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 21st 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 21st 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
Brianna,
ReplyDeleteYou did really thorough research on the NIEER! I resonated with the article you read in their newsletter regarding state preschool programs. As a kindergarten teacher, I believe the curriculum is too academically rigorous and does not leave much room for creativity and play. However, the issue is that preschools now feel they must prepare students for this challenging style of kindergarten, which is now making preschool more academically rigorous. In my opinion, we need to go back to the basics instead of "teaching beyond the basics" because children are not provided with opportunities to learn through play and exploration.
Tara
I really enjoyed reading your post. I am a preschool teacher, and I do feel that preschool teachers has the same credentials as kindergarten teachers, and therefore the pay should be any different. I understand the strikes, but the main questions is "is is really going to help?
ReplyDeleteI think that teachers on strike is affiliated with politicians, and economists since they are policy makers,and provide the funds. There is a mindset that early childhood educators are akin to babysitters, and yet we are the ones accredited with ensuring that our children received the fundamentals to build upon throughout life. That is one of the reason children in China are above the U.S. in education, they respect and listen to their teachers. If we want children to respect teachers and listen to them, then that has to be a part of how society feels. Because children are very intuitive, and they would know if they have to listen to their teachers. And this is not only in early childhood education, but teachers in general. One way to elevate teachers is to pay them their worth, we have one of the most important jobs in the world. We are responsible for our national treasure, our children who will become the next President, governor, teacher, police chief, athlete, or politician. Trusting us with children should reflect in the compensation, because happy teachers equal happy children. If a teacher is concern with making ends meet, that type of stress will affect enthusiasm, their motivation. We are educators because we care, but educators have children who they care about also
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