NAEYC Conference Recognizes 2009 Early Childhood Educators and The Importance of Their Work

This was another week in Washington, DC, attending the annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Approximately 20,000 educators, policy makers, researchers, and children’s advocates attended the conference this year. The sessions were wide-ranging from national policy discussions to practical tips for teachers.

There were two highlights for me. The first was the opening keynote by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. On Wednesday night, he addressed a packed crowd to talk about the importance of early childhood education and some efforts by the Obama Administration to improve the quality of early care and education. It was particularly significant that this was the first time that a Secretary of Education addressed the NAEYC conference, hopefully signaling a sea change in the way that early care and education is viewed and supported.

His opening comments set the stage for his speech, reaffirming that a child’s earliest years deserve special attention and focus.:

“This is a unique moment in time when early learning is no longer an afterthought, but has come into its own and is recognized as the first and most critical stage in human development. Today we have a special opportunity to build a bigger, better coordinated system of early care and education. It is time to transform early learning from a system of uneven quality and access into a system that truly and consistently prepares children for success in school and in life. And it is time to learn from the success of high-quality programs—even as we take on the challenge of raising the bar for early learning programs in the 21st century.”

The other highlight, which was of more personal significance to me, was the opportunity to participate in an Awards Ceremony honoring the 2009 recipients of the Knowledge Universe Early Childhood Educator Awards.

This amazing initiative, which I’ve mentioned before, is sponsored by Knowledge Universe to recognize and reward 5 outstanding early childhood educators, who exemplify the best of the best among the over 30,000 early childhood education teachers in KinderCare, CCLC, and Knowledge Beginnings programs around the United States. 

Teachers are secretly nominated by the supervisors based on factors such as the quality of the classroom environment; their relationships with children, families, and their peers; the use of appropriate teaching practices, and their leadership. Classroom visits are conducted to ensure that these teachers meet the highest standards of excellence on all dimensions. The actual award is given in a surprise visit to the center, and recipients receive $10,000 and are invited to the annual NAEYC conference. Our 2009 Early Childhood Educators are:

Given that the conference was held in Washington, DC this year, each of the award winners spent time on Capital Hill, meeting with their Congressional representatives and staff, and they also had the opportunity for a private tour of the Capital and the West Wing of the White House.

These outstanding educators represented a range of programs, serving a range of children of different ages and backgrounds, but they all shared a powerful commitment to the children and families. Spending time with them was humbling and inspirational.

While Secretary Duncan talked about raising the bar for early learning programs, they have already set the highest standard for themselves, their peers, and the children they serve. They do not need a proclamation to provide exceptional care and education; they already do it from their hearts and their minds, using their talents, education, and experience to prepare the next generation for the future that awaits them.

I salute the award winners and early childhood educators everywhere for the important work they do, every day, on behalf of all of us.

Secretary Duncan’s Speech On Quality Education Inspires Parent Advocacy

Recently, Secretary Duncan spoke at Columbia Teachers College, highlighting the inadequacies of schools of education in preparing teachers for 21st century classrooms. While citing the growing challenges that teachers face, he questioned whether we are adequately preparing future teachers to face those challenges.

He did praise some Schools of Education including my alma mater, Stanford University, as well as some other smaller and less well known schools. One theme, prevalent throughout his speech, is the need to use data on student outcomes to gauge the effectiveness of teaching and, in turn, the preparation that teachers have received.

Another important characteristic is the use of field-based programs so that the course work is closely tied to the practical realities of teaching. And once the characteristics of effective teacher preparation programs are identified, those best practices should be shared and integrated into other programs.

But the burden of ensuring high-quality teaching cannot be left in the hands of the profession itself. As parents, you must be advocates for ensuring the quality of the educational opportunities for your children, whatever the setting. This applies to preschool education as well as K-12 education. Schools will not hold themselves accountable unless your voice, on behalf of your children, rings loud and clear. Teachers and administrators must know that you are engaged in the process of your child’s education, and that you hold them and yourself accountable to “unlocking” each child’s potential and preparing them for the complex world that they will face.