Analysis and Comprehensive View of the Quality and Effectiveness of Preschool Education - Research Paper Example

?There Are Pending Changes Being Considered For No Child Left behind: These Changes Could Impact Early Childhood Education Table of Contents Table ofContents 2 Introduction 3 Background 4 No Child Left Behind 5 Issues of Early Childhood Education 5 Issue of Qualified Teacher in Early Childhood Education 6 Effectiveness of Teacher for Early Childhood Education 7 Influence of Quality in Early Childhood Education 8 Changes in ‘No Child Left Behind’ (NCLB) Program 9 Impact of Changes in NCLB Program 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction Early childhood education is provided to children up to the age of 8 years. This time period is regarded as significant in terms of brain development in children that indicates the need to place the basis of subsequent learning. This learning of children before the age of 8 is referred to as Early Childhood Education (UNESCO, 2011). Improvement of psychological and physical abilities of children can be observed at an amazing rate during this time period. It is considered as the correct time when children principally require high quality personal care and education which is intended to be served through effective ‘Early Childhood Education and Care’ (ECEC) (Expat Web Site Association Jakarta, 2011). Better consideration to (ECEC) is witnessed in every developed country. In the USA, ECEC comprises of a broad variety of half day and full day educational and social program; financed and provided in several methods in both public as well as private segments. ECEC strategies presently contain governmental actions to inspire the demand for childhood education. The government activities consist of direct provision of ECEC facilities, direct and indirect supports to private sources of teaching and children care, along with financial aids to parents to support the educational services (Kamerman & Gatenio-Gabel, 2007). Background Generally, ECEC plans cover the obligatory school age that ranges between five to eight years. Like other developed industrialized nations, ECEC plans in USA have been developed from varied historical streams in relation to child safety, early childhood education facilities, and amenities to assist mothers’ involvement in labor force, and so on. ECEC in USA initiates with two progresses, i.e. ‘Day Nurseries’ which was established in the year 1830 for the education of unfortunate kids of employed mothers and ‘Nursery Schools’ for early childhood education program. Day Nurseries had extended successively in reaction to stresses produced by rapid industrial development and huge migration. It was protective in nature concentrating on basic education and management of children (Kamerman & Gatenio-Gabel, 2007). Several aspects including employment market strategies, social support plans, education programs, child benefit programs, child development studies have impacted on the development of ECEC plans. Among other aspects, the increase in the number of individual household mothers had increased the demand of full day children educational program as they are more likely to be engaged in full-time employment. Increasing attention in primary school education was another aspect for ECEC in current years. ECEC is gradually regarded as a cost-efficient and profitable approach whose benefits are gained throughout the school life of children. Advantages of ECEC can also be identified in terms of upcoming life and future growth of economy (Kamerman & Gatenio-Gabel, 2007). No Child Left Behind In the USA ‘No Child Left Behind’ (NCLB) is one of the most aspiring parts of learning parameter. It is intended to endorse responsibility and raise the effort to address educational biases among the educators. NCLB comprises of substantial requirements about assessment, approvals for low performing institutes and regions, quality of education and criterions for educational study (Hess & Kendrick, 2008). Issues of Early Childhood Education There are several important issues in early childhood education. However, this paper will concentrate on describing the issue of quality in relation to Early Childhood Education. High quality early childhood education is termed to be highly beneficial for kids. Several researches stated that a majority of children in USA are positioned in low quality children care, even including unfavorable environment that hampers long-standing improvement of children. Some of the early educational centers in USA set high quality criterions and observe education programs carefully, while others address quality control at the local level (Kamerman & Gatenio-Gabel, 2007). The quality aspects matter considerably in early childhood education. A better quality of ‘early education and child care’ can help to improve the health of children and also encourage their improvement and academic growth. Early teaching of children comprises of learning at home and before school. Presently, majority of children under the age of 6 years, regularly attend childhood programs, but it can vary according to families. For several people, providing quality children education and care becomes expensive which results in