Despite considerable investments, American children are struggling to achieve high levels of literacy (NAEP, 2010). This problem is of great concern, because language and reading forms the foundation for success across the school day, including language arts, social studies, math, and science. Unfortunately, the statistics are particularly dismal for poor, ethnic minority, and linguistic minority children. Of the approximately 14 million children (or about one child in five) growing up in a household in poverty, 49% are not proficient readers by 4th grade (Moore, et al. 2009).   

High quality teacher-child language interactions, during which children are active participants, are essential for promoting children’s abilities. Yet, research estimates that 90% of children from low-income homes do not receive consistently high-quality instruction in language and literacy instruction in the early grades (Pianta et al., 2007).  Observations of high-poverty PreK, kindergarten and first grade classrooms reveal that teachers do 93% of all talking (Dickinson, Darrow, & Tinubu, 2008), and this talk often focuses on behavior management (Gest et al., 2006). Consequently, children have few opportunities to hear and use complex language and vocabulary, drawn from coherent themes.

Early childhood educators need to know how to build children’s oral language (including vocabulary), alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and writing. Many school districts and organizations are currently exploring asynchronous web-based teacher professional to improve the quality of teacher instructional quality, as it is accessible from many locations and at any time. However, it can be challenging to engage teachers and improve practices from a distance. In addition, little is known about the “black box” of teacher instructional improvement using this type of educational technology, including the rate at which teachers learn various instructional techniques, and what might affect rate of growth, such as teacher background characteristics, the coach-teacher relationship, or the nature of the instructional technique itself.      

This paper focuses on findings from a pilot year implementing a web-based version of the language and literacy professional development model ExCELL-e (Exceptional Coaching for Early Language and Literacy - Enhanced).  In ExCELL-e, teachers in high-poverty settings complete nine online instructional modules over one academic year, videotape themselves using target strategies in their classrooms, and receive personalized feedback via Skype or email from an expert coach. In prior studies, ExCELL has been shown to improve the language and literacy instruction of teachers serving children at risk and to improve a constellation of language and literacy skills among those children (Wasik et al., 2001, 2006, 2009, 2011b).    

Using videos of teacher’s implementation, measures of teacher fidelity, and teacher surveys, this paper focuses on the following research questions:

1)    How does the quality of teacher instruction change over time?

2)    Is there evidence that the rate and shape of change in instructional quality differs across dimensions of instruction (e.g., language practices, literacy practices, responsiveness, organization)?

3)    To what extent might teacher factors including education, experience, and coach-rated openness to change be linked to change in practice during the intervention?

Implications for professional development, teacher instructional practice, and policy will be discussed.