Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2017 Examining the Barriers to the Continuing Education of Early Childhood Teacher Assistants Colleen Louise Wright Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Adult and Continuing Education Administration Commons, and the Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Walden University COLLEGE OF EDUCATION This is to certify that the doctoral study by Colleen Wright has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. James Crosby, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Emily Green, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Dawn DiMarzo, University Reviewer, Education Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2017 Abstract Examining the Barriers to the Continuing Education of Early Childhood Teacher Assistants by Colleen Louise Wright MA, Rowan University, 2006 BA, Montclair State University, 1997 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Higher Education and Adult Learning Walden University April 2017 Abstract The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 required teacher assistants (TAs) to obtain their child development associate (CDA) credential by September of 2015.