Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 A Unifying Foundation (2015) / Chapter Skim
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9 Higher Education and Ongoing Professional Learning
9 Higher Education and Ongoing Professional Learning
Pages 365-420
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From page 365... ...
This lack of standardization has influenced perceptions of the occupation, as well as policies and practices for teacher preparation. The lack of standardization and its effects become even more striking when viewed in light of the broad variations in the preparation of educators across professional roles and settings for children birth through age 8.
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From page 366... ...
, "teacher preparation" refers to preservice education in a degree-granting program and subsequent licensure that are typically required before employment. Teacher preparation programs often include coursework requirements and student teaching experiences, required by policy in most states (Loeb et al., 2009)
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From page 367... ...
. However, as educational requirements are increasing in programs such as Head Start, in publicly funded prekindergarten, and in state quality rating and improvement systems, educators in professional roles outside of the elementary grades are increasingly attending college or university programs to complete required credits or to earn degrees, either before working or while employed (Whitebook, 2014)
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From page 368... ...
Although the distinction is not absolute, preparation programs for public school teachers from early on focused on preparing them to teach academics and "knowledge." Educational Expectations and Perceived Status or Prestige Educational expectations and perceived status or prestige have fluctuated by professional role over time. Nursery school teachers initially were expected to have 4-year degrees and to operate as equals among other professionals, and childcare providers also were required historically to have higher education.
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Characteristics of Programs in Higher Education Because of the lack of uniformity in and comprehensive data on teacher preparation, it is difficult to clearly delineate different pathways for educators and provide precise characteristics of each. Paralleling variability in expectations for and participation in higher education across professional roles is a great deal of variability across institutions and programs.
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. Approaches used in preparation programs for elementary school educators vary, although these approaches are more consistent than those of programs for care and education professionals outside of elementary school settings.
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in elementary and subject matter: "method high school and of the subject" versus pedagogy "academic" knowledge • Practical pedagogy • Close tie between theory and practice • Technical theory and methods: "rules of teaching the subject" • Explicit attention to supervising practice and even "campus schools" • Clear sense of purpose (educating teacher) Liberal arts Embedded in • Liberal arts as preparation Secondary colleges 4-year for teaching: humane teachers (1800s-present)
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From page 372... ...
. Formal coursework topics commonly, but not consistently or comprehensively, required in educator preparation programs at the associate's, bachelor's, and master's levels, as well as for the Child Development Associate credential, can include the following: education and care of children across the age continuum, including dual language learners and young children with disabilities; interactions with children and families from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds; assessment/observation of young children; literacy, language, and numeracy instructional strategies; social and emotional development; physical health and motor development; and classroom and behavioral management (Maxwell et al., 2006)
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. Furthermore, while courses focused on interacting with families are common in early childhood teacher preparation programs, they are less common in K-5 programs (Bornfreund, 2011)
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. Finding high-quality field placements can be a challenge for educator preparation programs, although some believe there are opportunities for reflection and learning even when practicums are completed in poor-quality settings (Whitebook et al., 2009)
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Concerns over the composition of faculty have been raised in multiple reports in the past decade, particularly for programs that train educators for practice in early childhood settings outside of elementary school systems (Bornfreund, 2011)
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Qualifications for faculty in early childhood educator preparation programs vary by program and position title. Job requirements for these types of positions commonly include experience teaching courses related to education in such areas as curriculum development, student guidance, and teacher education (O*
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• Education -- Possess any one of the following: – Master's degree in child development, early childhood education, human development, home economics/family and consumer studies with a specialization in child development/early childhood education, or educational psychology with a specialization in child development/early childhood education; OR – Bachelor's degree in any of the above AND master's degree in social work, educational supervision, elementary education, special education, psychology, bilingual/ bicultural education, life management/home economics, family life studies, or family and consumer studies; OR – A valid California Community College Instructors Credential in the discipline; OR – The equivalent of the above. • Demonstrated ability to effectively work with persons of diverse socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds.
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or Ed.D. in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Urban Education, Math Education, Science Education, Special Education, ESL/Bilingual Education, Curriculum & Instruction, or related field.
