Transcript Overview of National Trends & Influences

Overview of National Trends & Influences
Camille Catlett
National Professional Development
Center on Inclusion
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Future Graduates
What do they need to look
like?
What do they need to know
and be able to do?
One in four children
under age 3 lives in
a family in which
one or more of the
parents were born in
another country.
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2007)
Projections
indicate that by
2030, 41% of the
nation’s children
will be culturally
diverse (Lynch & Hanson, 1993)
One out of every 50
– or approximately
1.5 million –
American children
go to sleep without
a home of their own
each year (National Center on
Family Homelessness, 2009)
Disparities in child outcomes
between poor, at-risk, and
more advantaged children are
evident in cognitive, social,
behavioral, and health
outcomes as early as 9 months
and grow larger by 24 months
of age.
(Halle, Forry, Hair, Perper, Wandner, Wessel, & Vick, 2009)
The historical kingdoms are merging
Kingdom of Early Childhood
Kingdom of Early Intervention
Collaboration is Essential
• Joan Lombardi - deputy assistant secretary at
HHS
• Jacqueline Jones - senior advisor on early
learning to Education Secretary Arne Duncan
• Consistent Message - we need to build a
cohesive system of early learning and
education from birth-to-8
Major Shifts
• From ALL to
each and every
• Intentional
• Explicit
• Individualized
Desired Outcome
• Happy
• Healthy
• Successful
Children
Early Childhood
Inclusion: A Joint
Position
Statement of DEC
and NAEYC
New NAEYC Standards for Professional
Preparation Programs
Significant Changes in the 2009 Standards
The language all children is revised to read each child or every child
to strengthen the integration of inclusion and diversity as threads
across all standards. In some cases, the phrase “each child” has
been added to a key element of a standard.
These are
the children whose
capability
our future graduates
will be supporting.
Current Preparation
A national study indicated that
while 54% of teachers taught
students who had limited
English proficiency or were
culturally diverse and 71%
taught students with disabilities,
only 17% surveyed felt very well
prepared to meet the needs of
these students
(National Center for Education Statistics, 2002)
Current Preparation
A large number of accredited
programs have very few
hours of coursework and
practice devoted to teaching
diverse children effectively
(Dieker, Voltz, & Epanchin, 2002; Ray, Bowman, &
Robbins, 2006)
Working with dual language
learners was the least likely
to be covered as part of a
practicum in any of the
levels of degrees offered in
national research (Maxwell, Lim, &
Early, 2006)
Current Preparation
Preservice teachers enter programs with biases
and assumptions about children and families
with cultures and languages different from their
own and a limited understanding of
multiculturalism (Kidd, Sánchez, & Thorp, 2002, 2004, 2005; Sleeter, 2001)
It is possible for teachers with cultures different
from their students to provide effective
instruction when they approach teaching in a
way that is responsive to the cultural and
linguistic diversity of their students
(Au & Kawakami, 1994)
Consider This
In the past 20 years we have seen dramatic and
important changes in who our graduates work
with, where our graduates work, and how our
graduates work.
The Need for Change
Development of the skills
necessary to work with
increasingly diverse children
and families requires
meaningful preparation in
culturally responsive
practices and in knowledge of
dual or second language
acquisition (Matthews, 2008)
The Need for Change
Interactions between
personnel and young
children that are
reflective of and
responsive to culturally
sensitive research and
practices are more likely
to support progress
toward children’s mastery
of language, literacy,
science, and math skills (Au
& Jordan, 1981; Boykin, 1986; González et al, 1993;
Roseberry, Warren & Conant, 1992; Tharp, 1991, 1992)
Champions (Washington, 2008)
Who will give visibility to and champion the
cause of ensuring highly qualified personnel
for all young children?
Who will facilitate shared leadership, new
collaborative relationships, programs, and
paradigms?
How can this leadership be mobilized?
Who is positioned to facilitate dialog,
negotiate conflict, or encourage
collaborations?