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Public Hearings on Early English Language Development Standards for Children who are Dual Language Learners

Posted in Dept. of Early Education and Care, English language learners, Pre-kindergarten, QRIS, Standards and curriculum on March 25, 2015| 1 Comment »

Photo: Alyssa Haywoode for Strategies for Children

Here in Massachusetts, the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) wants your opinion.

EEC is holding two public hearings on its adoption of the WIDA Early English Language Development Standards (E-ELD) for children who are 2.5 to 5.5 years old.

As EEC says on its website, the E-ELD Standards are designed to:

• “help guide lesson planning to ensure that the different linguistic needs of dual language learners [DLLs] are being met”

• support dual language learners as they reach their next level of English Language Development

• inform decisions about class composition, staffing, curriculum, and assessment in programs that serve dual language learners, and

• help programs that serve dual language learners to make better use of EEC’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)

The E-ELD Standards are aligned with K-12 English Language Development Standards, and as WIDA explains:

“Specific consideration has been given to the nature of early language and cognitive development, family and community-based socio-cultural contexts for language learning, and the psycholinguistic nature of second language acquisition in preschoolers who are still developing the foundational structures and rules of language.” (more…)

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A Guide to Help School Principals Become Champions of Early Learning

Posted in Curriculum, Developmentally appropriate practice, Early educators, Family engagement, Federal, Infants and toddlers, K-12, NAEYC, National, Philanthropy, Play, Pre-K to 3, Pre-kindergarten, Professional development & preparation, Standards and curriculum on February 3, 2015| 2 Comments »

Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children

Principals can strengthen the pre-K-to-third-Grade pipeline.

Rhian Evans Allvin was reminded of this a number of years ago at a conference. Allvin — executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) — recalls hearing a principal at the conference who “spoke of how he sent out letters to parents of newborns in his district, welcoming them into the learning community and offering a list of available early childhood resources and opportunities.”

Allvin’s experience is part of an article, “Strategies for Aligning Pre-K -3,” in the January/February 2015 edition of Principal Magazine.

The article highlights the release of “Leading Pre-K-3 Learning Communities: Competencies for Effective Principal Practice.”

The guide helps principals “create and support connections between the worlds of birth-to-five and K-12 and… implement developmentally-appropriate teaching and learning practices to ensure successful Pre-K-3 continuums in their schools,” the executive summary explains.

Published by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the full guide can be ordered on the NAESP website. (more…)

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The Department of Early Education and Care Wants Feedback on Social and Emotional Learning Standards

Posted in Cognitive development, Dept. of Early Education and Care, Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Developmentally appropriate practice, English language learners, Play, Pre-kindergarten, Social-emotional development, Standards and curriculum on January 15, 2015| 3 Comments »

Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

What do you think young children need to develop strong social/emotional and learning skills?

Let the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) know.

EEC is holding three public hearings in Boston, Brockton, and Worcester to get public feedback on a draft of proposed social-emotional learning standards.

Called the “Pre-School and Kindergarten Standards in the domains of Social-Emotional Development and Approaches to Play and Learning,” the draft can be downloaded by clicking here.

The need for standards is clear. As the draft explains: “The preponderance of outcomes from both research and evidence-based practice clearly show the strong connection between social and emotional learning, academic learning, and success in life. In fact this synergistic development of social and emotional and academic skills promotes and facilitates higher order thinking.” (more…)

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A New Guide for Policymakers on Pre-K to Third Grade Initiatives

Posted in Assessments, Boston, Curriculum, Dept. of Early Education and Care, Full-day kindergarten, Funding, National, Pre-K to 3, QRIS, Reading proficiency, Standards and curriculum, Strategies for Children on November 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Micaela Bedell for Strategies for Children

Parents, mayors, governors, and President Obama are all talking about the importance of high-quality preschool programs and about how they can help children become proficient third grade readers.

But with all this energy and action, it can be easy to lose sight of how, specifically, policymakers can have a positive impact in these areas.

That’s why the Education Commission of the States has put together a guide for policymaker’s, an A to Z primer on early education called “Initiatives from Preschool to Third Grade.”

It’s a “reference guide for policymakers and their staffs on the most commonly requested topics from preschool to third grade,” according to the guide’s executive summary.

The guide says, “the primary programs and strategies policymakers have inquired about include: (more…)

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A Look at Preschool Programs on Martha’s Vineyard and the Cape

Posted in Dept. of Early Education and Care, Pre-kindergarten, Science & math, Standards and curriculum on October 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

Earlier this month an article in the Vineyard Gazette – “First Step Is Big Step on Path of Education” – looked at preschool on Martha’s Vineyard.

“As a conversation unfolds in Massachusetts and around the country on the value of pre-kindergarten learning and whether it should be incorporated into public school education, interviews with early childhood educators on the Island reveals a similar conversation is quietly taking place here,” the article says.