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or Early Childhood Education (PK-2) and in Special Education (PK-8)
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Specifically in early childhood educator preparation programs, most faculty were white nonHispanic (Bornfreund, 2011; Johnson et al., 2010; Maxwell et al., 2006)
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, while studies have found that one-third to one-half of early care and education teachers are people of color (Child Care Services Association, 2013; NSECE, 2011; Whitebook et al., 2006) .1 However, there is stratification by position along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, and language, with lead teachers and directors more likely to be monolingual English speakers and white (Whitebook et al., 2008a)
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As of 2010, As of 2007, for educators working in Head Start,b • 16 percent of public school teachers were • 98 percent were female male • More than half were aged 30-49 • 23 percent were aged 29 or younger; 26 • 20 percent were identified as Hispanic/Latino; data for other ethnicities were not available percent were aged 30-39; 21 percent were (Aikens et al., 2010; NSECE, 2011) aged 40-49; and 30 percent were aged 50 or older In a statewide study of California's early care and education workforce, people of color made • 84 percent were white; 7 percent were up 58 percent of family childcare providers, 47 percent of center teachers, and 63 percent of black; 6 percent were Hispanic; and 4 center assistant teachers (Whitebook et al., 2006)
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c a The National Center for Education Information surveyed 2,500 randomly selected K-12 public school teachers from Market Data Retrieval's database of teachers (Feistritzer, 2011)
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Another is to address the challenges of succeeding in higher education programs through such support as counseling, tutoring, and cohort models. Perspectives from the Field Grants, scholarships, and tuition and loan forgiveness programs are key to making formal coursework in a higher education setting more accessible to larger portions of the workforce for children birth through age 8.
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Teach For America launched an Early Childhood Education initiative in 2006, recognizing the need to ensure that all children have access to high-quality prekindergarten education. Prospective educators are provided with summer preservice training, regional induction, and regional orientation, as well as in-service virtual and in-person coaching.
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For higher-quality programs that are better matched to the competen cies required for professional practice in both early childhood settings and early elementary settings, the following improvements are needed to content, curriculum, and pedagogy: • Educators of children from birth through age 8 need to be taught instructional and assessment strategies that are informed by re search on child development and early learning. • These educators need to be taught learning trajectories specific to particular content areas, including the content, children's learning
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State agencies, state licensure for teachers, funding sources for institutions of higher education, and accreditation standards are four elements that influence the content and quality of educator preparation programs. State agencies are responsible for administering and overseeing higher education programs, and they create policies on teacher education and certification, funding, and program approval (Perry, 2011)
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They have the option of completing their practicum at Myrna's Children Village Laboratory School, which, as part of NMSU, provides services to children, ages 6 weeks to 5 years, of students, faculty, staff, and community members. The program also has field placements in local public elementary schools so that students can experience working with children through third grade.
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It is discussed extensively in the Child Development course, the Developmental Curriculum course, a number of methods courses, a course on working with dual language learners, and a special education course called Partnership with Families. In practice, prospective educators apply their knowledge of family engagement by volunteering through the Child Development Association student group and other work within the community.
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also can influence the quality and content of educator preparation programs. For example, the Teacher Quality Partnership grant program under Title II of the Higher Education Act is intended to increase student achievement in high-need schools by improving the quality of current and prospective educators.
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. These standards emphasize several themes that influence educator preparation programs, including program content and faculty requirements.
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The framework also should include methods for supporting and preparing prospective educators to teach in diverse, equitable, and inclusive settings. These standards help educator preparation programs align required coursework and field placements with their mission and achieve integration within their communities.
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These activities can be part of a sequenced series of activities or ad hoc activities for specific one-time purposes. Professional learning during ongoing professional practice can have many purposes, including supporting core competencies; introducing skills, concepts, and instructional strategies that were not mastered or introduced in educator preparation programs; and training educators in new science related to child development and early learning and new instructional tools and strategies.
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For educators in other settings and systems, expectations and resources vary by program type and funding stream. Many states have no well-defined, comprehensive system to ensure ongoing professional learning, nor do they have agreed-upon standards or approval systems to ensure the quality of those who provide professional learning activities.
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. Department of Health in fire safety and other • Most states require teachers to complete a and Human Services and health and safety skills or specific amount of professional development Administration for Children any pedagogical content every 5 years (Loeb et al., 2009)
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. Professional Learning for Instructional Strategies and Tools Research indicates that effective in-service professional learning is ongoing, intentional, reflective, goal-oriented, based on specific curricula and materials, focused on content knowledge and children's thinking, and situated in the classroom (Bodilly, 1998; Borman et al., 2003; Bryk et al., 2010; Cohen, 1996; Elmore, 1996; Guskey, 2000; Hall and Hord, 2001; Kaser et al., 1999; Klingner et al., 2003; Pellegrino, 2007; Schoen et al., 2003; Showers et al., 1987; Sowder, 2007; Zaslow et al., 2010)
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QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE Standards for Professional Learning 800-727-7288 www.learningforward.org SOURCE: Excerpt from Standards for Professional Learning: Quick Reference Guide (Learning Forward, 2014b, p.
