I specifically explored the public policy section of the NAEYC website this week (www.naeyc.org). This area of the website is broken down into different topics and is a useful and necessary resource for any advocacy efforts in the early childhood field.
Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?
A public school kindergarten teacher raises the ethical question of whether it is right to give standardized tests to her kindergartners if it causes undue stress on them. The school is in a low income community and relies on test results to show accountability for students achievement. The test results provide no individualized information that the teacher can use to drive curriculum. For this specific teacher the tests undermine her efforts to increase her students' confidence in the classroom. The pen-to-paper tests are not developmentally appropriate for many of her kindergartners and are additionally difficult for her ELL students.
If this teacher refuses to administer the tests she risks losing her job. Therefore, NAEYC recommends proceeding with "ethical finesse (finding a way to meet the needs of everyone involved without having to make a difficult decision)" (Feeney & Freeman, 2014). She is advised to move forward with advocating for changing the requirement while still following her administrators current instructions. This will not help her current students, but it could potential make things better for her future students.
In 2003 NAEYC teamed up with the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE) to create a joint position statement called "Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation." This is one source that could be used as back up for this teacher. The position states:
Make ethical, appropriate, valid, and reliable assessment a central part of all early childhood programs.To assess young children’s strengths, progress, and needs, use assessment methods that are developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive, tied to children’s daily activities, supported by professional development, inclusive of families, and connected to specific, beneficial purposes: (1) making sound decisions about teaching and learning, (2) identifying significant concerns that may require focused intervention for individual children, and (3) helping programs improve their educational and developmental interventions.
(NAEYC & NAECS/SDE 2003, 2)
What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?
TAKE ACTION NOW
In this area you can:
- Write your local representatives, state senators, and President Obama about current early childhood issues. This area is very user friendly; simply input your zipcode and you can compose your own emails or letters or sign form letters.
- Support the Strong Start for America's Children Act
- Compose messages to the public or policy makers through your local newspaper
- Sign up for NAEYC updates on public policies through email
FEDERAL DEVELOPMENTS
This area provides:
- Updates and Alerts
- Federal Recommendations
- Information on Federal Programs
- Information on Recovery & Reinvestment Act
STATE TRENDS
"NAEYC’s state policy efforts focus on researching and tracking national and state trends and informing NAEYC affiliates, policymakers, collaborating organizations, and other interested parties about NAEYC’s positions on state public policies and their impacts on children birth through eight and their families."
Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/policy/statetrends
EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY RESOURCES
"Effective advocacy requires knowledge about the various legislative and regulatory processes, as well as how to work with the media, and build strong coalitions. The Toolkit provides specific information for advocates on how to work together to promote excellence in early childhood education. NOTE: Most advocates work with or for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations which have legal limits on what they can and cannot do with regard to the separate activities of (1) lobbying and (2) political activities. A legal memo called Do's and Don'ts for 501 (c)(3)'s should be read by everyone who engages in advocacy efforts at any level."
Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/policy/advocacy
GOVERNMENT LINKS
State and federal links allow you to easily and effectively navigate the current policy issues and guide you through your advocacy efforts.
A public school kindergarten teacher raises the ethical question of whether it is right to give standardized tests to her kindergartners if it causes undue stress on them. The school is in a low income community and relies on test results to show accountability for students achievement. The test results provide no individualized information that the teacher can use to drive curriculum. For this specific teacher the tests undermine her efforts to increase her students' confidence in the classroom. The pen-to-paper tests are not developmentally appropriate for many of her kindergartners and are additionally difficult for her ELL students.
If this teacher refuses to administer the tests she risks losing her job. Therefore, NAEYC recommends proceeding with "ethical finesse (finding a way to meet the needs of everyone involved without having to make a difficult decision)" (Feeney & Freeman, 2014). She is advised to move forward with advocating for changing the requirement while still following her administrators current instructions. This will not help her current students, but it could potential make things better for her future students.
In 2003 NAEYC teamed up with the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE) to create a joint position statement called "Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation." This is one source that could be used as back up for this teacher. The position states:
Make ethical, appropriate, valid, and reliable assessment a central part of all early childhood programs.To assess young children’s strengths, progress, and needs, use assessment methods that are developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive, tied to children’s daily activities, supported by professional development, inclusive of families, and connected to specific, beneficial purposes: (1) making sound decisions about teaching and learning, (2) identifying significant concerns that may require focused intervention for individual children, and (3) helping programs improve their educational and developmental interventions.
(NAEYC & NAECS/SDE 2003, 2)
References
Feeney, S., & Freeman, N. K. (2014, March). Standardized testing in kindergarten [Electronic version]. Young Children, 69(1), 84-87.
What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?
Feeney, S., & Freeman, N. K. (2014, March). Standardized testing in kindergarten [Electronic version]. Young Children, 69(1), 84-87.
What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?
I learned about the Strong Start for America's Children Act that was written in 2013 by, Senator Tom Harkin, Representative George Miller and Representative Richard Hanna in order to promote more quality early childhood opportunities.
The Strong Start for America’s Children legislation recognizes the importance of starting high-quality early childhood education from birth. It has three parts:
- Provides grants to states to accelerate their work, expanding access and improving quality for prekindergarten programs;
- Provides grants to create Early Head Start-child care partnerships to raise the quality of child care and expand access for infants and toddlers in programs meeting Early Head Start standards; and
- Calls for expanded voluntary support for families through home visiting that promotes positive parent-child interaction, healthy child development and family self-sufficiency.
NAEYC is particularly pleased to see the emphasis on:
- Using high-quality, research-based and developmentally appropriate standards and assessments in all settings and avoiding inappropriate use of testing;
- Building on existing state systems of prekindergarten and using high-quality child care, Head Start and schools to deliver preschool programs;
- Ensuring that programs engage families and support children’s comprehensive needs;
- Attracting and retaining teachers by helping them to gain the specialized knowledge required and earn degrees in early childhood education, including improved compensation;
- Improving and expanding access to infant and toddler care through Early Head Start/child care partnerships; and
- Strengthening families by providing access to voluntary home visiting in the critical infant and toddler years.
Reference
Heckman, Ph.D.,
J. (2013). Our national budget = our national priorities. In NAEYC.
Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/2013_Budget_StrongStart.pdf
What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?
In case you missed this rally, like I did, watch this recording of the event. This is an amazing video about the importance of quality early childhood programs for infants and toddlers. Because I love working with preschoolers I sometimes forget about those very precious first years of infants and toddlers. Speakers and performers include:
- US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius
- US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan
- Actress and Save the Children Artist Ambassador, Jennifer Gardner
- Chair of the Board of America's Promise Alliance, Alma Powell
- Singer and Song writer, Laurie Berkner
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