Sharing Web Resources 2—NIEER

This week, I continue to share web resources—National Institute for Early Education Research/NIEER (http://nieer.org/).

As a Teaching Assistant in an international school, I always want to become a qualified early childhood teacher and want to learn how to support those dual language learners in our school. Therefore, I search some information relevant to my current professional development tailored to meet my own interest. I found a poster from this website titled Impacts of a Science and Math Professional Development Project for Pre-K Teachers of Dual-Language Learners, a poster presented by Alissa Lange and Kimberly Brenneman in 2013. In this poster, they discusses "the SciMath-DLL project designed to develop, and carry out preliminary testing of a pre-K professional development approach that integrates high-quality math and science instructional offerings with supports for dual language learners.” (Lange & Brenneman, 2013) From this poster, I learn what challenges educators face to implement this high-quality professional development, such as limited time; and learn what are the initial impacts of the project on teachers— their change in teaching practice or attitude, such as choosing an appropriate amount of lesson content, using more high quality math and science talk, understanding teaching early math and science in a new way by letting children explore, think, and solve problems on their own. (Lange & Brenneman, 2013)

From this poster and what I have learned before, I have a understanding that how important science, math and dual-language learning are for children’s later school success and in longer-term development. At the same time, I also understand the viral role of play and creativity in children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. This dilemma between academic achievement and play, is always a topic that relevant professionals are trying to work on. I have some colleagues from my school who are also holding their own standpoint of teaching style, both of which I respect for. As for me, I am observing and seeking a way that can combine both of academic achievement and play and balances them. 

Another information that I found from the website, adds to my understanding of how economists support the early childhood field. This article, titled The Economics of Early Childhood Programs: Lasting Benefits and Large Returns, presented by Milagros Nores and Steve Barnett in 2013. This presentation focused on the long-term economic returns of investing in pre-K programs as well as other positive outcomes. Below I would like to share some facts according to their research:

Potential Gains from ECEC Investments

Educational Success and Economic Productivity

Achievement test scores
Special education and grade repetition
High school graduation
Behavior problems, delinquency, and crime
Employment, earnings, and welfare dependency

Smoking, drug use, depression

Decreased Costs to Government

Schooling costs
Social services costs
Crime costs

Health care costs (teen pregnancy and smoking)

(Nores & Barnett, 2013)

Keys to Education Quality

High standards and sufficient funding

Balanced—Cognitive, social, emotional 

Implemented as designed

Well-trained, adequately paid staff
Strong supervision and monitoring
Use data to inform practice

(Nores & Barnett, 2013)

NJ’s Urban Pre-K Transformation

Teacher with BA & ECE + asst. in each class;

Full-day (6 hour educational day), 180-day program, plus extended day/full year;

Access to all 3 and 4 yr. olds in 31 school systems;

Maximum class size of 15 students;

Evidence-based curricula;

Early learning standards and program guidelines;

Support for potential learning difficulties; and

Professional development for key staff.

(Nores & Barnett, 2013)

From this presentation, I think that Keys to Education Quality and NJ’s Urban Pre-K Transformation can be criteria for creating high-quality programs and can be goals for EC investments.

NIEER presents its research in a wide variety of formats, including research reports, policy briefs, online videos, and newsletters. Through these various formats of resources, I can catch up with new issues and trends in the early childhood field so that I can be updated and find ways to become an early childhood professional who advocate for young children and families who are in need of supports. 

Reference

Lange, Alissa., & Brenneman, Kimberly. (2013). Impacts of a Science and Math Professional Development Project for Pre-K Teachers of Dual-Language Learners. Retrieved from http://nieer.org/sites/nieer/files/AERA%20conf%20poster%20SciMath-DLL.pdf

Nores, Milagros, & Barnett, Steve. (2013). The Economics of Early Childhood Programs: Lasting Benefits and Large Returns. Retrieved from http://nieer.org/sites/nieer/files/Economics%20of%20ECE_Loyola_Nores.pdf

Getting to Know My International Contacts—Part 1: Poverty

The two international contacts are my colleagues who are working in the international school at Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC). They share their insights on the specific issues of poverty they encounter in their personal or professional lives and their concerns about and attitudes towards poverty. One is Mary Ann Lopez, from the Philippines, who works in ECLC2 for children aged 4 to 5 years old, sharing her personal experience related to poverty. 