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Combinations of layers of professional development that include workshops, coaching, and professional development communities can improve teachers' understanding and use of more effective instructional practices, which in turn result in greater learning for children in their care (Biancarosa et al., 2010; Buysse et al., 2010; Carlisle et al., 2011)
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Although this section focuses on instructional strategies and tools, it is important to note that care and education professionals also need to learn both to develop high-quality environments and to have highquality interactions with children within those environments. For example, research suggests that in addition to stronger gains in language, reading, and math skills due to the quality of instruction in higher-quality preschool classrooms, the quality of teacher–child interactions was linked to higher social competence and lower levels of behavior problems (Burchinal et al., 2010)
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What is not effective High-quality professional learning designed to advance competencies and knowledge of math content and learning trajectories is limited for many teachers. One study found that teachers receive, on average, fewer than 9 hours of math-related professional learning, and just over 5 hours of "in-depth study" over a 1-year period (Birman et al., 2007)
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and TRIAD (Technology-enhanced, Research-based, Instruction, Assessment, and professional Development) model of scale-up (see Box 9-2)
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5. Provide professional development that is ongoing, intentional, reflective, goal-oriented, focused on content knowledge and children's thinking, grounded in particular curriculum materials, situated in the classroom and the school.
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However, off site intensive training remains focused on and connected to classroom practice and is completed by classroom-based enactment with coach ing. Implementations of TRIAD involved 2 years of work with teachers, including 12 full-day professional development sessions and twice-per month visits from coaches.
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In a survey of the NAEYC members in 2012, for example, 39 percent of respondents reported insufficient or no technical support in using technology, and 57 percent reported they receive professional development in technology once per year or less (Wartella et al., 2013)
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In addition to general characteristics of effective professional learning described earlier in this chapter, professional learning on the use of technology needs to take place with access to high-quality software; be embedded in curricula; combine learning formats; and include information about its benefits as well as collaboration with learning partners and opportunities for practice, feedback, and sustained assistance (Clements and Sarama, 2002; Fullan, 1992; Prieto et al., 2011)
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. Similarly, in an article examining professional development in early childhood programs, Sheridan and colleagues (2009)
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. Perspectives from the Field Many educators, especially in center-based childcare settings and family childcare, lack formal mentoring and coaching support that al lows them to apply what they may have learned in formal coursework, trainings, or workshops to their own practice.
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501) "coaching for self-reflection is a collaborative model in which the coach and the teacher work in partnership to make more effective decisions about classroom instruction." A study of the coaching conversation model implemented in the Minnesota Reading First Professional Development Program identified the use of concrete information about the teacher's instruction as an essential component to self-reflection that leads to reviewing their practice and identifying ways of changing or altering their practice (Peterson et al., 2009)
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Professional Learning Communities Professional learning communities are collaborative learning groups participating together in inquiry, reflective dialogue, use of data to determine student and educator learning needs, and shared professional learning, with the shared goal of improving the effectiveness of educators and student outcomes (Bolam et al., 2005; Learning Forward, 2014a; Saunders et al., 2009)
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Conclusion About Professional Learning During Ongoing Practice The general characteristics of effective professional learning during ongoing practice have been identified, yet there is variability in the availability of and access to high-quality learning activities across pro fessional roles and practice settings for professionals who work with children from birth through age 8. Expectations for ongoing profes sional learning need to be more consistent across professional roles, and systems and incentives need to be strengthened so that standards and best practices will be adopted and implemented more consistently and rigorously in available professional learning activities.
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2008. Comparison of alternative and traditional teacher preparation programs for first year special education teachers in northwest Ohio.
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2013. A professional development program to improve math skills among preschool children in Head Start.
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2002. Teaching with computers in early childhood education: Strategies and professional development.
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2010. Teacher study group: Impact of the professional development model on reading instruction and student out comes in first grade classrooms.
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2012. Effective early childhood professional development: Improving teacher practice and child outcomes.
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2012. Coaching as a key component in teachers' professional development: Improving classroom practices in Head Start settings.
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In Effective professional development in early childhood education: Improving teacher practice and child outcomes, edited by C Howes, B
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2004. The professional development challenge in preschool mathematics.
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2015. Early childhood education initiative.
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2010. Toward the identification of features of effective professional development for early childhood educators: Literature review.
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