RISK, RESILIENCE, AND CULTURE LAB
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
Understanding and Improving
Trauma-informed Leadership and Teaching Practices in California's UPK implementation
Funding Source: Institute For Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE), UC Berkeley (2021-2022) and 21CSLA & California Department of Education (2023-2026)
Project Summary: This research plan is proposed with the goals to:
(1) respond to the critical educational investment and reform of Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) policy in California;
(2) to advance trauma research in the early childhood population; and
(3) to build stronger trauma-informed educational forcework in early childhood and K-12 systems.
The ultimate goal is to reduce educational inequality and mental health disparities for 4-year-olds who start UKP programs in k-12 settings and to create preschool through third grade (P-3) alignment to reduce their opportunity and achievement gaps and mental health disparities in k-12 settings.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS
Yang, C., Rho, E., Dong, Q., & Cheung, R. (2026). A mixed-method study of the support network, school climate, and well-being of teachers as the early implementers of California universal pre-kindergarten policy in California. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 76, 490–503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2026.04.013
Rho, E., Kodaiarasu, K., Yang, C., Lin, X., Dong, Q., & Cheung, R. (2026). “We understand, but need support”: Teachers’ perspectives on trauma-informed practices in universal transitional kindergarten. School Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2026.2622300
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Rho, E., Kodaiarasu, K., Yang, C., Lin, X., Dong, Q., & Cheung, R. (2026, April 8–12). “We understand, but need support”: Teachers’ perspectives on trauma-informed practices in universal transitional kindergarten. [Paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA. [PDF]
Kodaiarasu, K., Rho, E., & Yang, C. (2026, February 24–27). Understanding teachers’ trauma-informed practices in universal transitional kindergarten [Paper presentation]. Annual Convention of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), Chicago, IL, United States. [PDF]
Dong, Q., Mayes, M., Lin, X., Kang, N., & Yang, C. (2024, April 11–14). Trauma-informed practices in transitional kindergarten: A multiple case study exploring teachers' perspectives and implementation challenges. [Paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [PDF]
Vigil, T., Kodaiarasu, K., & Yang, C. (2026, February 24–27). Facilitating family engagement among California’s universal transitional kindergarten (UTK) program [Poster presentation]. Annual Convention of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), Chicago, IL, United States. [PDF]
Lin, X., Xiong, R., & Yang, C. (2025, April 23–27). Collaborative partnerships in social-emotional learning: promoting rural transitional kindergarteners’ social emotional development. [Paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado. [PDF]
Lin, X., & Yang, C. (2025, August 7–9). Home-school mismatch in early social emotional learning from diverse rural school stakeholders. [Poster presentation]. The 2025 American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Denver, CO. [Presentation]
RESEARCH BRIEFS
Rho, E., Dong, Q., & Yang, C. (2025, February 26). Professional and social support networks for California Transitional Kindergarten teachers (TK survey part 1). 21CSLA. [Read brief]
Zhang, Y., Rho, E., Dong, Q., & Yang, C. (2025, July 2). School climate and teacher well-being in Transitional Kindergarten education: Insights into compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and turnover intention (TK survey part 3). 21CSLA. [Read brief]
Kodaiarasu, K., Rho, E., Dong, Q., & Yang, C. (2025, August 22). Building bridges: Family engagement approaches among Transitional Kindergarten teachers (TK survey part 4). 21CSLA. [Read brief]