BEDTIME IN A BOX: A WORTHY PARENT INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS THE SCHOOL READINESS OF PRESCHOOLERS RESIDING IN AN URBAN COMMUNITY by Felicia Monique Jones A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Baltimore, MD July 2018 © Felicia Jones 2018 All Rights Reserved BEDTIME IN A BOX: ADDRESSING SCHOOL READINESS Abstract Government documents, state reports, and peer-reviewed empirical research were reviewed to understand why children who reside in areas where concentrated poverty is pervasive, are entering kindergarten underprepared. Moreover, the review of the literature was used to discover underlying factors that affect the standardized test performance of minority kindergartners. After examining historical educational approaches to minorities in the US, parent perceptions of school readiness, as well as the economic and academic of implications of public investments in pre-kindergarten (pre-K), the results were conflicting. Review of prior studies yield support for proponents and opponents of public investments in pre-K as well as highlight various factors that lead to minority children entering kindergarten underprepared. The literature review did not yield substantial information regarding why parents in minority communities decided to enroll or not enroll their children in early learning programs. However, the literature review did reveal a gap in the presence of parent education programs that address school readiness as it relates to academic achievement and cognitive stimulation in the home environment. According to research, most parent education programs address behavior concerns for school readiness but not address academic preparedness skills. Moreover, the literature supports the use of alternative at-home parent interventions to increase the school readiness skills of children. For these reasons, Bedtime in a Box (BiaB) was a parent intervention worthy of a program evaluation to determine its influence school readiness skills of rising kindergarterners enrolled in pre-K. This mixed methods study using 36 intervention and 20 comparison parent- child dyads found that BiaB was slightly effective in 1) increasing parent efficacy for school readiness skills and 2) moderately effective increasing the school readiness skills of pre-K children students using multiple standardized measures. ii BEDTIME IN A BOX: ADDRESSING SCHOOL READINESS Primary Reader: Dr. Lieny Jeon Secondary Readers: Dr. Yolanda Abel Dr. Jeffrey Grigg Dr. Tami Smith iii BEDTIME IN A BOX: ADDRESSING SCHOOL READINESS Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my family: To my parents, Brian and Elaine Jones, who raised me to believe that I could accomplish anything in life that I so desired, To my Granny, Miriam E. Ingram who inspired me to dig a little deeper and to go a little harder by the example that she set for me, To my line sisters and friends, iron sharpens iron, And finally, to the late, Shelley A. Jones-Wilson, my loving aunt who showed me how to live my life unapologetically, who showed me how to love, how to forgive, and most importantly, how to dream. iv BEDTIME IN A BOX: ADDRESSING SCHOOL READINESS Acknowledgements To my chair, Dr. Lieny Jeon. I am so grateful and thankful for her support and guidance throughout this process. Dr. Jeon has remained a consistent source of inspiration as she pushed me to re-write, re-strategize, and hold me accountable to this research. Dr. Jeon you are one of a kind. I am also grateful to the contributions of my three other committee members: Dr. Yolanda Abel, Dr. Jeffrey Grigg, and Dr. Tami Smith. I recall very personal moments with each of you. Dr. Abel was not only there to encourage me to remain enrolled in the program after the passing up my aunt, but continued support my growth in academia by allowing me to become her teaching assistant. If I never met Dr. Grigg, this research would not exist. Thank you for helping me focus my dissertation topic support the rigorous methodology of this work. Last but not least, I remember the first in-person conversation that I had with Dr. Smith where she asked me why I was pursuing a doctorate degree. Before that conversation, I was not so sure why, but after the conversation, it was very clear. It was by design to have each of you steer me through this journey. Your unique contributions pushed me to think outside of the box to truly create a document that will be a benefit to the current body of research. This research could not have been completed without the cooperation and involvement of my former colleagues at Arlington Elementary/Middle School and Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School. Lastly, I am thankful to my fellow doctoral cohort members including Shannon Jeter who served as my study buddy for the comprehensive exam and Khaliah Fleming and Briauna Knotts for holding me accountable to getting the work done. v BEDTIME IN A BOX: ADDRESSING SCHOOL READINESS Table of Contents Dedication ..................................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................ v Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables................................................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ x Chapter 1 – Underlying Factors that Affect School Readiness for Minority Children ........................... 1 Literature Review .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Historical Timeline of Minority Education ................................................................................................. 3 Standardized Assessments for School Readiness in Maryland ................................................................... 7 Political and Economic Considerations of Preschool Programs in the United States ............................. 10 Past Noteworthy Preschool Programs ..................................................................................................... 13 Developmental Appropriateness of Curriculum and Accreditation ......................................................... 15 Parent Beliefs, Behaviors, and Intervention Programs ............................................................................ 18 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 2 – Needs Assessment Report: Empirical Examination of Parent and Educator Beliefs on Early Childhood Education ................................................................................................................... 26 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 26 Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................................................... 28 Methodology ................................................................................................................................................ 28 Participants .............................................................................................................................................. 29 Measures .................................................................................................................................................. 31 Data Collection Methods .......................................................................................................................... 32 Results from the Needs Assessment ........................................................................................................... 34 Research Question One ............................................................................................................................ 34 Research Question Two ............................................................................................................................ 36 Research Question Three ......................................................................................................................... 37 Research Question Four ........................................................................................................................... 38 Chapter 3 – Parent Intervention to Increase Parent Efficacy and School Readiness of Children ....... 41 Context of Study .......................................................................................................................................... 41 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................................ 42 vi BEDTIME IN A BOX: ADDRESSING SCHOOL READINESS Relevant Parent Interventions .................................................................................................................. 48 Parent Efficacy ........................................................................................................................................