On the Road to High-Quality Early Learning

On the Road to High-Quality Early Learning PDF

Author: Majorie E. Wechsler

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2018-06-22

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0807759384

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"The authors describe and analyze how four states--Michigan, West Virginia, Washington, and North Carolina--have built early education systems that positively affect student outcomes, providing a much-needed, richly detailed look at how states can design, fund, and manage exemplary programs"--

High-Quality Early Learning for a Changing World

High-Quality Early Learning for a Changing World PDF

Author: Beverly Falk

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2018-08-10

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0807759406

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"This is a concise overview of the fundamentals of teaching in early childhood settings (pre-K-2). Beginning with what the research tells us about how young children develop and learn, Falk shows how to create learning environments, plan, teach, and assess in ways that support children's optimal development"--

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2015-07-23

Total Pages: 706

ISBN-13: 0309324882

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

On the Road to High-Quality Early Learning

On the Road to High-Quality Early Learning PDF

Author: Marjorie E. Wechsler

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 0807777188

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This timely book will help policymakers and practitioners convert their visions of high-quality early education into on-the-ground reality by providing a much-needed, richly detailed look at how states can design, fund, and manage exemplary programs. The authors describe and analyze how four states—Michigan, West Virginia, Washington, and North Carolina—have built early education systems that positively affect student outcomes. Sharing a commitment to advancing key elements of a quality preschool education, each of the states developed programs with different enrollment requirements, services, and oversight. All of them, however, rely on common overarching strategies, such as: establishing standards and supporting improvement, investing in knowledgeable educators, coordinating and aligning early education programs with elementary school, seeking sufficient funding sources and mechanisms, and building broad-based support. This book offers powerful lessons for anyone who is committed to delivering engaging, age-appropriate preschool programs for all. “This book is so valuable—it’s a ‘how-to’ for the current generation of political leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, who want to develop early education policies and practices that work.” —James B. Hunt, Jr., former Governor of North Carolina “This book provides critical insights for addressing the key challenge to preschool policy: fulfilling preschool’s promise at scale.” —W. Steven Barnett, National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) “A great resource for everybody engaged in state-level processes on behalf of young children, providing valuable lessons from leading states to help other states chart their own path.” —Elliot Regenstein, Foresight Law + Policy “A detailed and fascinating account of how distributive leadership, collaboration, and professional learning can greatly and positively influence teachers’ effective use of data.” —Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers

High-Quality Early Childhood Programs

High-Quality Early Childhood Programs PDF

Author: Laura J. Colker

Publisher: Redleaf Press

Published: 2018-01-09

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 1605545783

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

An invaluable tool for the director/supervisor striving to identify what aspects of an early childhood program need improvement. The detailed descriptions of what one should see in high quality programs (and why) gives readers a strong foundation of child development knowledge and of principles translated into practice. Laura Colker is the author of over 100 publications and instructional guides, including co-authorship of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, The Creative Curriculum for Family Child Care, and The Creative Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers. The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, now in its fifth edition, is the most widely used preschool curriculum in the United States. She also served as content specialist or scriptwriter on over forty educational videos for PBS and Reading Is Fundamental, and developed online training for early childhood caregivers and family child care providers for NACCRRA (National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies). Diane Trister Dodge, founder and president of Teaching Strategies, Inc., is the author of numerous books, articles, and training materials on early childhood education. She is the lead author on all of Teaching Strategies books, including the popular The Creative Curriculum series. Derry Koralek is the President of DGK & Company, an independent consultant in early childhood education and developer of training materials and guidebooks. Past clients include Reading Is Fundamental, the Head Start Bureau, Military Child Development Programs, and the Devereux Foundation. Koralek is a past Editor-in-Chief of Teaching Young Children, National Association for the Education of Young Children, and winner of the Association for Educational Publishing Golden Lamp Award, 2014.

Crawling Behind: America's Child Care Crisis and How to Fix It

Crawling Behind: America's Child Care Crisis and How to Fix It PDF

Author: Elliot Haspel

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 171

ISBN-13: 1684334276

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

“I’ve totally washed away the dream of having one more child.” “I had never intended to be a stay-at-home-parent, but the cost of child care turned me into one.” “We had to pull our toddler out of his program because we couldn’t afford to have two kids in high-quality care.” These are not the voices of those down on their luck, but the voices of America’s middle class. The lack of affordable, available, high-quality childcare is a boulder on the backs of all but the most affluent. Millions of hard-working families are left gasping for air while the next generation misses out on a strong start. To date, we’ve been fighting this five-alarm fire with the policy equivalent of beach toy water buckets. It’s time for a bold investment in America’s families and America’s future. There’s only one viable solution: Childcare should be free.

