Study

The study employed a mixed-method methodology which included surveys with preschool teachers and follow-up interviews. A total of 107 teachers across 54 preschool centers in the Chicago area participated in the survey, with 27 teachers responding to and participating in follow-up interviews. Follow-up interview participants were selected with intention so that half had not expelled any children, 25% had requested the expulsion of one child, and the other 25% had requested the expulsion of two of more children.

Findings

The researchers divided responses into two separate groups: teachers who had not previously requested the removal of a student in their class versus teachers who had requested one or more student removals from their classrooms. The researchers communicated the following findings:

1. Teachers who had requested the removal of a student generally had more negative perceptions of parents, versus teachers who had not made a removal request of a student. In particular, the teachers with a negative perspective expressed difficulty in working with parents on challenging behavioral issues and attributed children’s behavior to parental characteristics such as marital status and familial circumstances.
2. Teachers that requested the removal of a student generally expressed that they did not report a child’s disciplinary problems until they felt that they had exhausted several methods in the classroom on their own. In contrast, teachers who had not made such a request generally indicated the need to communicate proactively with parents and to sit down with them and listen to their situation. This also correlates with a finding of the study that teachers who did not request the removal of a student generally explored multiple ways to communicate with parents, whereas teachers who had made these types of requests had limited communication with parents.
3. Teachers with removal requests characterized center leaders as individuals who directed them to handle problems on their own or took situations into their own hands. In contrast, non-requesting teachers described their center leaders as supportive, friendly, and experienced in dealing with parents. Furthermore, non-requesting teachers described a strong culture of parent involvement at their centers, with clear communication about behavioral expectations and policies.

The findings of this research study contribute to a wealth of information on the effectiveness and importance of early childhood education. The researchers clearly indicated that while they found differences between the teacher group that had requested the removal of a student versus the group that had not, they could not conclusively affirm this casualty. However, the results of this study provide important insight into potential reasons and symptoms behind the startling statistic of preschool expulsions.