Pre-K teachers’ perspectives on factors that influence their experiences through universal Pre-K policy changes in New York City

Abstract

The focus of this study is preschool teachers’ perspectives on their experiences during a Pre-K expansion in New York City. The expansion brought on neoliberal approaches to curriculum, child assessment, quality improvement, and instructional support in classrooms, and these changes in turn heightened expectations for accountability. This has required new sets of skills and resources for early childhood educators to implement the policy as enactors. Using an implementation research framework and a multiple case study approach, this study examined 14 Pre-K teachers’ experiences during a policy enactment process and how the policy affected their practice and beliefs. In doing so, it became evident that teachers’ daily experiences, loaded with the added requirements to execute the recommended practices set by the shifting landscape of early childhood education, lead to confusions and struggles between their beliefs about appropriate practices. Our findings also shed light on the high needs for compliance and the commonly seen disparities in professional learning opportunities and compensation, all of which may significantly affect teachers’ daily lives and consequently, professional identity. Their insights show how they are seeking shared understandings between all stakeholders. This study examines the phenomena seen in classrooms during the Pre-K expansion in New York City and provides implications for policymakers for possible adjustments for the policy and implementation process.