Student Characteristics as Predictors of Teachers’ Implementation of a Kindergarten Readiness Program

Recent years have seen increasing numbers of classroom-based interventions designed to enhance the school readiness of at-risk
preschoolers. Even the most comprehensive, well-designed programs can suffer from limited effectiveness due to low-frequency
implementation by teachers. The current study presents findings from the Building Bridges (BB) project, an integrated program
targeting school readiness in Head Start and low-income child care centers. Previous studies have reported the role of teacher-level
and program-level characteristics in predicting teacher implementation of an intervention. The present study examines the
role of student characteristics—language and math ability, social skills, and behavioral functioning—in predicting implementation
exposure. These associations were examined in the context of program type (Head Start, child care) and intervention condition
(consultation, no consultation). 88 classrooms (41 Head Start, 47 child care) participated in the BB intervention. Implementation
exposure was predicted by several distinct student characteristics. Teachers whose students exhibited poorer language skills
implemented significantly more BB activities, a finding that was consistent across program types and intervention conditions.
A marginally significant trend was identified for oppositional behavior when interacted with intervention group in that teachers
whose students demonstrated higher rates of oppositional behavior implemented fewer intervention activities when they did
not have a consultant. Teachers in child care centers with a BB consultant had higher rates of implementation than did teachers
in all other groups. These findings provide important information regarding the student-level characteristics that should
be evaluated in order to optimize implementation of an intervention.