TMW Early Childhood Educator Curriculum in PreK Classrooms

Last registered on September 08, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
TMW Early Childhood Educator Curriculum in PreK Classrooms
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010020
Initial registration date
September 02, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
September 08, 2022, 11:14 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Julie Pernaudet
Affiliation
University of Chicago
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Dana Suskind
PI Affiliation
University of Chicago
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-09-26
End date
2023-07-01
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
Preschool, Child Development, Teaching practices, Subjective Expectations
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the TMW Early Childhood Educator professional development course (TMW-ECE) can improve preschool teachers’ knowledge and classroom practices, and whether those improvements impact school readiness outcomes of the children in those classrooms. We will also measure potential spillover effects on the knowledge and behaviors of the parents whose children are in classrooms of teachers who have received the intervention.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Pernaudet, Julie and Dana Suskind. 2022. "TMW Early Childhood Educator Curriculum in PreK Classrooms." AEA RCT Registry. September 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10020-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The TMW-Early Childhood Educator Program (TMW-ECE) aims to impact educators’ knowledge and beliefs about the importance of a rich early language environment in children’s foundational brain development and develop their skills for cultivating one in their classrooms and beyond. TMW-ECE targets early childhood educators through an online course where they participate in eight online, self-directed modules.
Intervention Start Date
2022-11-09
Intervention End Date
2023-02-23

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Educator knowledge and beliefs about child development
Educator classroom behavior
Child outcomes
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
To measure knowledge, participants will take the Survey of Parent/Provider Expectations and Knowledge (SPEAK) at the beginning, midpoint, and conclusion of the study.

Behavior is measured through self-report surveys about time spent on various learning activities with the children in their classroom and how often they interact with the children’s parents.

We will use results from standard assessments administered as part of the preschool program to measure the impacts of the intervention on children’s school readiness outcomes.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Parental knowledge and beliefs
Parental behaviors
Network effects
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
We will measure spillover from educators to parents of the children in their classrooms by evaluating if parent knowledge and behaviors change over the course of the study. Surveys will be used to analyze the diffusion of knowledge and behaviors among families and their networks. We will use the demographic variables to study the determinants of the spillovers, if any.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Participants are randomly assigned to either a treatment or control arm.
The treatment arm receives an 8-module online professional development course about child development and teaching practices in early childhood classrooms, which is taken over the course of eight weeks. The control arm does not receive any intervention.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
randomizer.org will be used to generate a randomization table.
Randomization Unit
The unit of randomization will be the school. All educators who enroll from within the same school will receive the same arm assignment.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
50 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
600 pupils
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Each arm will contain 25 schools
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Chicago Social Behavioral Sciences IRB
IRB Approval Date
2023-03-25
IRB Approval Number
IRB21-1299
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials