Catherine Marchant

Catherine Marchant, Ed.D., has been a classroom teacher, teacher educator, instructional coach and consultant. Following several years as a teacher in the Boston Public Schools, Catherine joined the faculty at Wheelock College (1982-1995). There she taught courses in children's development and curriculum and instruction, and supervised student teachers. She also coordinated the graduate program in early childhood special education, directed a US DOE professional preparation grant and co-edited a book of faculty case studies on play, Play in Practice (Redleaf Press, 2002). In 1996, Catherine returned to BPS as one of its first instructional coaches. She continued there in various roles in early childhood, including four years as an Early Reading First coach, where she worked closely with Judy Schickedanz on the implementation of Opening the World of Learning curriculum (Pearson Education, 2005) in Boston's Early Learning Centers and district preschool classrooms. Many of the cases in Inside Preschool Classrooms are based on those experiences. From 2013-2021, Catherine has continued to consult with individual schools and districts providing early childhood professional development and curriculum assistance. She is also an author of What Are Preschoolers Thinking Insights from Early Learners' Misunderstandings (Harvard Education Press, 2022) with Judy Schickedanz and Molly Collins. Presently, thanks to her almost 5 year old twin granddaughters, Catherine has remained active in early childhood education, observing and engaging with young children and continuing to refine her view of quality early childhood teaching and learning.