Sharing Web Resources

 

National Institute for Early Education Research 

Within the NIEER website there is an Early Education News section where the website posts different articles relating to current events within education. For example, an article relating to “Reducing Crime in Preschool Programs”, “Preschool Programs Should Move Beyond Teaching Basic Skills”, and “Early Childhood Education Collaborative with some Big Backers”. I enjoy looking over this part of the website because these are often current events and issues. They relate to my current professional development because I am currently working in the education field and I believe it is important to stay informed in the current issues. In addition to this section, there is a “research” section of the website. In this part of the website, there are many articles provided relating to specific topics regarding education, with a focus on preschool education. I believe as an educator, you should always reflect on your teaching while trying new ideas. This part of the website provides a lot of information about what is working within the classroom and could inspire and inform educators try to new things.

In the newsletter this week, there was an article about how State preschool programs should move beyond teaching basics Jacobson, 2018).. The article went on to discuss that children who attend a preschool program of high- quality have better success in school. The article argues that these children in preschool programs are making gains basic letter and number recognition but are making fewer gains in vocabulary and comprehension. This article states that preschool programs should expand students’ language abilities (Jacobson, 2018). The article has also made me think whether this is developmentally appropriate for preschool children. It is already an issue within kindergarten classrooms where the curriculum is strictly academic based with little to no time for play, I am not sure that is appropriate for preschool as well. However, getting children prepared for the tough kindergarten curriculum, demonstrates that it may be necessary to start a. rigorous curriculum in preschool.

NIEER provides a lot of information on current topics in education. As I was looking through the website I found many articles relating to funding for preschool programs and the possibility of making preschool free for all families. Government leaders are getting together to make decisions regarding funding for preschool programs. In addition to this, there is an article about preparing for 21^st century jobs. States must make early literacy a top priority. The article focuses on an area in North Carolina stating that less than half of the fourth graders have the reading skills they need to be successful (Johnson, 2018). Johnson states that education leaders need to emphasize early learning programs because students will become the most prepared in these programs.  Finally, the newsletter discussed the strikes that are occurring throughout the country and how preschool programs require teachers to have the same credentials as kindergarten teachers, but preschool teachers do not get paid the same. NIEER does not specifically state how politicians, neuroscientists, and economists support early childhood education, however, I am able to make connections to the articles provided and understand in order to increase funding we will need the support from economists and politicians. Also, a majority of the articles on this website use information from neuroscientists to support their arguments. For example, the articles pushing for a greater focus on early childhood education and preschool programs.

From exploring the website and the newsletter this week, I learned there is a great push for increased wages in early childhood education. While I was aware of the strikes taking place, I was unaware that a similar strike took place in Australia around the same time. I learned these current issues and trends are not just happening in our country and it appears to be an issue in other countries as well. In both situations, experienced child-care workers are being pushed out of the classroom due to low wages.

References

Jacobson, L. (2018). State pre- K programs should move beyond teaching basic skills. Retrieved from nieer.org/news

Johnson, M. (2018). To Prepare for 21^st Century Jobs, States Must Make Early Literacy a Top Priority. Retrieved from nieer.org/news

National Institute for Early Education Research. (2018). Retrieved from: NIEER.org

Getting to Know International Organizations

Organization: Concern Worldwide U.S

Organization: Concern Worldwide U.S

Concern is a worldwide organization that works in the world’s poorest countries. This organization has three main areas of focus: Emergency response after natural disasters to the area, health and nutrition and climate response and resilience (Concern USA). This organization also works with providing education in order to better the livelihood of all individuals as well as access to safe water. After researching this organization, I learned they focus on the power of women. This organization believes “Women are the most powerful change agents in their communities”; women have the ability to impact their family, which in- return impacts the community and ultimately the world.  

This organization focuses on specific communities and looks at the children and women of these communities and determines what supports are needed to eliminate extreme poverty. Concern USA works within the community and the existing “social structure” of the community. This organization thinks about the community as a whole looking at the men, women, and children as well as the villages and neighborhoods while also considering the 3,000 staff members, donors and partners of Concern USA (Concern USA). While Concern USA looks at the community as a whole, there is emphasis put on women and children rights, and an effort to make their voices heard to ensure equality among all community members.  From my understanding, this organization likes to provide practical solutions for each community, but also provides support where community members can adapt new policies and learnings to better their future.

I always knew that poverty was an issue throughout the world, especially in third world countries, however, I was unaware of the different organizations that are helping these countries and how effective they are. Throughout my research on Concern USA, I learned this organization was able to reach 9.1 million people in 28 countries spanning from Africa, Middle East, Asia, and the Caribbean broken down into many areas of concern. For example, malnutrition treatment for 200,00 people, 32 health centers and units impacting 200,00 people in Niger as 34,500 families benefiting from water, health and sanitation, to name a few. When looking into statistics from this organization, it was put into perspective how many people are impacted by just one organization and the amount of poverty throughout the world. I also learned there are many ways to get involved whether you make a donation, become part of the team, or attend an event to learn more information. Completing this research this week has inspired me to learn more about these programs and look into ways I can contribute.

Reference

https://www.concernusa.org/

Changing Demographics and Diversity

National Institute for Early Education- NIEER

nieer.org

The organization I chose to study is NIEER or National Institute for Early Education Research. The goal of this organization is to “improve the lives of children by promoting development and early learning through research with a push for high- quality early education for all young children” (NIERR, 2018). This organization provides a wealth of information through a blog which focuses on early education involving current research and articles from different organizations.

NIEER has a weekly newsletter which provides periodic updates on early childhood education and development issues as well as activities and research completed by NIERR; each week there is a different topic discussed. For example, from past articles: Early Ed Workforce, New Cost Calculator and Inheriting Prejudice; Teaching teachers; and Super diversity, provider Voices and Mom’s Influence to name a few (NIEER, 2018).

Something that caught my attention on this website is the option for Early Education News. I found this feature to be very helpful and informative. NIEER provides “News” almost every day by uploading different articles about what is going on with education throughout the country. I enjoy this feature because it is easy to access and understand. I can easily browse the information to stay informed on current topics as well browse the articles to find something I am interested in.  

In the newsletter for this week there are many articles based on the cost of preschool programs, the natural environment of preschool- age children, and their health relating to the amount of sleep, diet and maternal education. This week’s newsletter focuses on the well- being of young children and what educators and families can do to help these children become more successful. The newsletter appears to be very informational for families and educators.

Our topic from this week is Changing Demographics and Diversity. As I was reading over resources from the NIEER website, I saw an article about top ten ideas for states in 2018. One of the topics discussed was making early childhood programs more affordable to all families. It was mentioned that it would be beneficial to include preschool, child care, head start programs, and voluntary home visiting programs to make these programs available for low and middle-income families (NIEER, 2018). The website did not mention how this would be accomplished, but, based on the changing demographics and diversities making these programs more affordable would greatly impact these communities.