Rachel E Schachter
Biographic Data
| ID | 4420499 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rachel E Schachter |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rachel E |
| FAMILY NAME | Schachter |
| SIGNATURE | SCHACHTER R E |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Illinois Chicago |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3951-858X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 15 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 16 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Examining Differences in Teachers’ Beliefs About Play in Rural, Suburban, and Urban Settings
High-quality preschool experiences play a critical role in shaping children’s early learning and development, yet access to such experiences may vary across geographic regions in the United States. Although play is widely recognized as a key component of developmentally appropriate practice, children’s opportunities for play may differ based on geographic differences in teachers’ beliefs, family expectations, and curricular supports. This study e…
Use of questions, comments, and scaffolding in extratextual talk during shared book reading in classrooms where children exhibit above- and below-average language gains
Studies indicate shared book reading (SBR) may support preschool children’s language skills via extratextual talk. This exploratory descriptive study compared both the language-supportive strategies (questions, comments, scaffolding), and content of extratextual talk by early childhood (EC) teachers from 48 preschool classrooms (23 higher language gain [HLGCs] and 25 lower language gains [LLGCs]) during SBR. We transcribed and coded videos of SBR…
Writing experiences in early childhood classrooms where children made higher language gains
Although early writing is considered an essential pathway to language and literacy development for preschool-age children (i.e., 3- to 5-years-old), it tends to receive less priority when compared to reading in early childhood (EC) education. To bolster teachers’ early writing practices, researchers have closely examined the nature of the writing instruction and experiences that occur in EC classrooms. In this multiple methods study, we capitaliz…
Generative Early Language Practices in Early Childhood Classrooms
Within early childhood (EC) education, a critical question lies in what classroom contexts and experiences are facilitative of children's language learning. Research suggests that not all classroom contexts are equal in supporting children's language learning and that some classroom practices may be more facilitative, or generative, than others. In this study, we use fall and spring observations of a sample of 100 U.S. EC classrooms to quantitati…
Non-contact time implementation in early childhood center-based programs
A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of coaching and the contribution of coaching processes to learning outcomes for early childhood teachers and children
Mapping the Literature to Identify Early Childhood Coaches’ Backgrounds and Training
Coaching is a key lever for supporting professional learning in early childhood, and coaches serve a critical role in the coaching process. However, little is known about coaches themselves which is a critical gap in evaluating the efficacy of coaching and for making decisions around coaching policies and practices. This mapping review synthesizes the early childhood coaching research to identify the background characteristics and training experi…
What Is the Empirical Research Base of Early Childhood Coaching? A Mapping Review
This study examined the empirical base for early childhood (birth to 8) coaching via a systematic mapping review of the relevant literature, including diverse research designs to represent the full breadth of published studies related to early childhood coaching. The systematic review yielded 374 unique studies published between 1987 and 2019 that were coded for type of study design (e.g., causal; quantitative noncausal; qualitative; single-case …
Early childhood language gains, kindergarten readiness, and Grade 3 reading achievement
In this preregistered study, we used latent change score models to address two research aims: (1) whether preschool-aged children's language gains, over a year of early childhood education, were associated with later performance on state-mandated, literacy-focused kindergarten readiness and Grade 3 reading achievement assessments, and (2) whether gains in language, a more complex skill, predicted these outcomes after controlling for more basic em…
Patterns of Classroom Organization in Classrooms Where Children Exhibit Higher and Lower Language Gains
Previous research suggests that the ways in which early childhood classrooms are organized may facilitate children’s language learning. However, different measures of classroom organization often yield inconsistent findings regarding child outcomes. In this study, we investigated multiple aspects of classroom organization across two time points in classrooms where children made varying language gains. Using a purposeful sample of 60 early childho…
Communication with families
Communication between teachers and families in early childhood is a key aspect of successful teacher-family engagement. The goal of this exploratory study was to investigate how teachers communicated with families in early childhood classrooms and what they communicated about. This study of 31 teachers working with children birth to age five, primarily in the Midwestern U.S. examined how they described communication with families using semi-struc…
Doing Assessment
Early childhood research and policy have promoted the use of language and literacy assessment data to inform instruction. Yet, there is a limited understanding of preschool teachers’ data practices and sensemaking, particularly when considered from the perspectives of practicing teachers. In this multicase study, we used a phenomenological approach to generate a theory about preschool teachers’ data practices in relation to supporting children’s …
Bifurcating Worlds? A Systematic Review of How Visual and Language Data Are Combined to Study Teachers and Their Teaching
Connecting teachers’ perspectives with their practice is an enduring challenge shaping what and how we understand teaching. Researchers tend to bifurcate teachers’ work between their private and their public lives. These “worlds” bring particular meanings that are rendered through the analyses of visual documentations of teaching and teachers’ language-based accounts of their teaching. Combining these two forms of data is a basic research challen…
At-scale, state-sponsored language and literacy professional development
Professional development (PD) is a potentially important mechanism for enhancing classroom practices and children’s learning. In this large-scale randomized controlled trial, we examined the effectiveness of language and literacy PD, with and without coaching, offered at scale to early childhood educators (n = 546) across 1 state. Relative to the comparison condition, PD with coaching showed a small impact on the quantity of phonological awarenes…
Bridging the Public and Private in the Study of Teaching
In this essay, Rachel Schachter and Donald Freeman present the familiar problem in studying and improving teaching: how to connect what teachers know and think with what they do as they teach. They outline how research on the public and private worlds of teaching has become bifurcated, with the private side of the work often disconnected from observable practices, and contend that focusing on how public actions and private reasoning are connected…
