Quality in Early Years: Key Features of Quality Practice: The Research Perspective

1. Quality in Early Years:Key Features of Quality Practice:The Research Perspective Larry Schweinhart, President, HighScope 3,4,5 Children Thrive Conference youngballymun Dublin, November 11, 2010

2. Effects from Three Studies Childhood intellectual performance Placements in regular classes Teen school achievement Fewer teen births High school graduation Adult earnings Fewer crimes Up to $16 returned per dollar invested

3. HighScope Perry Preschool StudyLarge Return on Investment(Per participant in 2008 constant dollars discounted 3% annually)

4. But Other Studies Find Only Modest Effects. • Most recent studies of preschool programs find only modest short-term effects on children’s literacy and social skills. • Poor candidates for long-term effects and return on investment.

5. Implication To get what we got, Do what we did!

6. Four Ingredients of Highly Effective Preschool Programs Enough qualified teachers Validated, interactive child development curriculum Spend a lot of time with parents Continuously assess program quality and child development

7. 1. Enough Qualified Teachers. • Qualified = Teaching certificate and bachelor’s degree. • Curriculum-based supervision and systematic inservice training. • Two qualified adults for 16-20 four-year-olds per class, fewer younger children.

8. Teachers need to know what they are doing. • Teachers in the highly effective programs had bachelors’ degrees and certification in early childhood education. • On average, such teachers will do a better job, but not all of them will.

9. Few children per teacher • The Perry program had a teacher for every 5 to 6 three- and four-year-olds. • It is essential to have even fewer infants and toddlers per teacher.

10. 2. Validated, Interactive Child Development Curriculum • Learn: Requires interactive training, study, and practice • Validated: Evidence of effectiveness with children to be served • Interactive: Children and teachers design learning activities • Child Development: All aspects of development

11. Validated Curriculum • Evidence of contribution to children’s development. • Best evidence comes from • Solid scientific designs. • Solid measurement of program implementation. • Solid measurement of children’s development.

12. Interactive Curriculum • Teachers and students design learning activities. • Teachers and students have balanced conversations. • Students plan, do and review their learning activities. • Teachers give students opportunities for active learning.

13. Child Development Curriculum • Such a curriculum encompasses • General knowledge and cognition • Physical well-being and motor development • Social and emotional development • Approaches to learning • Language development

14. HighScope Qualifies • Solid evidence of effectiveness. • Interactive teacher-student relationships. • Encompasses all aspects of children’s development.

15. 3. Teachers Spend a Lot of Time With Parents. • Meet with parents and children regularly • Focus on children’s development • Include center and home caregivers.

16. Meet with parents and children regularly. • Purpose is for parents and teachers to become partners in supporting the child’s development. • Visit individual parent and child every couple weeks. • While their home is preferable, the classroom is another option.

17. Educate parents about their children’s development. • Parents help the teacher better understand the child and their childrearing. • Focusing on their child is the most effective way to teach parents how to support learning experiences at home.

18. Include children’s other center and home caregivers. • Part-day teachers should reach out to children’s other caregivers as well as their parents. • These other caregivers are also partners in supporting the child’s development. • Meeting with them has the same purpose as meeting with parents.

19. 4. Continuously Assess Program Quality and Child Development. • Assess implementation of an effective program model. • Assess children’s developing school readiness. • Attune teaching to assessment.

20. Assess implementation of an effective program model. • Early childhood education is held accountable for teaching practices as well as child outcomes. • Effective teaching practices comprise a program model with evidence of its effectiveness. • Program quality is assessed by observation and interview or self-report.

21. Assess Children’s Development of School Readiness. Encompasses • General knowledge and cognition • Physical well-being and motor development • Social and emotional development • Approaches to learning • Language development

22. School Readiness: Mediator to Long-Term Effects • Validity of a school readiness measure: • Sensitivity to preschool effects. • Ability to predict later effects. • High/Scope Perry study mediators are intellectual performance and commitment to schooling. • Useful benchmark of the success of today’s preschool programs.

23. Attune teaching to assessment. • The program director leads the teachers. • Focusing on program quality and contribution to children’s development.