KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� June 10, 2026 鈥� Research shows that when preschool teachers participate in professional learning workshops and ongoing coaching with experienced early childhood educators, students improve their language and literacy skills, and their social-emotional development.
However, when it comes to executive function鈥� the cognitive skills that enable students to control impulses, pay attention, and remember classroom rules鈥攍ittle research has been conducted on how much workshops and coaching help preschool teachers in aiding their students鈥� development.
But a new study performed by Sammy Ahmed, assistant professor of human development and family science in , is shedding light on this topic. The results were published in the journal this spring.
鈥淧reschool is an important time for children鈥檚 executive function development,鈥� said Sammy Ahmed, assistant professor of human development and family science in . 鈥淭hese skills have been linked to several important educational, behavioral, and health outcomes across the lifespan.鈥�
Ahmed and colleagues from Michigan State University partnered with , a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing early education, to study how supporting teachers鈥� implementation of their preschool curriculum can improve students鈥� executive function skills. The research was funded by a U.S. Department of Education Grant.
The research team recruited families who had children enrolled in early learning centers during the 2021-22 school year to participate in the study. Recruitment yielded 317 children from centers using the HighScope curriculum.
Teachers were assigned to an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group attended five trainings and received ongoing coaching with experienced early childhood educators. The control group followed the curriculum without training or coaching.
鈥淲orkshop topics covered the relevance of executive function skills for children鈥檚 learning and behavior, the ways that children develop these skills, and strategies to promote executive function skills in classroom settings,鈥� said Ahmed.
The workshops included whole group discussions and guided practices to small group work and individual reflections. Coaching supported the implementation of new strategies learned in the workshops.
The students in the experimental group were found to have displayed 鈥渕odest鈥� improved executive function from the fall to the spring. Researchers speculate that shorter, more frequent training sessions might yield greater improvement. They also note that COVID-19 protocols coupled with professional turnover during the pandemic may have been an impediment to more significant gains.
While gains may have been modest, a report published by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University supported many of the conclusions Ahmed and his colleagues made when working on their preschool study. The was produced in partnership with the Rhode Island School Superintendents Association and the Rhode Island Department of Education. It emphasized that instructional changes require districts to implement professional learning that helps teachers learn new ways of teaching and to provide ongoing support.
鈥淭he report affirms the Rhode Island’s recent commitment to teacher professional learning, which is becoming increasingly recognized as an important workforce investment,鈥� said Ahmed.
The professor plans to study the longitudinal effects of HighScope’s professional learning program thanks to a grant from the , which receives funding from the National Science Foundation.
鈥淭his could have real-world implications, as research shows that the early development of executive function is associated with a host of important life outcomes,鈥� said Ahmed.