Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation (2015) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
7 Knowledge and Competencies
7 Knowledge and Competencies
Pages 325-354
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 325... ...
The chapter first summarizes foundational knowledge, skills, and abilities, or competencies, needed by adults who have professional responsibilities for young children. This is followed by a discussion of specialized competencies needed for quality practice for the care and education workforce, including the extent to which current statements of professional standards encompass these competencies.
|
From page 326... ...
. All adults with professional responsibilities for young children need to use this knowledge and develop the skills to • ngage effectively in quality interactions with children that foster healthy E child development and learning in routine everyday interactions, in spe cific learning activities, and in educational and other professional settings in a manner appropriate to the child's developmental level.
|
From page 327... ...
This includes areas in which these care and education professionals will benefit from understanding the scope of learning -- and the scope of educational practices -- for the settings and ages that precede or follow them within the birth through 8 age range. Further specialized competencies and professional learning differentiated by age, setting, and/or role are important, but this study avoids duplicating or supplanting existing infrastructure or processes for articulating, reviewing, and guiding them.
|
From page 328... ...
• bility to create and manage effective learning environments (physical A space, materials, activities, classroom management)
|
From page 329... ...
. • nowledge of professional roles and available services within care K and education and in closely related sectors such as health and social services.
|
From page 330... ...
This section describes the extent to which the knowledge and competencies identified in the preceding sections are reflected in current statements of professional standards and core competencies, focusing on the role of educators. This is followed by a discussion of how stated core competencies could be improved to better reflect both the science of child development and the science of instruction, as well as to reflect more aligned expectations for care and education professionals across roles and settings.
|
From page 331... ...
First, there is an assumption that elementary education systems neglect children's development in areas other than the academic, and that "standards-based" reform is "pushing" expectations and teaching strategies down the age continuum from the older grades and encouraging practices that are inappropriate for children in prekindergarten through third grade. Setting aside whether that is indeed the case, it is interesting that all of the above national statements expect professionals -- whether they are working with the youngest children or third graders -- to know how to support 1 The InTASC standards do not name specific content areas.
|
From page 332... ...
Yet both the NAEYC and the NBPTS standards express explicit expectations that these professionals understand content knowledge in specific subject areas and have the ability to use that understanding to develop curricula, learning environments, and learning activities. While these four statements suggest significant agreement as to what early care and education providers for children under age 5 and early elementary grade educators should know and be able to do, some nuances and variations exist in a number of areas: • Assessment -- The NAEYC and DEC standards place more empha sis on professionals' proficiency in using observational assessments, systematic and everyday documentation of children's progress, and screening tools.
|
From page 333... ...
2 A scan was conducted of a sample of states to compare examples of core competencies statements for care and education professionals in the birth through age 8 continuum across states and between state and national statements.
|
From page 334... ...
; and understanding the family's beliefs and values related to child-rearing, communicating with the family about children's growth and development, collaborating with parents throughout the assessment process, and integrating families' goals and culture into curricula and learning environments (New Hampshire Department for Health and Human Services and Child Development Bureau, 2013)
|
From page 335... ...
Third, instead of calling out content knowledge as a competency area, as the national statements do, early care and education competencies from states embed it in other competencies, such as "teaching practices" or "learning environment and curriculum." Most of these statements do differentiate professionals' competencies in instruction, building a curriculum, and creating a learning environment for different content areas, which often include mathematics, language and literacy, science, social studies, art, and sometimes technology. In some cases, though, the concept of content knowledge appears to be broadly defined as language and literacy and part of cognitive development.
|
From page 336... ...
It calls for early learning professionals to be able to "use their child development knowledge, their knowledge of developmentally appropriate practices, and their content knowledge to design, implement, and evaluate experiences that promote optimal development and learning" for all children from birth through age 8. For example, to support the development of emergent literacy skills in young children, educators should be able to describe and implement developmentally appropriate strategies based on the stages of reading and writing across the developmental continuum, and identify ways to effectively implement these strategies (New Mexico Early Childhood Higher Education Task Force, 2011)
|
From page 337... ...
Competency statements could be improved by articulating what knowledge and skills early care and education professionals need to recognize learning challenges that result from stress and adversity, to adapt instructional practices that take these issues into account, and to implement what are sometimes referred to as "traumainformed" practices that help children manage their emotions and behaviors while engaged in learning activities. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed 12 core concepts that provide a rationale for trauma-informed assessment and intervention (NCTSN Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma Task Force, 2012)
|
From page 338... ...
Working with dual language learners Research on young dual language learners suggests that working effectively with these children requires both fundamental understanding of child development and learning and more specialized knowledge about how these children develop in various domains, how they respond to instruction, and what evidence-based practices have demonstrated success with this population. Yet while many statements of core competencies speak to the general need to respect cultural and linguistic diversity, they do not discuss in depth the knowledge professionals need of how these children learn, including the distinctive knowledge and capabilities required to support English acquisition and children's home language development.
|
From page 339... ...
