As
I have explored the information on the website http://www.naecte.org
the National Association of Early Childhood Educators, I have discovered
various links that connect me to happenings within the educational field as
well as resources and actions that are currently being taken to improve what is
being done. One particular link that I found informative which aligns
with my professional development is the recommendation that all early childhood
teachers working with students between the ages of 3 to 8 have certification in
early childhood. The NAECE feels that this is crucial in helping our
children to develop in the best possible manner during the early years. Teachers
qualified to meet the unique developmental and educational needs of children between the
ages of 3 and 8 are knowledgeable about the developmental and learning
characteristics of these children and use this knowledge to inform appropriate
teaching techniques and assessments. Since teacher preparation and
certification should be relevant to the teacher’s position, NAECTE recommends
that state certification agencies and school districts adopt the following
policies:
•
Require an early childhood certificate and/or endorsement for those teaching in
classrooms for children five years old and younger in state funded
pre-kindergarten and in kindergarten programs.
•
Give priority in hiring and placement to teachers with an early childhood
certificate and/or endorsement for public school classrooms for six, seven, and
eight-year-olds (1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades).
•
Require that early childhood certification and/or endorsement be based on
completion of teacher preparation programs that meet professional preparation
standards consistent with those established by the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
This
organization feels strongly that teachers who work with students under the age
of 8 should not be considered highly qualified unless they hold certification
in early childhood.
Working
as a public school teacher I began to wonder how this would affect teachers
that are working in classrooms today. Many of the teachers in my district
simply hold certification in elementary education. Changing the
requirements for highly qualified certification would significantly impact
local districts, as their teachers would need to receive additional training in
order to become certified in this field. I began to think of the overall
impact of how available positions within these grades would be filled if these
changes went into effect. We currently have other teaching positions
within my district that they have been unable to fill this entire school year.
This really made me wonder that although the intent is what is best for
children, are the impacts something that we could truly make a shift to?
It seems that this may be an issue that is specific to location, as some
areas may not struggle to find teachers with this certification while for other
areas this could be a great struggle.
There
is much about this website that makes me feel that it is influenced by
politicians, neuroscience and economist as it looks at the importance of being knowledgeable
in brain development and language building, but does not even mention the
importance of being able to teach through play or creativity. It's focus
is clearly on achieving high standards for our children but it does not seem to
address where these resources will come from or how this will impact those who
teach young children. They claim that this could be achieved at a low
cost but also offer no data or research to support this claim.
Certain
certification is required to teach early childhood programs within my state
that are publicly funded such as head start and our voluntary pre-k program.
Although certification is required there is no formal education or degree
required to teach the state run VPK program. I was not aware that there
were organizations that were pushing to change the standards for highly qualified
certification. This could significantly impact many educators and I
gained much knowledge about this subject and the directions that it is
moving.
National
Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators http://www.naecte.org/
(Newsletter:
http://www.naecte.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29
)
What a great post! I strongly believe that preschool teachers should be required to hold a degree and be certified. In Delaware, the same is true: certification is required, but there are alternative routes to certification and no degree is required. While I feel that teacher education is really important, I am worried about what adding a degree requirement would do to our pool of candidates. Finding qualified teachers in my area is a big challenge as it is!
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle, I enjoyed reading your post. I too looked at NAEYC, their public policy section. I really was unaware of the comprehensive information they provide. The article I looked at was the proposed Start Strong for America’s Children Act. What was interesting at the bottom of the article there was a place to sign the petition so you would have a voice about the approval of the legislation for this act. I did not realize NAEYC had such a political voice. In our state to be lead teacher you only have to have two college classes with about 1800 hours of experience. You can apply for a Level 1 credential and that also will quality you as lead teacher. Here the wages are poor so it is hard for teachers to afford college classes. Hopefully we will see grant money to help with professional development opportunities. Diana
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