Parent-Teacher Agreement on Children's Behavior in Kindergarten

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Parent-Teacher Agreement on Children's Behavior in Kindergarten
Language: English
Authors: Chelsea T. Morris (ORCID 0000-0002-4266-5559), Cathy H. Qi, Batya Elbaum (ORCID 0000-0002-1257-8251)
Source: Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. 2026 46(1):29-40.
Availability: SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Elementary Education
Kindergarten
Primary Education
Descriptors: Parent Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Student Behavior, Behavior Problems, Kindergarten, Congruence (Psychology), Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Gender Differences, Students with Disabilities, Special Education, Racial Composition
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey
DOI: 10.1177/02711214251335463
ISSN: 0271-1214
1538-4845
Abstract: The perceptions of both teachers and parents are important in identifying challenging behavior of young children. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort 2010-2011 (ECLS-K, 2011), we investigated parent-teacher agreement of 3,310 U.S. kindergarten students (n = 460 [13.8%] identified as students with disabilities) that teachers rated as having moderate to severe challenging behavior. We found that parents rated their children's behaviors as less severe than did teachers. The magnitude of parent-teacher rating discrepancies was not affected by the child's gender or the child-teacher race match, however, the discrepancy between parent and teacher ratings was greater for Black students than for White, Hispanic or Asian students. Controlling for child's gender, race, and the child-teacher race match, the interaction of rater and special education status was not statistically significant. Implications of the study are discussed in relation to identifying and addressing challenging behaviors in kindergarten and strengthening parent-teacher alignment in the special education process.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1502012
Database: ERIC
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