Early childhood educators' knowledge, beliefs, education, experiences, and children's language- and literacy-learning opportunities
Early childhood educators' knowledge, beliefs, education, experiences, and children's language- and literacy-learning opportunities
Bifurcating Worlds? A Systematic Review of How Visual and Language Data Are Combined to Study Teachers and Their Teaching
Connecting teachers’ perspectives with their practice is an enduring challenge shaping what and how we understand teaching. Researchers tend to bifurcate teachers’ work between their private and their public lives. These “worlds” bring particular meanings that are rendered through the analyses of visual documentations of teaching and teachers’ language-based accounts of their teaching. Combining these two forms of data is a basic research challen…
At-scale, state-sponsored language and literacy professional development
Professional development (PD) is a potentially important mechanism for enhancing classroom practices and children’s learning. In this large-scale randomized controlled trial, we examined the effectiveness of language and literacy PD, with and without coaching, offered at scale to early childhood educators (n = 546) across 1 state. Relative to the comparison condition, PD with coaching showed a small impact on the quantity of phonological awarenes…
Bridging the Public and Private in the Study of Teaching
In this essay, Rachel Schachter and Donald Freeman present the familiar problem in studying and improving teaching: how to connect what teachers know and think with what they do as they teach. They outline how research on the public and private worlds of teaching has become bifurcated, with the private side of the work often disconnected from observable practices, and contend that focusing on how public actions and private reasoning are connected…
Communication with families
Communication between teachers and families in early childhood is a key aspect of successful teacher-family engagement. The goal of this exploratory study was to investigate how teachers communicated with families in early childhood classrooms and what they communicated about. This study of 31 teachers working with children birth to age five, primarily in the Midwestern U.S. examined how they described communication with families using semi-struc…
Doing Assessment
Early childhood research and policy have promoted the use of language and literacy assessment data to inform instruction. Yet, there is a limited understanding of preschool teachers’ data practices and sensemaking, particularly when considered from the perspectives of practicing teachers. In this multicase study, we used a phenomenological approach to generate a theory about preschool teachers’ data practices in relation to supporting children’s …
Patterns of Classroom Organization in Classrooms Where Children Exhibit Higher and Lower Language Gains
Previous research suggests that the ways in which early childhood classrooms are organized may facilitate children’s language learning. However, different measures of classroom organization often yield inconsistent findings regarding child outcomes. In this study, we investigated multiple aspects of classroom organization across two time points in classrooms where children made varying language gains. Using a purposeful sample of 60 early childho…
Mapping the Literature to Identify Early Childhood Coaches’ Backgrounds and Training
Coaching is a key lever for supporting professional learning in early childhood, and coaches serve a critical role in the coaching process. However, little is known about coaches themselves which is a critical gap in evaluating the efficacy of coaching and for making decisions around coaching policies and practices. This mapping review synthesizes the early childhood coaching research to identify the background characteristics and training experi…
What Is the Empirical Research Base of Early Childhood Coaching? A Mapping Review
This study examined the empirical base for early childhood (birth to 8) coaching via a systematic mapping review of the relevant literature, including diverse research designs to represent the full breadth of published studies related to early childhood coaching. The systematic review yielded 374 unique studies published between 1987 and 2019 that were coded for type of study design (e.g., causal; quantitative noncausal; qualitative; single-case …
Early childhood language gains, kindergarten readiness, and Grade 3 reading achievement
In this preregistered study, we used latent change score models to address two research aims: (1) whether preschool-aged children's language gains, over a year of early childhood education, were associated with later performance on state-mandated, literacy-focused kindergarten readiness and Grade 3 reading achievement assessments, and (2) whether gains in language, a more complex skill, predicted these outcomes after controlling for more basic em…
Non-contact time implementation in early childhood center-based programs
A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of coaching and the contribution of coaching processes to learning outcomes for early childhood teachers and children
Examining Differences in Teachers’ Beliefs About Play in Rural, Suburban, and Urban Settings
High-quality preschool experiences play a critical role in shaping children’s early learning and development, yet access to such experiences may vary across geographic regions in the United States. Although play is widely recognized as a key component of developmentally appropriate practice, children’s opportunities for play may differ based on geographic differences in teachers’ beliefs, family expectations, and curricular supports. This study e…
Use of questions, comments, and scaffolding in extratextual talk during shared book reading in classrooms where children exhibit above- and below-average language gains
Studies indicate shared book reading (SBR) may support preschool children’s language skills via extratextual talk. This exploratory descriptive study compared both the language-supportive strategies (questions, comments, scaffolding), and content of extratextual talk by early childhood (EC) teachers from 48 preschool classrooms (23 higher language gain [HLGCs] and 25 lower language gains [LLGCs]) during SBR. We transcribed and coded videos of SBR…
Writing experiences in early childhood classrooms where children made higher language gains
Although early writing is considered an essential pathway to language and literacy development for preschool-age children (i.e., 3- to 5-years-old), it tends to receive less priority when compared to reading in early childhood (EC) education. To bolster teachers’ early writing practices, researchers have closely examined the nature of the writing instruction and experiences that occur in EC classrooms. In this multiple methods study, we capitaliz…
Generative Early Language Practices in Early Childhood Classrooms
Within early childhood (EC) education, a critical question lies in what classroom contexts and experiences are facilitative of children's language learning. Research suggests that not all classroom contexts are equal in supporting children's language learning and that some classroom practices may be more facilitative, or generative, than others. In this study, we use fall and spring observations of a sample of 100 U.S. EC classrooms to quantitati…
Early childhood education (12 works) · Psychology (12 works) · Early childhood (11 works) · Developmental psychology (10 works) · Pedagogy (10 works) · Early Childhood Education and Development (9 works) · Literacy (6 works) · Mathematics education (6 works) · Reading and Literacy Development (6 works) · Educational and Psychological Assessments (5 works)