Famous for being a summer vacation destination, the Vineyard faces familiar challenges in providing high-quality early education programs, including access, affordability, and serving English Language Learners.

“There are no comprehensive hard numbers on the preschool-aged population on the Vineyard, although it is known that the 10 preschools and 18 state-licensed day care facilities can accommodate up to 386 children on any given day,” according to the article. “The 2010 census found that there were 818 children under the age of six whose parents work. This would suggest that possibly there are more children needing preschool and day care than available spaces, although not all the schools and centers are fully enrolled.” (more…)

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8 x 8: Harvard Education Professors Propose Bold Ideas

Posted in Curriculum, Family engagement, Higher Education, K-12, Language development, Literacy, Multimedia, Professional development & preparation, Reading proficiency, Research, Standards and curriculum on October 7, 2014| 3 Comments »

The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) has an engaging video series on its website called “8 x 8” that gives viewers access to the latest thinking on education policy.

“As part of the Bold Ideas & Critical Conversations event on September 19, eight HGSE faculty members were each given eight minutes to discuss research-based ideas that will have a big impact on the field,” the website explains.

It’s like a mini collection of TED talks on education.

The eight faculty members who speak are:

– Karen Brennan, whose research looks at how learning communities can support young people as designers of interactive media

– Howard Gardner – senior director of Harvard’s Project Zero

– Tom Kane – faculty director of the Center for Education Policy Research

– Nonie Lesaux, author of “Turning the Page: Refocusing Massachusetts for Reading Success,” a report commissioned by Strategies for Children

(more…)

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Challenges and Opportunities: Expanding Pre-K in Michigan and New York City

Posted in Funding, Head Start, National, Pre-kindergarten, QRIS, Standards and curriculum on August 11, 2014| 3 Comments »

Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children

Michigan and New York City have recently undertaken the exciting but daunting work of expanding their pre-K programs. These two early education expansion efforts are among the largest and most ambitious in the country.

How are they doing? To find out, the National Women’s Law Center hosted a conference call to discuss what’s underway in both places. The call covered a wide range of topics that provide important insight for other cities and states seeking to expand high-quality early education and care.

Moderated by Helen Blank, NWLC’s director of child care and early learning, the discussion featured the following speakers:

– Susan Broman, Deputy Superintendent for the Office of Great Start, Michigan Department of Education

– Betty Holcomb, Director of Public Policy, Center for Children’s Initiatives, New York City

– Nancy Kolben, Executive Director, Center for Children’s Initiatives, New York City, and

– Richard Lower, Supervisor for Preschool and Early Elementary Programs, Michigan Department of Education

A transcript of the call and a recording are available online. (more…)

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Accelerating Progress in Early Education: A Report from New America

Posted in Achievement gap, Assessments, Early educators, Early Learning Challenge, English language learners, Family engagement, Federal, Funding, Head Start, National, Philanthropy, Pre-K to 3, Professional development & preparation, Research, Standards and curriculum on July 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Micaela Bedell for Strategies for Children

“Early education is in the spotlight like never before… yet real progress is elusive,” according to a report being released today by the New America Foundation called: “Beyond Subprime Learning: Accelerating Progress in Early Education.”

“President Barack Obama has repeatedly called for increased investments in child care, pre-K, home visiting, and other programs,” the report says. “Thirty-five states entered the federal Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge grants competition, which has so far invested about $1 billion in 20 states’ infrastructure. A long-overdue reauthorization bill for the Child Care and Development Block Grant overwhelmingly passed the Senate this year, with potential in the House.”

In addition, the report notes that philanthropies, governors, and state legislatures increasingly recognize the importance of investing in children.

Nonetheless, the report says, achievement gaps have widened. There aren’t enough seamless transitions from pre-K to grade school. Too many low income children aren’t getting the support they need. And Congress isn’t providing stable funding. (more…)

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A New Early Education Blog

Posted in Curriculum, Dept. of Early Education and Care, Early Learning Challenge, Family child care, Infants and toddlers, Literacy, Multimedia, Pre-K to 3, Pre-kindergarten, Standards and curriculum on June 24, 2014| 3 Comments »

Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

We’re happy to welcome a new early education blog to town: The Birth Through Third Grade Learning Hub.

Learning Hub blogger David Jacobson travels around Massachusetts visiting the homes, centers, and classrooms where young children learn.

The impetus for the blog? For several years, it has been clear to Jacobson that communities were implementing new programs and practices without knowing what their neighbors were doing. The blog is a way to share these experiences among cities and towns.

Specifically, the blog “tracks, profiles, and analyzes Birth-Third initiatives with the aim of promoting learning, exchange, and knowledge-building across communities.”

Jacobson works at Cambridge Education, an educational consulting company, in two roles, as Professional Excellence Director and Early Years Lead.

His blog entries offer compelling, first-hand accounts, including this one from “The Boston K1DS Project: Implementing a New Curriculum in Community-Based Preschools” (more…)