Martine van der Pluijm

180 Chapter 6 integrated learning may be useful for teacher educators to establish the strong motivational behavior that prepares candidates for this complex part of their work (Denessen et al., 2009; Walker, 2019). Develop supportive policy We found that it was difficult for teachers and school principals to implement the AHL program due to a lack of supportive policy (see Chapters 3 and 4). Teachers noticed that their changed behavior positively affected their relationships with parents and their interactions with children, but they were unable to engage their colleagues in this development. School principals in our studies acknowledged the value of embedding SFPs in support of child language development into school policy but lacked the resources (see Chapter 3). Barriers that we found included priority setting on parent engagement versus teaching children, funding for professional development, and insufficient knowledge for systematic implementation of renewed practices in school. Based on our findings, we recommend policymakers to create favorable conditions to stimulate schools to build SFPs in support of child language development, matching the characteristics of their population and granting teachers professional autonomy. First, we address the issue of priority setting. Although parental engagement at schools is a subject of national policy (e.g., Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur & Wetenschap, 2019), schools do not focus on SFPs in the light of young children’s language development. Given the evidence that shows the impact of investments in the home environment for later language and literacy performance, more attention should be directed at implementing approaches that recognize family influences. The existing ECEC is a logical setting for this transformation. Recognizing parents as primary educators of their children requires policy that acknowledges the diversity of families and the inequalities that exist in families that are less educated (Green, 2016). Unfortunately, inequalities between children from lower- and higher-educated parents cannot be minimized by schools only. Recent reports of the Inspectorate (2018) showed increased inequalities. Such priority setting of policy to improve SFPs in support of child language development requires teachers to develop new skills. In our studies, we found how teachers flourished when they were involved in bottom-up coaching and collaborative networks. We recommend policymakers to build on these experiences and stimulate professional development by encouraging teachers to improve their work with parents based on ownership (see section: Engaging teachers based on professional autonomy). Teachers should be given more time to participate in coaching and assistance in the classroom. Additionally, establishing a clear vision that acknowledges families as equal partners in school policy may be needed to sustain professional development (Krijnen et al., 2020).