Supporting newly hired child care teachers: The role of onboarding
Denker, H. K., Markowitz, A. J., & Bassok, D. (2026). Supporting newly hired child care teachers: The role of onboarding. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 76, 217–229.
CV
Areas of Interest
Early childhood education, child care, quantitative methods, causal inference, education policy analysis
Education
2023 University of Colorado Boulder, School of Education
Ph.D in Research and Evaluation Methodology
Dissertation: “Exploring Structural Features and Classroom Processes in Early Childhood Education: An Examination of Time Use, Quality, and Teacher Wages”
Committee: Mimi Engel (chair), Allison Atteberry, Ben Shear, Oded Gurantz, and Karl Hill
2013 Oklahoma State University, School of Education and Human Sciences
M.S. in Educational Technology/School Library Media
Advisor: Susan L. Stansberry
2011 Oklahoma State University, School of Education and Human Sciences
- B.S. in Elementary Education - Summa Cum Laude, General Honors Award
Academic Appointments
2024–Present University of Arkansas, College of Education and Health Professions
Research Assistant Professor
2023–2024 University of Virginia, School of Education and Human Development
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Publications
Effectiveness of the Botvin High School LifeSkills Training intervention on adolescent substance use: A cluster randomized trial
Steeger, C. M., Combs, K. M., Racz, S. J., Brooks-Russell, A., Lain, M. A., Drewelow, K. M., Zaugg, S., Denker, H. K., & Hill, K. G. (2026). Effectiveness of the Botvin High School LifeSkills Training intervention on adolescent substance use: A cluster randomized trial. Journal of Adolescent Health, 79(1), 144–153.
Context of Arkansas
Airola, D., Denker, H. K., & McKenzie, S. (2026). Context of Arkansas. In H. A. Patrinos & K. Scott (Eds.), The State of Education in Arkansas (pp. 19–26). University of Arkansas Press.
Curricula in Early Childhood Education Preschool Settings
Engel, M., Shaw Attaway, D., & Denker, H. K. (2025). Curricula in early childhood education preschool settings. In L. Cohen-Vogel, P. Youngs, & J. Scott (Eds.), Handbook of Education Policy Research (2nd ed., pp. 959–984). American Educational Research Association.
Where has all the time gone? Describing time use in full- vs. half-day pre-Kindergarten
Denker, H. & Atteberry, A. (2024). Where has all the time gone? Describing time use in full- vs. half-day pre-Kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 68, 235-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.05.007
Conference Presentations
Childcare Worker Onboarding Practices and their Relationship with Perceived Preparation, Efficacy, Job Satisfaction, and Commitment
Paper Session at Association for Education Finance and Policy, Washington D.C.
(Mis)Measuring Pre-Kindergarten Classroom Characteristics
Paper Session at Association for Education Finance and Policy, Denver, Colorado
Time to learn: Instructional time use in pre-Kindergarten
Paper Session at American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting (Conference Cancelled), San Francisco, California
And then comes testing: How schools reallocate classroom time when high-stakes testing begins in 3rd grade
Paper Session at Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado
Comparing academic time use across second and third grades
Paper Session at Association for Education Finance and Policy Annual Meeting, Kansas City, Missouri
Other Research Experience
2022-2023 University of Virginia, School of Education and Human Development
Graduate Research Assistant for Allison Atteberry
2022-Present Lyons Assessment Consulting
Research Assistant for Susan Lyons
2021-2023 University of Colorado, Boulder, Institute of Behavioral Science
Graduate Research Assistant for Karl Hill
2017-2023 University of Colorado, Boulder, School of Education
Graduate Research Assistant for Allison Atteberry and Mimi Engel
2011-2013 Oklahoma State University, School of Education and Human Sciences
Graduate Research Assistant for Susan Stansberry
Teaching Experience
Professional Organizations and Service
- Journal Reviewer (Ad-Hoc)
- Educational Researcher, Early Chilodhood Research Quarterly
- Conference Proposal Reviewer
- American Educational Research Association (2024, 2025)
- Mentoring
- 2023-Present Mentor, University of Virginia Undergraduate Education Policy Associates
- 2021-2023 Mentor, University of Colorado Boulder STUDIO Undergraduate Research Program
- University Service
- 2018-2019 Member, Student Association for Graduate Educators (SAGE), University of Colorado Boulder