Tag Archives: Teacher Quality

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: Power to the Profession Task Force’s Decision Cycles 3-5

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Unifying and strengthening the early childhood workforce may be the single most important step towards closing the opportunity/achievement gap. The Foundation for Child Development has committed its energies and resources towards professionalization of the early childhood field, improving the quality of professional practice, and enhancing early childhood teacher preparation.

In 2000, the National Research Council’s Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers report and the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) From Neurons to Neighborhood: The Science of Early Childhood Development report gave the early childhood field its scientific foundation and the standards for high-quality teacher preparation. We also support the long-term vision and teacher competencies proposed by the 2015 IOM report, Transforming the Workforce for Children from Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation. Moving forward, the Foundation has positioned the research base and recommendations from these landmark reports at the center of our 100-plus years of funding research into the care and education that all children need for a strong start in life.

The Foundation’s support of Power to Profession was spurred by the 2015 IOM report and the vision it articulated. We acknowledge both the importance and difficulty of asking the initiative’s Task Force to do what has never been accomplished in the early childhood field: Envision a unified, diverse, well-prepared, appropriately compensated workforce and determine the competencies and qualifications early childhood professionals must have at every level of practice in order to guarantee that all children have equal access to high-quality early care and education. Recognizing that increasing competencies and qualifications among a diverse workforce would require an equitable pathway for professional development, and the compensation that must come with it, the Foundation also funded the 2018 National Academies’ Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education report that outlines a financing framework and funding strategy based on increased competencies while also retaining diversity in our workforce.

Therefore, we view Power to the Profession’s work as framed by these seminal reports, which emphasized what works for all children and developed a vision that demands equal access to high-quality care and education, access that begins each day in the arms of qualified professionals across every community, not just for those who can afford the best for their children.

THE TASK FORCE’S PURPOSE.

The work of the initiative’s Task Force is an opportunity for social and systemic transformation that cannot be squandered. It is within this context that we strongly believe that the draft recommendations in Decision Cycles 3-5 fail to seize the moment to look beyond the systemic and fiscal constraints of the present. Instead, we urge the Task Force to envision what could be and embrace what educators do best by setting higher professional standards that lead all children to better school and life outcomes.

The question today is not whether quality early childhood education works, but rather how we can make it work for all children and for all early childhood educators.

Much has been done over the past decade to convince policymakers and the public of a fundamental truth: High-quality early care and education is the vehicle of social mobility, the accelerator of better education, health, social, and economic outcomes for children and our nation.

Our charge is to close the opportunity gap that too many children and families in our society experience due to lack of access to quality early care and education. The reality is that children in the greatest need deserve early care and education provided by professionals with the highest qualifications — yet they are least likely to get them. A diverse group of competent, qualified, and fairly compensated early childhood professionals, working in every community, is a force that can eliminate the gap and lift an entire generation out of poverty to make sure that each child — regardless of the zip code in which they live — has a clear path to their full potential.

We must see the early childhood workforce as the engine of positive social and economic change that it can be. We cannot be satisfied with the status quo. We cannot be so constrained by the present realities that we cannot envision a new and better reality for children, families, and the profession of early childhood educators.

The time is now. Parents, stretched to the breaking point between their aspirations for their children and what they can afford to provide, demand something better. That demand can be harnessed to drive greater public investment, but only if early childhood educators leverage the trust that parents have in their work and their professional knowledge and skill. We have a golden opportunity to deliver a vision of and transition towards a professional structure that elevates a diverse workforce while providing uniform access to high-quality care and education for all children.

The Task Force’s vision, as currently drafted in Decision Cycles 3-5, will fail to accomplish these big but necessary goals.

We cannot have progress without change. The draft document settles for the low bar of the status quo — which further perpetuates the reality that both the quality of children’s early childhood experiences and the compensation for early childhood professionals are highly dependent on the settings in which they are enrolled or work.

In its current form, the document does not describe a clear strategy to incentivize and facilitate upward mobility across professional roles in the profession. It does not provide specific individual competencies that would describe what early childhood professionals should know and be able to do across professional roles. Nor does the current iteration of the document ensure that all children and families have access to competent professionals across all settings at every stage of early childhood education and care.

DECISION CYCLES 3-5 SET THE BAR TOO LOW…

For more: https://www.fcd-us.org/power-to-the-profession/

Source: Foundation for Child Development

The Impact of Discrimination on the Early Schooling Experiences of Children from Immigrant Families

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9/2015

How the young children of immigrants experience their early school years may in large part determine their academic future and negatively affect their emotional, social, and mental development. Children benefit from a positive, supportive learning environment where their contributions are valued; many from immigrant families, however, experience discrimination in school during their early, impressionable years.

