Building and Supporting Teacher Quality in Early Childhood Education

Today, There are Two

Achievement Gaps

The gap between white and more affluent

students in the U.S. and students of color and

those in poverty

The gap between U.S. students and those in

other high-achieving nations that have made

greater – and more equitable - investments in

education over the last thirty years.

PISA 2009 Results

Reading

Korea

Finland

Singapore

Canada

New Zealand

Japan

Australia

US is #14

Mathematics

Singapore

Korea

Finland

Lichtenstein

Switzerland

Japan

Canada

US is #31

Science

Finland

Singapore

Japan

Korea

New Zealand

Canada

Estonia

US is #27

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Unite

d S

tate

s

Czech

Repub

lic

Est

onia

Germ

any

Switzerland

Denm

ark

Cana

da

Nor

way

Sweden

Rus

sian

Federa

tion

4

Aus

tria3

Slove

nia

Isr

ael

Slova

k Repu

blic

New Z

ealand

Hun

gary

Finland

Unite

d K

ingd

om3

Neth

erland

s

Lux

embou

rg

EU19 ave

rage

OECD a

vera

ge

Fra

nce

Aus

tralia

Ice

land

Belgium

Poland

Ire

land

Kor

ea

Chile2

Gre

ece

Ita

ly

Spa

in

Tur

key

Port

ugal

Mexico

Bra

zil2

1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s

%

1. Excluding ISCED 3C short programmes 2. Year of reference 20043. Including some ISCED 3C short programmes 3. Year of reference 2003.

The U.S. is Falling Behind in

Educational AttainmentApproximated by percentage of persons with ISCED3 qualfications in age groups 55-64, 45-55, 45-44 und 25-34 years

13

1

1

27

College Participation is

Also Falling Behind

Each year of additional education in the population

nets a gain of 3.7% in long-term economic growth

(OECD, 2005).

However, the U.S. has dropped from 1st to 17th in

college participation over the last decade.

About 38% of US students earn a c degree (only

17% of blacks and 11% of Latinos age 25-29),

compared to 50% in European countries and over

60% in Korea and Singapore.

U.S. high-tech jobs are increasingly filled by foreign

nationals.

Inequality Influences

Low US Rankings

Figure 1

U.S. PISA Results, by Subgroup, Compared to OECD Average

400

420

440

460

480

500

520

540

OECD avg. White Asian Black Hispanic

Reading Science Math Problem Solving

U.S. Leads in % of Children in Poverty,

2007 (OECD Nations)

Mexico

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

Den

mar

k

Fin

alnd

Nor

way

Sw

eden

Cze

ch R

epub

lic

Sw

itzer

land

Fra

nce

Bel

guim

Hun

gary

Luxe

mbo

urg

Net

herla

nds

Aus

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Ger

man

y

Gre

ece

Pol

and

Japa

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Spa

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UK

Por

tuga

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and

New

Zea

land

Italy

Uni

ted

Sta

tes

Mex

ico

22%

Educational Inequality

Exacerbates the Effects of Poverty

In most states, schools serving minority

and low-income students have

Lower funding levels

Larger class sizes and school sizes

Less well-qualified teachers

Less engaging and challenging

curriculum

Fewer computers, books, supplies

So, what does this have to do with

Early Childhood Education?

What are High-Achieving and

Steeply-Improving Nations Doing?

Universal preschool and health care

Equitable funding with investments in high-need schools and students

Large investments in educator preparation and ongoing support

A thoughtful, whole child curriculum

Performance assessments focused on higher order skills

Focus on multilingual, multicultural education

Quality ECE closes

much of the

achievement gap

and has long-term

benefits for:

Promotion

Graduation

College-going

Employment

ECE Pays Off

Social benefits of high-quality ECE* are

estimated at $4-$10 for every $1 invested.

Reduced costs for:

-- Grade retention and school failure

-- Special education placements

-- Dropping out (>$30 billion annually in CA)

-- Unemployment

-- Incarceration

*ABC, Perry Preschool, Oklahoma, New Jersey

The Most Successful Programs

Have Relied On…

Highly qualified teachers with a bachelor’s or

master’s degree in early childhood education

Small class sizes

Rich hands-on learning materials

Language- and print-rich environments

Creative play and engaging, collaborative

learning activities

Parent outreach and education.

The Effects of Teacher Training

Research finds that teachers with a bachelor’s

degree and ECE training are more effective:

“… (E)vidence suggests that teachers with

higher educational levels and specific training

in early childhood provide care that is warmer

and more sensitive to children’s needs and

are able to create a more stimulating and

language-rich learning environment.”

--Gilliam, Zigler, & Jones, 2006 p. 110

Outcomes of

Well-Qualified Teachers

More educated teachers with ECE training

produce more positive outcomes:

Teacher - Student interactions

-- warm, language-rich, educative

Classroom Quality

-- wider range of guided activities, more

creative and complex play and learning

Cognitive outcomes

-- language, math, and reasoning skills

Social emotional outcomes

California’s ECE Workforce

130,000 providers serving 750,000 children

-- 55,000 in day care homes

--75,000 in ECE centers

Challenges in Recruiting and

Retaining ECE Teachers Working in ECE often

pays less than

gardening, waiting

tables, or pumping gas.

¼ of early childhood

workers are part of

working poor.

ECE Wages in California

Average salary of the highest-paid ECE

teacher with a BA = $34,382, nearly $16,000

less than that of the average California public

school kindergarten teacher.

Average wage for centers’ highest-paid

assistant teachers = $9.28 to $11.21per hour.

Annual ECE teacher turnover (22%) is twice

that of California public school K-12 teachers.

-- Whitehead et al. (2006). California Early Care and

Education Workforce Study

ECE Workforce

Qualifications in California

Bachelors degrees are held by:

25% of ECE center teachers

(2/3 of these degrees focus on ECE)

55% of center directors

14% of family day care providers

Additional Training to Meet

Learner’s Needs

For bilingual / ESL:

Only 7% of center

providers have

completed college

coursework

12% have completed

non-credit training

For special education:

19% of center

providers have

completed college

coursework

46% have

completed non-

credit training

What Can We Do to Move Forward?

Getting Ready for the Turnaround

Study effective state

programs and

preparation models

Develop PK program

standards

Develop standards &

investment plans for

preparation, PD, and

credentialing

Link PK and K-12

systems

The CA Way

What Happens When States Make Smart and

Equitable Investments?New Jersey Math Achievement Trends

4th Grade NAEP

White, 248

Hispanic, 206

Hispanic, 224

Black, 204

Black, 217

Black, 232

National Ave., 222

National Ave., 226

National Ave., 239White, 236 White, 239

White, 255

Hispanic, 234

Hispanic, 204

Black, 198

National Ave., 219

190

200

210

220

230

240

250

260

1992 1996 2003 2007

Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress, NAEP Data Trends

NA

EP

Scale

Sco

re CA, 230

What Did New Jersey Do?

Parity funding for high-minority, low-wealth districts

Investment in high-quality preschool

Subsidies for teacher learning and credentialing

Standards for preschool providers

Comparable PK teacher salaries

Whole school reform based on the Comer model

supporting child development, mental health and

teaching teams, and parent involvement

Teacher education & PD focused on urban and

bilingual teaching in literacy and mathematics,

PK-12

What Can All of Us Do?

We should say to each of them: “Do you know what you are?

You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the world there is

no other child exactly like you. In the millions of years that

have passed, there has never been a child like you... and

when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like

you, a marvel? You must cherish one another.” You must

work -- we must all work -- to make this world worthy of its

children. -- Pablo Casals