The goal of this study was to investigate how early childhood teachers reportedresponding to the instructional mandates they received. To answer our research questions,we completed semi-structured interviews with 20 early childhood teachers andcoded their responses. The participating teachers were recruited from a large HeadStart agency in the United States. We found that Head Start teachers reported feelingcaught between two competing priorities: the priority the program placed on compliancewith instructional routines and the priority the teachers placed on addressingchildren’s social, emotional, and behavioral needs. Essentially, teachers perceived thatthey must demonstrate compliance to the program’s instructional mandates frst andforemost. Furthermore, they perceived that the program’s instructional coaches weremonitoring their compliance with the mandates. As a result of this workplace context,the Head Start teachers reported that they did not feel permitted to alter the program’srequired instructional procedures. The implications for policy and research arediscussed.
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