The experiences that children have in their first classrooms are foundational to how they think about themselves as learners, students, and members of the larger communities around them. Any experiences of discrimination at this vulnerable age can negatively affect personal development and academic trajectories, and limit the emotional benefits of early childhood education.

This report, part of a research series supported by the Foundation for Child Development, maps the types of personal and structural discrimination that young children of immigrants may experience at school, and the consequences of discrimination for children, their families, and schools. It begins by describing how discrimination in the early years can affect a child’s development, academic performance, and later mobility. The report then outlines types of discrimination that young children of immigrants may experience at school. The report concludes with recommendations that focus on training teachers, building relationships between schools and immigrant communities, and encouraging more varied, culturally sensitive learning experiences.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. How Discrimination in School Affects Young Children
A. The Effects of Discrimination on Children’s Development and Academic Performance
B. Discrimination and Parental Engagement in SchoolC. The Role of Local Contexts and Attitudes

III. Types of Discrimination Experienced
A. Personal Forms of Discrimination
B. Structural Forms of Discrimination

IV. Reasons for Discrimination in the Early School Years
A. Lack of Meaningful Connections with Immigrant Communities
B. Focus on Immigrant Families’ Deficits Rather than Assets
C. Inadequate Teacher Preparation and Recruitment
D. Testing Pressures in the Early Grades
E. Negative Labels and Concerns over School Readiness

V. Recommendations

Source: Migration Policy Institute

Available at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/impact-discrimination-early-schooling-experiences-children-immigrant-families

What Predicts How Well Teachers Implement Banking Time with Disruptive Preschoolers?

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8/2015

This study examined the implementation of a teacher-child intervention, Banking Time, with 59 preschool teachers and children with disruptive behavior. Implementation quality was assessed with regard to dosage, quality, and generalized practice. Additionally, program and teacher characteristics were examined to better understand what predicted intervention implementation.

Source: The Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL), Curry School of Education

Available at: http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/Research_Brief_Amanda_Williford%2C_et_al._%282015%29.pdf

The Birth Through Third Grade Learning Hub

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7/2015

The goal of the Birth through Grade Three (Birth-Third) Learning Hub is to support communities in their efforts to improve young children’s learning and development. This website tracks, profiles, and analyzes Birth-Third initiatives with the aim of promoting learning, exchange, and knowledge-building across communities.

Building Capacity and Knowledge Across Communities.  An underlying premise of the hub is that the more Birth-Third leaders know about the work of other communities, the better able they will be to design and implement effective strategies. Recent work on education reform in high-performing countries and regions emphasizes the importance of building capacity across communities, capacity built by developing knowledge, relationships, networks, and regional collective commitment. Through case studies, analysis, guidance documents, tools, videos, and collaboration with technical assistance providers, the Learning Hub promotes sharing of promising practices and collaborative problem-solving directed towards common problems.

Real-Time Action Research. In recent years both the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Aspen Institute have released concept papers based on years of research on community change and innovation at scale—innovation at the community-level. These papers–Networked Improvement Communities and Building Knowledge About Community Change–call for action research in service to community change that is applied, timely, informed by practitioner perspectives, and formative in nature. Consistent with the messages of these reports, the Learning Hub aims to synthesize findings across Birth-Third partnerships and provide analysis–informed by the research literature–of common trends, patterns, challenges, and innovations. See this page for a description of Birth-Third strategies. Key topics of interest include the following:

  • Strategy and Planning and Plan Management
  • Standards and Curriculum
  • Assessment and Data-Driven Inquiry
  • Effective Teaching Strategies
  • Developmentally-appropriate Practice
  • QRIS
  • English Language Learning
  • Professional Learning Communities
  • Coaching and Professional Development
  • Home Visiting
  • Parenting
  • Special Needs
  • Transitions and School Readiness

Source: The Birth Through Third Grade Learning Hub 

Research on Early Childhood Teacher Education: Evidence From Three Domains and Recommendations for Moving Forward 

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2013

It is essential that a solid research base be established to provide a foundation that will enable the field of early childhood teacher education to examine whether, for whom, and in what ways teacher education matters. The purpose of this article is to review several important domains in early childhood teacher education to illustrate the characteristics, key features, and significant gaps in current research, and to identify the kinds of research that are most needed to enhance the impact of early childhood teacher education. We conclude by identifying five crosscutting research priorities and describing what is needed to create a supportive environment that produces—and implements—early childhood teacher education research.

Source: Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education – Volume 34, Issue 1

Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10901027.2013.758541

Start-of-School Survival Kit for Teachers

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The start of a new school year is a busy time for children and teachers! The National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning NCQTL is pleased to offer this survival kit. Head Start teachers and other program staff can use the resources below to support their work with children and families all year long. Start exploring on your own and share them with colleagues.