"I came from a poor family with four siblings. My parents are not professionals, but they believe and value the importance of education. I completed my elementary and high school education in a public school where there was no library, but I remember I played a lot. I had only one uniform when I was in high school and wore slippers to go to school. In addition, to be able to join school activities that required money, I was selling candies to make money. When I was in college, I have to beg with teary eyes and justify with my mom to increase my allowance. Poverty is a big factor that hinders student success, but for me, I took it as a challenge to achieve what my parents' value most, education. The hardship I experienced when I was studying molds me to who I am today; a contented and passionate early childhood teacher. Moreover, I am fortunate to work in a school that supports its teachers' professional development, and with my aim to inspire students to love learning, I am pursuing studies by taking Master in Elementary Reading and Literacy (PreK-6) in Walden University.” (Mary Ann Lopez, personal conversation, July 14, 2014).

The other is Kylie Christian, from New Zealand, working in ECLC1 for children aged 3 to 4 years old. She shared her professional experience and insights on poverty when she worked in local schools in New Zealand.

"I have taught in a decile one and two school in New Zealand. In New Zealand all schools have a decile rating and this is based on the socio-economic status of the area which they are in. These ratings go from 1 to 10. 10 being a high socio-economic area. In both schools I had many children that were living in poverty. I had children that did not bring food to school, came to school dirty (both clothes and body), had been abused and neglected. Poverty can mean many things. It can mean multiple people and families living in small houses so children do not get quality sleep at night. Lack on income can also mean little to no heating during cold months so children are also prone to getting sick. Children in my experience also did not come to school with a nutritious lunch and would often eat take aways for dinner. Often bad, unhealthy food is cheaper then healthy food. This all affects brain function, growth, focus in class, health etc. I also had children missing multiple days due to abuse (families would wait for bruising to go down before sending them back to school). Due to this I was always having to be very aware of sudden changes in behaviour or bruises etc. This could be signs of abuse, domestic violence at home (e.g. between mum and dad) etc. This often is linked with poverty as families are over stressed from lack of money, tired from maybe working multiple jobs, been brought up around violence in their childhood etc. 

Due to these harsh surrounds, etc. children can display aggression, behaviour problems, withdrawal, lack of concentration, learning difficulties, etc. Even more then other children, these children need teachers and schools to build strong relationships with them and provide a safe environment as often this can be the only place they feel that way.” (Kylie Christian, personal conversation, July 16, 2014).

"Often the parents of these children feel that school failed them or maybe feel like they have failed as parents so they don't come into school (children walk themselves) and have to be chased, phoned to come to parent meetings. It also means that teachers need to work hard to try and build positive relationships with these parents and have a open, welcoming door. You really need to get to know them and offer support in relation to their child.” (Kylie Christian, personal conversation, July 16, 2014).

"It is also important to have a wide knowledge of help agencies that you could give to families. Or other agencies that you may need to contact in regards to abuse etc. 

Saying all this though, every family is different. Some families worked double jobs, fed their children good healthy meals and always turned up to meetings." (Kylie Christian, personal conversation, July 16, 2014).

"The key: Relationships, relationships, relationships. Building these are key with both families and children.” (Kylie Christian, personal conversation, July 16, 2014).

From their personal and professional points of view, I learn more about the issues and trends of poverty around the world. Poverty exists both in developing and developed countries, which affects families and children’s living standards, education and physical and emotional development. Though facing poverty, Ann held a positive toward it and turned what disadvantaged her into her driving force. Just as stated in the conversation with Dr. Grace in Issues and trends in the early childhood field: The effects of poverty on the early childhood community, "they know that the more education they receive, the more likelihood they are of having a job with a higher wage, and one that they can feel like they have made a contribution based on their choice.” (Laureate, 2011) From the communication with Kylie, I learn that we should pay more attention to the emotions of children in development and try to build up positive relationships with children and their families so that we can have a better knowledge of their family economic background and offer supports in a timely way. In addition, we can search some related information for families according to what supports they need.

Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Issues and trends in the early childhood field: The effects of poverty on the early childhood community. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Sharing Web Resources--NIEER

Actually, the website I chose to study last week is  National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (http://www.naccrra.org/). However, I found that in this website, there is not much information about the topic of this week—Changing Demographics and Diversity. I think I need to be flexible and I try to look into another website that was offered from the resources last week. Therefore, this week, I will locate on another website— National Institute for Early Education Research/NIEER (http://nieer.org/). This website focuses on offering research-based advice and technical assistance to policymakers, journalists, researchers and educators, to support high quality, effective early childhood education for all young children.
As I read the vision of NIEER, this institute’s research program aims to:
Provide a vision of early education excellence in terms that are usable by policy makers and understandable to the general public
Monitor and evaluate national and state progress toward early educational excellence
Develop and analyze model legislation, standards, regulations and other policies required to improve quality and increase access to good preschool programs
Explain the costs, outcomes and economic benefits of alternative policies
(Retrieved July 12th, 2014 from http://nieer.org/about/vision)

There is one issue that interests me and is from one of the research topics—Teachers, where I can find the latest information related to teacher quality, teacher salaries and compensation, and teacher training and professional development. (NIEER, 2014) This issue is about what it takes to develop and maintain effective instructional practices for preschool teachers. It is a preschool policy brief, issued in April 2011, titled Degrees in Context: Asking the Right Questions about Preparing Skilled and Effective Teachers of Young Children, and written by Marcy Whitebook and Sharon Ryan. The authors emphasize the critical role of preschool teachers in children’s development but the insufficient consideration of "the complexities of education and the workplace environment”  that are vital for teachers’ professional development and children’s development. It is necessary to "improve the quality of teacher education programs” and develop workplace policies that support teachers to "be able to consistently perform well and to continue to learn and improve.” (Whitebook and Ryan, 2011)

I found some related information about diversity. Among the twelve research topics in this website, including Access, Assessment, Economics and Finance, English Language Learners, Governance and Accountability, Outcomes, Quality and Curriculum, Special Education, State Pre-K Evaluations, State Programs, Teachers, and Universal and Targeted, diversity is reflected in some of these topics, such as English Language Learners (ELLs), which provides information on culturally appropriate preschool, diversity issues related to preschool, and what is known about English language learners in preschool; Quality and Curriculum, which identifies inclusion as one of the elements of quality in preschool programs; Special Education, Which shows another diversity— ability diversity; etc..

I would like to share the the best practices for young DLLs (Dual-language learner), which are stated in the article Preparing Young Hispanic Dual Language Learners for a Knowledge Economy (Figueras-Daniel and Barnett, 2013):
Know what language and countries children and their families consider most important to their cultural heritage.
Build on what children know, their strengths and their interests.
Create a classroom environment that respects and reflects the languages and cultures of the children in an accurate way.
Keep a consistent and predictable sequence of daily events.
Keep the classroom organized and clearly labeled utilizing both pictures and words.
Teach new words and concepts around thematic units accompanied by so- phisticated picture books.
Provide explicit vocabulary instruction in English, repeating new vocabulary words often and in context.
Use a combination of gestures, real-life objects, and pictures to support read- ing aloud and discussions.
Engage children in one-on-one discussions that utilize rich vocabulary as of- ten as possible.
Use children’s home language during instruction and for book reading when possible.
Encourage children to share words or phrases in their home language during individual and group settings.
Encourage all children to work together to accomplish a task.

Reference:
Figueras-Daniel, AAlexandra and Barnett, W. Steven. (2013). Preparing Young Hispanic Dual Language Learners for a Knowledge Economy.  Retrieved from http://nieer.org/publications/policy-matters-policy-briefs/policy-brief-preparing-young-hispanic-dual-language
National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). (2014). Guide to research topics. Retrieved from http://nieer.org/
Whitebook, Marcy and Ryan, Sharon. (2011). Degrees in Context: Asking the Right Questions about Preparing Skilled and Effective Teachers of Young Children. Retrieved from http://nieer.org/publications/policy-matters-policy-briefs/policy-brief-–-degrees-context-asking-right-questions

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Establishing professional contacts is a really good way to keep myself updated and informed with regard to the early childhood field. I am lucky that I am working in an international school, in which there are many professional resources from different countries and the early childhood professionals are experienced and knowledgeable. I have talked with some of the early childhood professionals in my school to see whether they could keep regular touch with me through emails or their blogs so that I could learn more new issues and relevant events from them. Fortunately, they are so glad to know that there is one more person who is concerned about and engaged in the early childhood field and very happy to offer professional helps and contacts. One professional is Karie Sun, a Canadian Chinese, which means that I can learn some differences of the early childhood issues and trends between Canada and China. Another professional is Cheryl Uy, who has around 20 years experience in Early childhood and still keeps herself informed by enrolling herself in different schools, courses, and training for professional development. There is one more professional I am trying to get in touch with since she is from New Zealand, which is also famous for its education, especially some approaches and strategies for early childhood field, such as the Te Whariki Approach. I am excited and very willing to contact with them and ready for the updates.

