Camille Catlett (moderator) Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute

1. Camille Catlett (moderator) Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill March 28, 2012 Welcome to the Learning TableCalifornia, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Oregon, and Pennsylvania

2. Logistics for today’s Live Session • Mute/UnMuteyour phone: Please mute your phone during the Live Session (*6) and unmute it when you want to say something (*6) • Identify yourself: Please identify yourself when you speak (Hi, this is Camille from California . . . ) • Chime in: Share your questions and comments in the part of the screen marked”Chat”

5. Organization of Live Session • Evidence to guide our thinking • Iheoma Iruka • Reframing our thinking • Sharon Ritchie • Applications and discussion • Camille Catlett and all of you

6. Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D. Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill March 28, 2012 Striving for Equity: Why QRIS Should Focus on Culture, Language, and Ability Diversity (CLAD)

7. National graduation rates http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/dc/2008/DC08_Presentation_FINAL.pdf • Graduate rates (2005) well below for: • Racial-ethnic minorities • Males • Especially males from historically-underserved groups

8. Drop out rates for 16-24 year olds, 1997-2007

9. National graduation rates http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/dc/2008/DC08_Presentation_FINAL.pdf • Graduate rates (2005) well below for: • Racial-ethnic minorities • Males • Especially males from historically-underserved groups

10. Long Term Trends in Reading Achievement for 9 Year Old African American Males, 1975-2009

11. Long Term Trends in Reading Achievement for 13 Year Old African American Males, 1975-2009

12. OECD, PISA, 15 year olds Reading

13. When & why do DISPARITIES begin?

14. 9 to 24 Month Scores (ECLS-B),controlling for income and maternal education

15. Preschool Scores (ECLS-B), controlling for income and maternal education

16. K to 5th Grade Reading Scores (ECLS-K),controlling for income and maternal education

17. Early Disparities Living in Poverty Mothers with NO College Degrees Source: ECLS-B

18. Early Disparities Unemployed Mothers One-Parent Households Source: ECLS-B

19. Early Disparities cont’d Chronically, Severe Depressed Mothers Food Insecurity Source: ECLS-B

20. Home Literacy Activities Source: ECLS-B

21. Other Adverse Community and Family Contexts • Special education placement • Suspension rates • Experience violence directly or indirectly • Low quality schools • Live in poor, violent neighborhoods • Have no or low quality health insurance • And many others….

22. What is the quality of the environment in the early years?

23. Environment Rating Scores (ECLS-B)

24. Caregiver Interaction Scale (ECLS-B)

25. Summary • Disparities for minority children begin prior to school entry with some evidence it starts as early as 9 months • Social and family disparities exist at birth and continue throughout childhood • Minority children are likely to be in low quality care and experiences less stimulating interactions, regardless of income • Important to focus on early care and education environment and system which further exacerbate disparities and inequities and poor child outcomes • See, value, and build on family strengths and culture (e.g., music, story telling)

27. Think about it. . . Based on the data Iheoma presented, why does each QRIS need to focus on diversity? What does your state stand to lose if you don’t focus, in very explicit and intentional ways, on diversity within your QRIS? What does your state stand to gain if you are able to incorporate an explicit and intentional emphasis on diversity within your QRIS?

28. Sharon Ritchie FPG Child Development Institute FirstSchool is funded by WK Kellogg Foundation and private donors Reframing our thinking: Improving the school experiences for children who are culturally, linguistically and ability diverse

29. Getting children off to a good start: What you do really matters! Children form academic trajectories early in their school careers that tend to be stable and difficult to change over the course of their schooling (Alexander & Entwisle, 1993) Children’s negative perceptions of competence and attitudes become stronger and harder to reverse as children progress through school (Valeski & Stipek, 2001). “If a bad year is compounded by other bad years, it may not be possible for the student to recover” (Hanushek, 2010). An effective teacher can have a stronger influence on student achievement than poverty, language background, class size, and minority status (Aaronson, Barrow, Sander, 2007; Darling-Hammond, 2000; Jacob, Lefgren, & Sims, 2008; Kane & Staiger, 2008; Nye, Konstantopoulos, & Hedges, 2004; Rivkin, Hanushek,& Kain, 2005; Rockoff, 2004; Rothstein, 2010).

