Young Children Volume 81 • No 1 | Page 48

is the“ subjective” side of teaching, which is not only inescapable but extremely critical to being an effective practitioner( Bowman 1989b, 444).( Relatedly, a similar model of teacher education can be found in the work of other multicultural and critical theorists, including Irvine [ 1990, 2018 ]; Ladson-Billings [ 1995, 2000 ], Banks & Banks [ 2015 ], and Gay [ 2018 ].)
In conclusion, the question Bowman asked teachers to ask over and over is“ How do schools give what families don’ t have [ resources and the time ]... and give kids what they need”( personal communication, 2022; emphasis hers).
About the Author
Patricia“ Patsy” M. Cooper, PhD, is an associate professor of early childhood care and education at Queens College in the City University of New York, where she teaches courses in early childhood development, curriculum, and early literacy. Her research interests include early childhood teacher effectiveness, pedagogical fairness, LGBTQ + parent families, and the work of Vivian Paley. patricia. cooper @ qc. cuny. edu
References
Banks, J., & C. Banks. 2015. Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives. 9th ed. Wiley.
Bowman, B. 1989a.“ Educating Language-Minority Children: Challenges and Opportunities.” Phi Delta Kappan 71( 2): 118 – 20.
Bowman, B. T. 1989b.“ Self-Reflection as an Element of Professionalism.” Teachers College Record 90( 3): 444 – 51.
Bowman, B. 1990.“ Technology in Early Childhood Education.” In Technology in Today’ s Schools, ed. C. Warger. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Bowman, B. 1991.“ Educating Language-Minority Children: Challenges and Opportunities.” In The Care and Education of America’ s Young Children: Obstacles and Opportunities, eds. S. L. Kagan & K. J. Scott. University of Chicago Press.
Bowman, B. 1992.“ Reaching Potentials of Minority Children Through Developmentally and Culturally Appropriate Programs.” In Reaching Potentials: Appropriate Curriculum and Assessment for Young Children, eds. S. Bredekamp & T. Rosengrant. NAEYC.
Bowman, B. 1994. Cultural Diversity and Academic Achievement. Urban Monograph Series. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
Bowman, B. 1998.“ Policy Implications for Math, Science, and Technology in Early Childhood Education.” In Dialogue on Early Childhood Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education. American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Bowman, B. 2019.“ Programs, Practices, and Policies Affecting Diverse Children and Families.” In Celebrating 50 Years of Child Development Research, eds. B. Waslik & S. Odom. Paul H. Brookes.
Bowman, B., & A. Ray. 2012.“ Low Income Families and Children’ s School Success.” In Defending Childhood: Keeping the Promise of Early Education, ed. B. Falk. Teachers College Press.
Bowman, B., J. Comer, & D. Johns. 2018.“ Addressing the African American Achievement Gap: Three Leading Educators Issue a Call to Action.” Young Children 73( 2): 14 – 23.
Cohen, L. E., & S. Waite-Stupiansky, eds. 2023. Theories of Early Childhood Education: Developmental, Behavioral, and Critical. 2nd ed. Routledge.
Cooper, P. M. 2003.“ Effective White Teachers of Black Children: Teaching Within a Community.” Journal of Teacher Education 54( 5): 413 – 27.
Erikson, E. H. 1950 / 1985. Childhood and Society. W. W. Norton & Co.
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Graue, M. E. 1992. Ready for What? Constructing Meanings of Readiness for Kindergarten. SUNY Press.
Irvine, J. J. 1990. Black Students and School Failure: Policies, Practices, and Prescriptions. Greenwood.
Irvine, J. J. [ 2003 ] 2018. Educating Teachers for Diversity: Seeing with a Cultural Eye. Teachers College Press.
Irvine, J. J., & J. Fraser. 1998.“ Warm Demanders.” Education Week 17( 35): 56.
Ladson-Billings, G. 1995.“ Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy.” American Educational Research Journal 32( 3): 465 – 91.
Ladson-Billings, G. 2000.“ From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt: Understanding Achievement in US Schools.” Educational Researcher 35( 7): 3 – 12.
NAEYC. 2020.“ Developmentally Appropriate Practice.” Position statement. NAEYC. naeyc. org / resources / position-statements / dap / contents.
NIEER( National Institute for Early Education Research). 2023.“ Pioneer Barbara Bowman.” NIEER. nieer. org / pioneer-barbarabowman.
Shonkoff, J. P., & D. A. Phillips, eds. 2000. From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Report of the National Research Council. National Academies Press. nap. nationalacademies. org / catalog / 9824 / from-neuronsto-neighborhoods-the-science-of-early-childhood-development.
USDHHS( US Department of Health and Human Services). 2022.“ School Readiness.” Head Start. eclkc. ohs. acf. hhs. gov / schoolreadiness / article / head-start-approach-school-readiness-overview.
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46 Young Children
Spring 2026