Preparing and Supporting High-Quality Early Childhood Practitioners: Issues and Evidence

Abstract

Twenty years of research has consistently identifi ed teachers and practitioners as the key to high-quality early childhood programs and child outcomes. This is found in the early childhood literature where the focus is on early childhood teachers (Cost, Quality, Outcomes Study Team, 1995; NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 1996), as well as the literature on inclusion where the focus has been a broader spectrum of teachers, providers, and specialists (Early Childhood Research Institute on Inclusion, 1999). Early childhood teachers and practitioners have received unprecedented attention in the past decade, starting when the National Educational Goals Panel fi rst issued Goal 1: All Children Enter School Ready to Learn in 1991 a nd continuing through the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 and Good Start, Grow Smart (GSGS) initiatives. They are the frontline in ensuring that all children have access to a general kindergarten curriculum and are ready to learn. With increased public attention on the early childhood years, policymakers and administrators are asking questions about early childhood personnel. What constitutes a highly qualifi ed early childhood teacher or practitioner who can effectively serve all children, including those with special needs? What kind of education, training, and ongoing support is necessary and effective for creating and sustaining high-quality personnel and programs? How can effective professional development be delivered across all regions of our country, including those with scant resources? These questions do not have clear answers. For instance, on the basis of research indicating that having a BA degree increases the quality of the classroom and children’s academic outcomes (Cost, Quality, and Child Outcomes Study Team, 1995), recent policy reports have called for every prekindergarten Chapter 1