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Areas of Expertise
- Superintendents' Early Childhood Plan
- Play-based learning
- Professional development
Biography
Amy Schmidtke is director of Educational Practice. In her role, she conceptualizes and leads systemic approaches to reducing opportunity gaps in early learning and education settings, birth through Grade 3, blending a working knowledge of applied research, high-quality practices, and effective family engagement strategies to improve school, community, and child outcomes.
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Featured Publications
Counting collection in community [Case study]. Schmidtke, A. (2023). In Brillante, P., Chen, J., Cuevas, S., Dundorf, C., Hoffman, E. B., Meier, D. R., Mindes, G., & Roy, L. R. (Eds.) Casebook: Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8, NAEYC, 2023.
A qualitative study of Kindergarten teachers’ perceptions about the influences of professional learning on their implementation of guided play, Schmidtke, A. (2022). Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 37(1), 49-76.
Media Coverage
School and community leaders gather at Superintendents’ Plan convening [Blog post]. (2024, April 2). Early Years Matter.
'It brought me back to my purpose with children': Teachers examine learning through the lens of the child [Blog post]. (2022, December 22). Early Years Matter.
Learning Community programs that help at-risk Omaha-area kids are paying off, consultant says, (2014, November 21). Omaha World-Herald.