Meet the Research Teams:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"About 40 percent of our children's home language is Spanish, so we’re really interested in looking at how they are acquiring English in these English-only classrooms."

– Margaret Burchinal, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's research studies are taking place in six rural counties in North Carolina.

Policy and Practice Study:
Researchers will study the policy context surrounding a cohort of children as they progress from prekindergarten through third grade in six rural counties. Specifically, the team will focus on whether policies are aligned in ways that help sustain learning across early grades. To investigate these issues, researchers will draw upon semi-structured interviews, survey data from school and program administrators, and content analysis of policy documents.

Classroom Observation Study:
Researchers will examine associations between classroom practices and child outcomes. They will observe the quality of teacher-child relationships, conversations between teachers and children, differentiated instruction, instructional content and policies, and relate them to gains during the school year in children’s academic and social behavioral skills.

Longitudinal Study:
Researchers will investigate the extent to which classroom policies and practices relate to gains in students' academic and social skills across five years, from PreK through third grade. They will examine the extent to which these patterns are similar for children whose home language is Spanish and English.
About the Team
Margaret Burchinal, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ellen Peisner-Feinberg, Ph.D.
Co-Principal Investigator
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Lora Cohen-Vogel, Ph.D.
Co-Principal Investigator
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Claire Baker, Ph.D.
Investigator
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ximena Franco, Ph.D.
Investigator
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Lynne Vernon-Feagans, Ph.D.
Investigator
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mary Bratsch-Hines, Ph.D.
Investigator
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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