Back-to-School Resources

Use these materials as a quick reminder of successful classroom practices to get you started this school year:

Schedules and Routines
Watch this four-minute video for tips on creating classroom schedules and routines. Learn how these practices promote childrens learning.

Visual Reminders of Classroom Expectations
Learn how printable visual cues for teaching children about behavior expectations, including a voice volume chart for the classroom, can promote positive behavior.

Tips for Teachers: Designing Environments
Use this one-page tip sheet for ideas on designing the classroom environment. Learn how the environment affects childrens learning and what you can do enhance it.

Tips for Teachers: Develop a Sense of Teamwork
Discover key practices to  build a strong teaching team. This resource lists ideas for providing feedback, sharing information, and more.

Get Ready for Kindergarten! Activity Calendar for Teachers
This year-long calendar focuses on childrens transitions to kindergarten. Find monthly activities that support smooth transitions for children and families.

Explore more NCQTL resources that highlight evidence-based teaching practices on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center ECLKC: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching

Questions?
Send your questions to ncqtl@uw.edu or call toll-free 1-877-731-0764.

 

New Initiative to Provide All Students Access to Great Educators

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7/7/2014

As part of its efforts to ensure that all students have equal access to a quality education, today the U.S. Department of Education is announcing the launch of the Excellent Educators for All Initiative. The initiative will help states and school districts support great educators for the students who need them most.

“All children are entitled to a high-quality education regardless of their race, zip code or family income. It is critically important that we provide teachers and principals the support they need to help students reach their full potential,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “Despite the excellent work and deep commitment of our nations teachers and principals, systemic inequities exist that shortchange students in high-poverty, high-minority schools across our country. We have to do better. Local leaders and educators will develop their own innovative solutions, but we must work together to enhance and invigorate our focus on how to better recruit, support and retain effective teachers and principals for all students, especially the kids who need them most.”

Today’s announcement is another important step forward in improving access to quality education, a component of President Obama’s year of action. Absent Congressional action, the President is moving forward on behalf of vulnerable children and families. Later today, Secretary Duncan will lead a roundtable discussion with principals and school teachers from across the country about the challenges of working in high-need schools and how to incorporate promising practices for supporting great educators in these schools.

The three-part Excellent Educators for All Initiative includes:

Comprehensive Educator Equity Plans

  • The Department is asking states to analyze their data and consult with teachers, principals, districts, parents and community organizations to create new, comprehensive educator equity plans that put in place locally-developed solutions to ensure every student has effective educators.
  • Chief State School Officers will receive a letter today from Secretary Duncan asking them to submit their new plans by April 2015. These plans were first created in 2006 and are required by Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Educator Equity Support Network

  • The Department is investing $4.2 million to launch a new technical assistance network to support states and districts in developing and implementing their plans to ensure all students have access to great educators.
  • The network will work to develop model plans, share promising practices, provide communities of practice for educators to discuss challenges and share lessons learned with each other, and create a network of support for educators working in high-need schools.

Educator Equity Profiles

  • To empower communities and help states enhance their equity plans, the Department will publish Educator Equity profiles this fall. The profiles will help states identify gaps in access to quality teaching for low-income and minority students, as well as shine a spotlight on places where high-need schools are beating the odds and successfully recruiting and retaining effective educators.
  • In addition to the profiles, the states will receive their complete data file from the Civil Rights Data Collection CRDC. States will be able to conduct detailed analyses of the data to inform their discussions about local inequities and design strategies for improving those inequities.

Research indicates that students’ race and family income often predict their access to excellent educators. Low-income students and high-need schools tend to have teachers who are less experienced, have fewer credentials and do not demonstrate a track record of success. In Louisiana, the percentage of teachers rated highly effective is 50% higher in low-poverty, low-minority schools than in high-poverty, high-minority schools. Similarly, in Tennessee, the percentage of teachers rated highly effective is 33% higher in schools with low-poverty and minority student populations than high-poverty, high-minority schools. In North Carolina, highly effective teachers are 50% more likely to leave a disadvantaged school than an advantaged school. Nationally, according to the Department’s Civil Rights Data Collection, black and American Indian students are four times as likely as white students to be enrolled in a school with more than 20% first year teachers, and Latino students are three times as likely.

The Education Department’s actions today are about ensuring every child has access to a high-quality educator. The Department’s commitment to equity in education underlies all of its activities from the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, Elementary and Secondary Education Act ESEA flexibility, and School Improvement Grants, to its Race to the Top – Opportunity proposal, among others. To learn more about today’s announcement, visit: http://www.ed.gov/.