Quality Early Learning

Quality Early Learning PDF

Author: Magdalena Bendini

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2022-05-11

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 1464817960

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In this volume, leading researchers and implementation experts from an array of disciplines provide evidence-based, cost-effective, and actionable strategies for delivering quality early childhood education (ECE) at scale in low- and middle-income countries (LMICS).Over the past decade, neuroscientists, developmental and cognitive psychologists, economists, and education researchers have amassed evidence to inform ECE program design. Yet much of this evidence has not been readily accessible to policymakers and practitioners, and potential synergies from cross-disciplinary considerations have not been realized.Quality Early Learning: Nurturing Children’s Potential synthesizes the evidence across disciplines and charts a forward course for quality ECE. The volume includes Overview, From Evidence to Effective Policies: How to Invest in Early Childhood Education to Nurture Children’s Potential, by Magdalena Bendini, Amanda E. Devercelli, Elaine Ding, Melissa Kelly, and Adelle Pushparatnam Chapter 1, Learning in the Early Years, by Elizabeth Spelke and Kristin Shutts Chapter 2, Pedagogy and Curricula Content: Building Foundational Skills and Knowledge, by David Whitebread and Yasmin Sitabkhan Chapter 3, Building an Effective Early Childhood Education Workforce, by Nirmala Rao, Emma Pearson, Benjamin Piper, and Carrie Lau Chapter 4, Creating Early Childhood Education Environments That Promote Early Learning, by Cynthia Adlerstein and Alejandra Cortázar Chapter 5, The Role of Management, Leadership, and Monitoring in Producing Quality Learning Outcomes in Early Childhood Education, by Iram Siraj, Violeta Arancibia, and Juan Barón Chapter 6, Toward Quality Early Learning: Systems for Success, by Sharon Lynn Kagan and Caitlin M. Dermody In the volume, the authors provide the latest evidence on how young children learn most effectively and how ECE programs can foster children’s natural ability and motivation to learn. It offers guidance for policy makers on policy design and implementation including what elements of ECE to prioritize in resource- and capacity-constrained settings in LMICs.

Principals as Early Learning Leaders

Principals as Early Learning Leaders PDF

Author: Julie Nicholson

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 0807779989

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The majority of public school principals are now required to supervise and evaluate early childhood teachers and classrooms, yet many do not have a sufficient understanding of child development and early childhood pedagogy to lead for equity. This practical and comprehensive resource addresses this critical gap by presenting current research on child development, an understanding of the elements of high-quality early childhood classrooms, essential information on trauma-responsive practices, and strategies for reducing bias and preventing the use of exclusionary discipline with young children. School leaders learn about the pivotal role they can play in improving equity for young children, their families, and the early childhood workforce. Each chapter includes key take-aways and central questions that can be used for individual reflection or to guide group discussions. Authentic examples, illustrations, and actionable strategies help readers to successfully implement the content in their school. Principals as Early Learning Leaders is essential reading for principals, vice principals, administrators, and others responsible for leading preschool and pre–K programs for equity. Book Features: Supports elementary school principals to better understand the role early education plays in their school.Addresses essential issues of equity in all aspects of early learning programs that require focus and leadership.Provides current research and practical strategies that principals can put into practice immediately to be effective instructional leaders. Uses authentic examples and vignettes throughout to help readers see the ideas in the context of real preschool classrooms. Includes reflection questions and key takeaways to help principals think about how the information presented can inform the work they do.

Eager to Learn

Eager to Learn PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2001-01-22

Total Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 0309068363

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Clearly babies come into the world remarkably receptive to its wonders. Their alertness to sights, sounds, and even abstract concepts makes them inquisitive explorersâ€"and learnersâ€"every waking minute. Well before formal schooling begins, children's early experiences lay the foundations for their later social behavior, emotional regulation, and literacy. Yet, for a variety of reasons, far too little attention is given to the quality of these crucial years. Outmoded theories, outdated facts, and undersized budgets all play a part in the uneven quality of early childhood programs throughout our country. What will it take to provide better early education and care for our children between the ages of two and five? Eager to Learn explores this crucial question, synthesizing the newest research findings on how young children learn and the impact of early learning. Key discoveries in how young children learn are reviewed in language accessible to parents as well as educators: findings about the interplay of biology and environment, variations in learning among individuals and children from different social and economic groups, and the importance of health, safety, nutrition and interpersonal warmth to early learning. Perhaps most significant, the book documents how very early in life learning really begins. Valuable conclusions and recommendations are presented in the areas of the teacher-child relationship, the organization and content of curriculum, meeting the needs of those children most at risk of school failure, teacher preparation, assessment of teaching and learning, and more. The book discusses: Evidence for competing theories, models, and approaches in the field and a hard look at some day-to-day practices and activities generally used in preschool. The role of the teacher, the importance of peer interactions, and other relationships in the child's life. Learning needs of minority children, children with disabilities, and other special groups. Approaches to assessing young children's learning for the purposes of policy decisions, diagnosis of educational difficulties, and instructional planning. Preparation and continuing development of teachers. Eager to Learn presents a comprehensive, coherent picture of early childhood learning, along with a clear path toward improving this important stage of life for all children.