 centers, 24 teachers, and 156 children).

Emergent literacy profiles of preschool-age children with specific language impairment.

The primary aim of the present study was to explore the heterogeneity of emergent literacy skills among preschool-age children with specific language impairment (SLI) through examination of profiles of performance. Fifty-nine children with SLI were assessed on a battery of emergent literacy skills (i.e.

Language and literacy curriculum supplement for preschoolers who are academically at risk: a feasibility study.

Purpose: The potential benefit that a low-cost scripted language and literacy supplemental curriculum titled Read It Again! (RIA; L. M. Justice, A.

Home literacy experiences and early childhood disability: a descriptive study using the National Household Education Surveys (NHES) program database.

Purpose: The present article illustrates how the National Household Education Surveys (NHES; U.S. Department of Education, 2009) database might be used to address questions of relevance to researchers who are concerned with literacy development among young children.

Validity of teacher report for assessing the emergent literacy skills of at-risk preschoolers.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive validity of teacher report for assessing the emergent literacy skills of preschool-age children. The aims were twofold: (a) to examine predictive relationships between teacher report and direct behavioral assessment, and (b) to examine the extent to which teacher report accurately differentiates children who are exhibiting low levels of emergent literacy skills relative to their peers.

Method: Forty-four preschool teachers completed a rating form reporting the print-related emergent literacy skills of 209 children who were enrolled in their classrooms.

Emergent name-writing abilities of preschool-age children with language impairment.

Purpose: The 2 studies reported in this manuscript collectively address 3 aims: (a) to characterize the name-writing abilities of preschool-age children with language impairment (LI), (b) to identify those emergent literacy skills that are concurrently associated with name-writing abilities, and (c) to compare the name-writing abilities of children with LI to those of their typical language (TL) peers.

Method: Fifty-nine preschool-age children with LI were administered a battery of emergent literacy and language assessments, including a task in which the children were asked to write their first names. A subset of these children (n=23) was then compared to a TL-matched sample to characterize performance differences.