Editor’s Note: Following Secretary Duncan’s roundtable discussion with teachers and principals at 2:15 P.M. on Monday, July 7 at the Education Department, there will be a media availability with Secretary Duncan; Randi Weingarten, president American Federation of Teachers; Wade Henderson, president and CEO of Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; and Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Source: U.S. Department of Education

Observed Quality and Psychometric Properties of the CLASS-T in the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey

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6/5/14

In this technical brief, we report on the use of the Toddler Classroom Assessment Scoring System CLASS-T in the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Baby FACES. We begin by providing a brief overview of the Baby FACES study, including its methodology and approach to data collection. Next, we provide a descriptive snapshot of quality in center-based settings drawing on observations conducted in Early Head Start classrooms serving 2- and 3-year-old children in Baby FACES. Finally, we document evidence from Baby FACES of the instrument’s psychometric properties, including results of factor analyses, internal consistency reliability, and concurrent and predictive associations to child development outcomes and other key indicators of quality.

Source: Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families

Available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/resource/observed-quality-and-psychometric-properties-of-the-class-t-in-the-early-head-start-family-and-child-experiences-survey

2013 State Preschool Yearbook Finds Need for Renewed Investment

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5/13/14

Today NIEER released its 2013 State Preschool Yearbookat CentroNía/DC Bilingual Public Charter School in D.C. This newest installment of the Yearbook series covers policies, enrollment, and funding for state-funded pre-K programs in the 2012-2013 school year. Joining NIEER Director Steve Barnett at the event were Myrna Peralta, President/CEO of CentroNía; Roberto Rodriguez of the White House Domestic Policy Council; and Rob Dugger of ReadyNation/America’s EdgeClick for the full report.

This year’s report found states still struggling to recover from the economic downturn that did so much damage to preschool programs in the previous year. As Barnett noted, “Our nation has emerged from the recession, but preschool-age children are being left to suffer its effects. A year ago, our data showed a half-billion-dollar cut in funding for state pre-K and stalled enrollment. For 2012-2013, we find that enrollment is down and funding per child, while up slightly, remains stalled at near-historic lows.”

Particularly of concern, the report found that:

  • In 2012-2013, enrollment decreased by about 9,000 4-year-olds from the prior year across the 40 states plus D.C.[1] that offer pre-K. This is the first enrollment decrease nationally NIEER has observed.
  • Slightly more than 1.3 million children attended state-funded pre-K, 1.1 million of them at age 4, accounting for four percent of 3-year-olds and 28 percent of 4-year-olds.
  • On the plus side, 20 states increased enrollment while 11 states reduced enrollment.
  • One program improved against NIEER’s Quality Standards Benchmarks, while two fell back.
  • Also good news, for the first time, every state-funded pre-K program had comprehensive early learning standards. This is first of the quality standards benchmarks to be met by all.
  • Four states, plus one of Louisiana’s three programs, met all 10 benchmarks for state pre-K quality standards, the same as in the previous year. This remains down from the peak of five states in 2010-11. Weak program standards persist in too many states, including lax standards for teacher qualifications in 23 programs and no limits on class size and/or teacher child ratio in a few large states–California, Florida and Texas.
  • Total state funding for pre-K programs increased by $30 million in real dollars, about a 1 percent increase.
  • State pre-K funding per child increased by $36 inflation-adjusted from the previous year, to $4,026.
  • Only 15 states could be verified as providing enough per-child funding to meet all 10 benchmarks for quality standards. As only 19 percent of the children enrolled in state-funded pre-K attend those programs, it seems likely that most children served by state pre-K attend programs where funding per child is inadequate to provide a quality education.

Source: Preschool Matters… Today!

Available at: http://preschoolmatters.org/2014/05/13/2013-state-preschool-yearbook-finds-need-for-renewed-investment/

An Ocean of Unknowns

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7/30/2013 10 – 11:30 ET

Few things can be more polarizing than basing teachers’ evaluations on their students’ achievement. It sounds logical: Teachers should be accountable for what their students have – or have not – learned. But incorporating achievement data into teacher ratings is complicated, especially in the early grades of elementary schools when students typically do not take state standardized tests. With nudges from the federal government through programs like Race to the Top and flexibility waivers from No Child Left Behind, nearly every state is revamping its teacher evaluation system to include student achievement data as a significant factor of a teacher’s rating. Across the country, experiments abound as states and school districts struggle to find sound approaches to measure young students’ achievement for the purposes of teacher evaluation.

New America’s Education Policy Program recently released a paper, by Senior Policy Analyst Laura Bornfreund, exploring the approaches being used to include student achievement data in PreK-3rd grade teachers’ evaluations. Please join us for an expert panel who will discuss the opportunities and risks Bornfreund illuminates in her paper.

Source: The New America Foundation

Available at: http://newamerica.net/events/2013/an_ocean_of_unknowns