The importance and value of these skills is often underestimated. Conclusion About Core Competency Statements for Educators A scan across national and state statements of core competencies for educators suggests that there is broad agreement on what educators who work with children from infancy through age 8 need to know and be able to do.
|
From page 340... ...
340 WORKFORCE FOR CHILDREN BIRTH THROUGH AGE 8 cioemotional development, promoting general learning competencies, working with dual language learners, and integrating technology into curricula. KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCIES FOR LEADERS AND ADMINISTRATORS Elementary school principals, early learning center directors or program directors, family childcare owners, and other supervisors and administrators play an instrumental role in helping care and education professionals who work with young children strengthen their core competencies and in creating a work environment in which these professionals can fully use their knowledge and skills (see Figure 7-1 for a summary of levels of effective FIGURE 7-1 Administrator's contribution to care and education for young children.
|
From page 341... ...
Early childhood center and program directors suffer from a lack of specialized training as early learning instructional leaders. Elementary school principals, because of the way they are prepared or recruited, often lack understanding of early childhood development research and best practices in instruction in preschool and the primary grades.
|
From page 342... ...
EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE ELEMENTARY CARE AND 342 AND EDUCATION LEADERS EDUCATION LEADERS • Center or Program A CROSS-SECTOR COHORT OF Directors/Administrators 0-8 LEADERS • Elementary School Principals and • Early Head Start and Head Start Assistant Principals Administrators • Leadership Network • Superintendents and • Preschool Directors • Professional Learning Community Deputy/Assistant Superintendents • Family Child Care • Community of Practice Owner/Operators • Co-Planning • Information Sharing • Staff Professional Learning HEALTH CARE LEADERS SOCIAL SERVICE LEADERS • Hospital Administrators • Clinic Managers • Local Agency Directors • Health and Public Health Agency • Regional/State Agency Directors Administrators • Program Directors • Program Directors FIGURE 7-2 Leadership roles and connections.
|
From page 343... ...
. As a result of federal and state accountability policies that tend to focus on the academic performance of older students, elementary school principals have less immediate pressure to devote more attention to the earlier grades (Mead, 2011)
|
From page 344... ...
• bility to formulate and implement policies that create an environment A that enhances and supports quality practice and children's development and early learning. • bility to formulate and implement supportive and rigorous ongoing pro A fessional learning opportunities and quality improvement programs that Core Competencies for Leadership In addition to the foundational knowledge and competencies described for all adults who work with children (see Box 7-1)
|
From page 345... ...
• Head Start Director Core Competencies (Office of Head Start, 2008) • National Association of Elementary School Principal Competencies for Leading pre-K-3 Learning Communities (National Association of Elementary School Principals, 2014)
|
From page 346... ...
Yet, given the science of child development and early learning reviewed in Part II, the complex and sophisticated professional competencies needed by the practitioners in these settings, and the importance of the work environment in supporting quality professional practice, adequate attention also needs to be paid to the ability of leadership to support high-quality instruction. CCSSO's standards include some of the most specific mentions of child development and other principles that may be associated with early childhood research and best practices.
|
From page 347... ...
Conclusion About Core Competency Statements for Leaders To create a more consistent culture of leadership expectations better aligned with children's need for continuous learning experiences, states' and organizations' statements of core competencies for leadership in elementary education would benefit from a review of those statements to ensure that the scope of competencies for instructional leadership en compasses the early elementary years, including pre-K as it increasingly becomes included in public school systems. States and organizations that issue statements of core competencies for leadership in centers, programs, family childcare, and other settings for early childhood education would benefit from a review of those statements to ensure that competencies related to instructional leadership are emphasized alongside administrative and management competencies.
|
From page 348... ...
The ability to communicate one's own role and responsibilities and understand the roles and responsibilities of team members and other professionals is a key competency to facilitate cooperation, coordination, and col 5 The Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel (2011) articulated interpro fessional competencies that converge across those identified previously by professional health organizations and educational institution in the United States, as well as national and international literature.
|
From page 349... ...
Thus, interprofessional communication is a competency domain that involves respectful communication with patients, families, and other health professionals. This competency involves communicating information using a common language that is understandable for patients and health professionals in other disciplines.
|
From page 350... ...
. For the health sector, these competencies were articulated to inform interprofessional practice as well as behavioral learning objectives for interprofessional education, with the intent that they would be used in parallel with specific and differentiated competencies within professions in the health sector (Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel, 2011)
|
From page 351... ...
• dentifies and knows the protocols for accessing various school- and I community-based resources available to support overall school success and promote healthy student development. • ffectively navigates school-based services through appropriate prerefer E ral and referral processes.
|
From page 352... ...
Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Peabody College. Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel.
|
From page 353... ...
Alexandria, VA: National Association of Elementary School Principals. NBPTS (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards)
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.