A Matter of Degrees: Preparing Teachers for the Pre-K Classroom (original) (raw)
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A Matter of Degrees: Preparing Teachers for the Pre-K Classroom. Education Reform Series
2010
Research indicates that higher levels of education and training can help improve teachers' interactions with children in ways that positively affect learning. Studies suggest that skilled professionals can more effectively promote and support young children's cognitive, social and emotional growth when they know how to capitalize on the period of critical early brain development before age five. Pre-k teachers who have earned bachelor's degrees and have additional, specialized training in early childhood education have generally been found to be more effective than those without these qualifications. In addition to improving the quality of teaching, stronger preparation requirements may help to professionalize the early childhood workforce. The resulting higher pay, in turn, would attract a better-quality workforce, reduce turnover and provide greater incentives toward the ongoing improvement of practice. 4
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2006
To date, few studies of state-funded pre-kindergarten have fully addressed questions about the association between teachers' education, major, and credentials with classroom quality or children's academic gains. The current paper uses data from the National Center for Early Development and Learning's (NCEDL) Multi-State Study of Pre-Kindergarten, involving 237 pre-kindergarten classrooms and over 800 children, randomly selected from six states with well-established state-funded pre-kindergarten programs. The study includes multiple days of classroom observation, direct child assessments of children's early academic skills in the fall and spring of the pre-kindergarten year, and questionnaires from teachers. For the current paper, teachers' education has been operationalized in three different ways (years of education, highest degree, and Bachelor's versus no Bachelor's). Additionally, the paper considers the role of college major, state teaching certification, and CDA credential. Consistent with findings in the K-12 literature, this study finds few associations between any of the measures of education, major, or credentials and classroom quality or children's outcomes. Teachers' education, regardless of how it is operationalized, is linked to gains in children's math skills across the pre-k year, and the CDA credential is linked to children's gains in basic skills; however, education, training, and credentialing are not consistently related to classroom quality or other academic gains for children.
2003
Driven in part by research findings in early childhood development, the academic, business, and policy communities now recognize that high-quality preschool programs are an important way to help children reach their full potential. Although some current research suggests that teacher preparation at the four-year college degree level is the best way to achieve such quality, recommending such a standard for teachers in early childhood settings has raised considerable debate. This paper reviews research literature on the relationship between teacher preparation and child outcomes in ECE programs, focusing on the central question of whether teachers with at least a BA degree in ECE provide better quality preschool experiences for 3-to 5-year-olds than those with less education. The review was limited to peer-reviewed journal articles and reports, to studies examining education and care programs with classrooms serving 3-to 5-yearolds, and to studies that allowed for exploration of particular features of high-quality programs. The review concentrated on studies with samples including more settings in diverse regulatory environments, and those 'Thanks to Mire lla Almaraz, Dan Be llm, Erika Cruz, Michelle Munn, Laura Sakai and Marci Young for their assistance in the preparation of the review.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2001
While the importance of quality education for individuals working with young children (ages 0-4) is widely accepted in the field of Early Childhood Education, little is known about the context, content, and needs of the programs that are providing this education. This paper presents data from a nationally representative survey (n ϭ 438) of chairs/directors of early childhood teacher preparation programs at 2-and 4-year Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). Findings presented include faculty characteristics, course and practica requirements, comparisons between early childhood programs and the institutions as wholes, and challenges facing programs. Where appropriate, comparisons are made between 2-and 4-year schools. Results are discussed in terms of policy implications.
Child Development, 2007
In an effort to provide high-quality preschool education, policymakers are increasingly requiring public preschool teachers to have at least a Bachelor's degree, preferably in early childhood education. Seven major studies of early care and education were used to predict classroom quality and children's academic outcomes from the educational attainment and major of teachers of 4-year-olds. The findings indicate largely null or contradictory associations, indicating that policies focused solely on increasing teachers' education will not suffice for improving classroom quality or maximizing children's academic gains. Instead, raising the effectiveness of early childhood education likely will require a broad range of professional development activities and supports targeted toward teachers' interactions with children.
Approximately 1,200 institutions of higher education in the United States offer a degree in early childhood education, but recent research questions the strength of the relationship between teachers having a degree and benefits to child development and learning. However, there has been little empirical focus on the quality of degree programs. This exploratory study examined faculty perspectives on program priorities and factors that may facilitate or impede program quality-improvement efforts. Data were obtained from an online survey of early childhood education program administrators and faculty (N = 231); additional telephone interview data were obtained from 20 survey participants. Faculty reported relying on national and state standards for guidance in designing and implementing their programs. Results indicated inadequate knowledge of current early childhood research and theory on the part of some faculty. Faculty-reported priorities to enhance program quality included strength...
Formal education, credential, or both: Early childhood program classroom practices
Early Education and Development, 2008
Research Findings: This study is intended to widen the debate around the bachelor's degree (BA) as preparation for early childhood teaching when head teachers possess various levels of credentials and education. We examined classroom quality and teacher involvement in 231 classrooms sponsored by 122 different agencies, staffed and supervised by teachers and program directors who had varying levels of credentials within the California Child Development Permit. We found that not only teachers' education and credential level but also the credential level of the program director as well as auspice predicted classroom quality. In private, nonprofit programs as well as Head Start/general child care programs, teacher BAs did predict classroom quality, but when classrooms were sponsored by school districts and the state, preschool program teacher BAs were not as predictive of classroom quality. Practice or Policy: These findings point to the importance of considering not only teachers' education but also the effects of supervision and auspice when examining the influences of variations in professional development on classroom quality.
2008
The rich developmental growth that occurs in early childhood makes providing young children with stimulating and developmentally appropriate early childhood education (ECE) environments an important target for promoting positive developmental trajectories. Traditionally, research studies designed to identify ECE pathways that promote positive child development have typically measured the impact of structural ECE components, such as the quality and availability of appropriate learning materials and the formal educational credentials of teachers. These inquiries have offered inconsistent findings and largely inconclusive results. Weak support for structural components of ECE has shifted researcher focus toward process elements of ECE (e.g. teacher-child relationships and classroom emotional tone), with promising findings. An emerging body of work has identified significant patterns of association between responsive teacher-child interactions, and positive emotional classroom climates, and augmented child academic and social-emotional outcomes. Inconsistent effects of teacher credentials on child outcomes call into question teacher preparation program practices, and the quality of inservice professional development teachers receive. Identifying effective practices in teacher training, professional development, and curriculum instruction offers an important area of investigation as policy makers and educators continue to work toward supporting improved outcomes for young children through ECE participation.