School readiness in the context of inner city Head Start centres

ABSTRACT

This article is based on a study that examines the Head Start goal of school readiness in the context of inner city communities that reflect the socio-cultural-economic environment of a more neoliberal and globalized world. The research was conducted as a qualitative and naturalistic inquiry and data collection included document review, in-depth interviews and classroom observations in four Head Start centres in a particular New York City community. The objective of the study was to better understand how the local community and parent body have changed over time, and to assess the effectiveness of the centres in providing appropriate services to the children and their families and preparing them to be ready for primary schooling. Findings are seen in the areas of classroom curriculum, assessment procedures, changes experienced over time, and the future potential of Head Start, raising critical issues such as the tension between school readiness and educating the whole child. Such issues question old policies that fail to address dramatic changes in inner city demographics and the tensions between targeted and universal early childhood programmes.

KEYWORDS:

• Head Start
• school readiness
• whole child
• early childhood
• classroom curriculum

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Amita Gupta is a Professor of Early Childhood Education, and current Chair of the Department of Teaching, Learning & Culture at the City College of New York. She has been in the field of early education for almost 30 years and has extensive cross-cultural experience with school administration, teacher education, and classroom teaching in urban schools. Her research and scholarship focus on comparative and international urban early education and teacher education.

Brent Lucia is a graduate student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania completing his Ph.D. in Composition and TESOL. He has taught at The City College of New York for eight years as an adjunct lecturer for the English Department.

ORCID

Brent Lucia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4666-8340