30. PreK-3rd Grade Public School initiative We work in 8 high poverty, high minority, low performing schools to improve the school experiences of African American, Latino and low income children and their families.

31. Reframing Professional Development • We believe that this work is difficult and complex-that seeking simple answers to pervasive problems is not productive. • We support teachers as they look at their classrooms through the lenses of race, language, culture, and poverty • We developed a set of guiding principles and intentional approaches that focus on different things than have traditionally defined quality.

32. Culture of Caring • Nurturing Positive Relationships • Developing the Whole Child • Strengthening Self-Efficacy & Identity FirstSchool 2012

33. Culture of Competence • Prioritizing communication • Promoting self-regulation • Supporting independence • Fostering peer interactions FirstSchool 2012

34. Culture of Excellence • Balancing Teaching Approaches • Integrating and Balancing Curriculum • Building Higher Order Thinking FirstSchool 2012

35. Striving for equity Getting information about things that matter: • What should we be looking for? • What should we measure? • What professional development should support our goals? • How can the successful engagement of families support our goals?

36. Think about it. . . The Bruner, Ray, Wright, and Copeman article you received prior to Session 1 mentions that “no state has yet established a specific component or subscale in its definition of quality early childhood settings.” What is your reaction to that statement? What would it take for a state to bring that level of intentionality to their QRIS?

37. Think about it. . . Each Learning Table state was asked to share any definitions they are currently using. What did you discover from your search for explicit language? How might it help your QRIS to have more explicit language to guide all components of your system?

38. Examples

39. Definition Early childhood inclusion embodies the values, policies, and practices that support the right of every infant and young child and his or her family, regardless of ability, to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities, and society. The desired results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities and their families include a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning to reach their full potential. The defining features of inclusion that can be used to identify high quality early childhood programs and services are access, participation, and supports.

40. New Mexico Guiding Principles

41. Every child in New Mexico has diverse strengths rooted in his or her family’s unique culture, heritage, language, beliefs, and circumstances. Early learning programs that support the full participation of every child build on these strengths by promoting a sense of belonging, supporting positive social relationships, and enabling families and professionals to gain advocacy skills that positively impact the life of every child.

43. We are committed to . . . • Valuing and embracing all children and their families • Involving families and communities as partners and decision makers • Suspending biases to build trust and establish collaborative partnerships that benefit children, their families, and the professionals who work with them • Providing choice, flexibility, and continuity of services and supports for families within communities

44. We are committed to . . . • Making a variety of services and supports available so all children have access to and can participate in opportunities that are both respectful of and responsive to their family experiences, culture, beliefs, abilities, and circumstances. • Advancing advocacy efforts for inclusive practices that build upon unique child, family, and community strengths and are accountable to every child and family.

45. We will . . . • Promote every New Mexico citizen’s understanding of the importance of high quality inclusive early childhood programs and practices. • Support interactions and relationships that foster self-reflection. • Utilize information about the growth, development, and experiences of individual children and families for program and curriculum development and improvement.

46. We will . . . • Continuously improve services and supports by evaluating current practices and incorporating effective methods, models, and research in our work with children and families. • Promote the establishment of aligned services and supports that build on both the unique assets of each child and acknowledge the strengths of children’s and families’ heritage, language, and culture.

47. We will . . . • Ensure that services and supports are provided by people who reflect the diversity of the community, are well educated, and are well compensated. • Establish an integrated, multi-disciplinary system of professional development, training, and technical assistance that supports the design, implementation, and evaluation of practices that are respectful of and responsive to each child and family.

49. Think about it. . . Each Learning Table state was asked to identify and post data that show how well their state is doing (or not doing) in serving young children who are culturally, linguistically, or ability diverse. What do the data you are currently collecting show vis-à-vis young children who are culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse? What additional data would you like to be collecting?

50. Think about it. . . What implications do the ideas we’ve presented today have for. . . Quality standards and how you delineate what is expected of programs serving young children who are culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse? How you support improvements in quality related to serving young children who are culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse? How you engage diverse families in the process of supporting their children?