From our journals: Disrupting inequality in early childhood education

Perceptions of classroom quality and well-being among Black women teachers of young children

By: Erica B. Edwards, Wayne State University; Nicole Patton Terry, Florida State University; Gary Bingham, Georgia State University; Jeremy L. Singer, Wayne State University

Published in: Education Policy Analysis Archives, April 26, 2021

Concerns about preschool effectiveness have increasingly led to early childhood education policy changes focused on teacher quality. Child care work, the researchers note, is a feminized profession with distinct social experiences along lines of race and class. Black women who are early child-care teachers live in poverty at rates disproportionate to their white counterparts. Through Black feminist focus group research, the authors document perceptions of early childhood education quality mandates in Georgia and their impact on the well-being of 44 Black women teachers of infants, toddlers and preschool-age children. Edwards, Terry, Bingham and Singer found that the call for quality complicates Black teachers’ work, adds undue financial and emotional stress that takes a toll on their well-being, and interrupts personal dynamics with their loved ones. 

Review of “Technology segregation: Disrupting racist frameworks in early childhood education”

By: Zitsi Mirakhur, University of Kentucky

Published in: Education Review, April 21, 2021

Mirakhur says this book will help teachers build a technology infrastructure in their classrooms or schools, as well as offer valuable information to curriculum developers. The author, Miriam Tager, offers a guide for school and district leaders who are seeking to address inequalities in technology infrastructure within and across schools. Recommendations which include investing in school facilities, mandating computer programs only after schools have enough devices, ensuring district websites are accessible in multiple languages, provide both immediate and actionable next steps and long-term goals, says Mirakhur. 

CIE Spring 2021 Review-a-thon: On May 3, MLFTC doctoral students joined the CIE editors in a workshop on best practices in reviewing academic articles, and took part in reviewing CIE submissions. Resources for reviewers, including the workshop slides and video are available online.

The CIE team gratefully acknowledge the work of the following CIE reviewers:

Andrea Fossum

Annette Schmidt

Blair Stamper

Cathy Cullicott

Helene Shapiro

Ivet Parra Gaete

Germaine Koziarski

Jodie Ray

Ketevan Chachkhiani

Keti Tsotniashvili

Lois Malone

Monica Kessel

Melissa Strong

Melissa Warr

Steve Salik

Tara Bartlett

Theresa Stager

Tipsuda Chaomuangkhong

About our journals

MLFTC sponsors three innovative, open-access journals on education scholarship. EPAA is a peer-reviewed, international, multilingual and multidisciplinary journal designed for researchers, practitioners, policymakers and development analysts concerned with education policies. Education Review publishes reviews of books on education topics and Acquired Wisdom essays by esteemed educational researchers, and CIE is a peer-reviewed journal led by MLFTC graduate students. 

Contact Stephanie McBride-Schreiner to learn more about our journals.