As for expanding resources, since the professional contacts that I am building up for Part 1 of this week blog assignment will help me learn issues and trends of early childhood field in Canada, China, and New Zealand, I would like to choose National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (http://www.naccrra.org/), an American educational website for young children. From the website, I read:

Since 1987, Child Care Aware® of America has been working to improve the system of early learning for children by:

1. Providing training, resources and best practices standards to local and state CCR&Rs that support high-quality, accountable services 
2. Promoting national policies and partnerships that facilitate universal access to high-quality child care 
3. Collecting, analyzing, and reporting current child care data and research, including child care supply and demand trends 
4. Offering child care and parenting information and resources to families and connecting families to local CCR&R services

I think this website is very helpful to me to learn relevant issues and trends of early childhood as well as some practices and standards for effective child care. Mainly I will visit this website, but still I will spend some time visiting other websites that this course offers for more information regarding early childhood field. Those websites are as follow: 

Early Childhood Related Websites—United States

Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/ (May have to use http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ )
(Newsletters:
http://zttcfn.pub30.convio.net/child-development/from-baby-to-big-kid/ and
http://capwiz.com/zerotothree/mlm/signup/ )

National Black Child Development Institutehttp://nbcdi.org/
(Newsletter: http://nbcdi.org/support/sign-up-for-nbcdi-newsletters/ )

National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
(Newsletter: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php )

The National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/
(Review also the position statements: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements )

Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States
http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now28067
(Newsletter: http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_alerts.aspx )

Harlem Children's Zone
http://www.hcz.org/
(Newsletter: https://donate.hcz.org/signup )

National Head Start Association
http://www.nhsa.org/
(Newsletter: http://www.nhsa.org/news_and_advocacy/advocacy/legislative_eupdate )

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
http://www.naecte.org/
(Newsletter: http://www.naecte.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29 )

The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/
(Review also the position statements: http://www.dec-sped.org/Just_Browsing/Position_Statements_and_Papers)

Children's Defense Fundhttp://www.childrensdefense.org/index-1.html
(Newsletter: http://www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/enewsletters/ )

Center for the Child Care Workforcehttp://www.ccw.org/
(Newsletter: http://www.ccw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=78&Itemid=72 )

Society for Research in Child Developmenthttp://www.srcd.org/
(Newsletter: http://www.srcd.org/membership/developments )

Early Childhood Related Websites—Outside the United States

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/
(Review also the online Resources listed on the right: Selected publications, Country Profiles, or Policy Series)

Early Childhood Australia: The Australian Early Childhood Advocacy Organizationhttp://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/
(Newsletter: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/contact_us/mailing_list.html )

Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/
(Review also these online resources at: http://acei.org/knowledge/ )

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)http://www.eecera.org/

The British Association for Early Childhood Educationhttp://www.early-education.org.uk/
(Review also these online resources: http://www.early-education.org.uk/search/node/leaflets )

The Canadian Association for Young Children
http://www.cayc.ca/
(Review also available issues of the organization's journal at: http://www.cayc.ca/indexjournal.html )

Early Childhood Council New Zealand (EEC)http://www.ecc.org.nz/MainMenu
(Review also media resources at: http://www.ecc.org.nz/Category?Action=View&Category_id=159)

International Child Resource Institute
http://www.icrichild.org/
(Review also the international projects at: http://www.icrichild.org/kenya ) Click on the International Projects tab at the top to see a list of the available projects.

International Step by Step Association
http://www.issa.nl/
(Review also the databases at: http://www.issa.nl/issadatabases.html )

The Global Fund for Children
http://www.globalfundforchildren.org
(Newsletter: http://www.globalfundforchildren.org/index.php?option=com_civicrm&Itemid=340 )

Save the Children
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm
(Newsletter: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXGIpI4E/b.6213813/k.4C6/eNewsletter_Sign_Up/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=6213813&en=kvlQJ4ORKhlQJ3MOKcINI4NSJfLZiOSJmLYL4OSJrK9JsJ )