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eBook details

• Title: Put "Academic Content" in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Teacher Education: A Response to Hyson Et Al.
• Author : Early Childhood Research & Practice
• Release Date : January 22, 2009
• Genre: Education,Books,Professional & Technical,
• Pages : * pages
• Size : 205 KB

Description

I congratulate authors Hyson, Tomlinson, and Morris on a revealing study, and I urge them to continue to dig deeper into research in early childhood education (ECE) program quality. There is much to learn as we seek to improve education in early childhood programs. The results of this survey do not surprise me; they confirm concerns that have grown during recent years regarding the quality and content of teacher preparation programs and the pipeline (or lack of one) of doctoral-level leadership in ECE. Serendipitously, this article could not have been published at a more opportune time, just prior to the release of President Obama's "Zero to Five Plan." Although still embargoed at this writing, the plan provides for critical and substantial fiscal support for the education of young children (and support for their families), a demand for improvement in the quality of teacher preparation in early education, and increased teacher accountability to improve learning outcomes for children under age 5. It recognizes that the single most important factor in determining a child's achievement is the teacher. The plan also includes the creation of a Presidential Early Learning Council designed to "increase collaboration and program coordination across federal, state, and local levels" ("Strengthening families," n.d.). As the results of this study demonstrate, presidential support comes just in the nick of time; without increased vision and support at the highest national level, it appeared that early education was on the path to extinction in the name of being "a related field." Clearly, programs of teacher preparation in early childhood education have struggled with a lack of resources in nearly every area. As this and other articles attest, the numbers of potential teachers and teacher educators, particularly among minority candidates, have waned; the types of support (e.g., professional status, additional time for professional development, time and opportunity to conduct action and other types of research) are often lost in the name of managing teacher education programs with inadequate numbers of faculty. Financial backing for program maintenance and improvement has been low in many of our two- and four/five-year institutions. In addition, it is my belief that a broad, general focus on the many competing demands inherent in early education and care has contributed to a loss of a systematic focus on critically important content for prospective teachers and children alike.

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