concessions and thus tend to opt for low quality early education and care. Children exposed in weak quality atmosphere are less expected to be ready for socio-economic improvements and high school education (Spahr & Et. Al., 2011). Issue of Qualified Teacher in Early Childhood Education Qualified teachers are quite important in any early childhood education. Quality teachers can enhance the positive affect of early childhood education and thus be quite beneficial. Teachers having bachelor’s degree as well as who possesses specialized training experiences in the field of early childhood education are friendlier, can display a more progressive practice of language, and is capable of dealing with complex and intellectual situations compared to less-qualified people. With the continuing development of publicly financed early children education program, it has become essential to reconsider the educations of quality teachers as well as to welcome new teachers to the early childhood education field through effective training plans (Lobman & et. al., 2005). Effectiveness of Teacher for Early Childhood Education In the USA, there are almost 1200 organizations which provide with degree courses in the field of ‘early childhood education’. But only a degree cannot give assurance to the capability of a teacher for educating the children. According to ‘national average graduation rate’, the teacher education programs develop many teachers for early childhood education i.e. almost 36,000 per annum. These educators have the capability to encourage the future growth and education of children and other children care programs. In spite of their capability, several researches on early childhood education have raised the concern about the fact if the advantages for having educators with degrees are being appreciated or not. It is undeniable that early childhood education teachers must be of high quality. Investigators have currently expressed quality standards for educators’ professional development that is influenced by the higher education structure. In the field of early childhood education, quality can be described with respect to: 1. Teachers’ performance which is associated with an encouraging influence on children’s educational improvement and learning, and 2. Direct advantages to children and their families (Hyson & Et. Al., 2009). Influence of Quality in Early Childhood Education Low quality educational care is likely to hamper the healthy growth and competency within children and thus, quality assurance is highly essential in early childhood education programs. But the benefits of such programs largely depend on the quality. High quality educational program is beneficial for children who belong to underprivileged socio-economic background. Programs such as ‘Scope Perry Pre-school Programs’ or ‘Carolina Abecedarian’ provide several interim advantages to children, e.g. higher level of IQ, improved social manners, improved language skills, enhanced reading abilities, and so on. The long-term benefits include high score in educational examination, better rank in high school graduation, better placement in special learning, among others (Ackerman, 2005). Educational development of children can be sustained in numerous methods, by considering different issues of quality. From the viewpoint of a parent, quality in childhood education includes treating every child carefully and not let anyone deprived from education. The salaries of educators also play a significant role in quality of early childhood education. Higher salary can allow organizations to appoint highly qualified and efficient educators which can help reducing drop-out rates of children and also enhance the confident affections between educators and children (Ackerman, 2005). Changes in ‘No Child Left Behind’ (NCLB) Program To improve the quality of early childhood education, the NCLB program is expected to stimulate a few significant changes. Every teacher in central contented areas of public school should be highly qualified and effective in executing their job responsibilities with efficiency. By the term ‘highly qualified’ means a prospective educator must be talented in his/her topic area. It is in this context that analyzing the skills and abilities of the educators becomes highly essential in this field. Thus, as applicable from the year 2006, every educators being hired by educational centers should either acquire at least a related degree in a related area or should pass an examination to prove knowledge and abilities to deal with the basic tenets of early childhood education (Editorial Projects in Education, 2011). Impact of Changes in NCLB Program The objective of qualified teacher is to certify that every child is educated with the assistance of highly experienced teachers. NCLB necessitates that educators must meet the criteria set by the state. For instance, the aptitude of fourth grade students had increased by 2% from 2003 to 2007. The point of math scores had also increased by 7% in the same period. It had been said that ‘No Child Left Behind’, had produced great outcomes for early education of children. The rate of improvement was also higher in the period of 2003 – 2007 compared to 1990- 2003. Thus, it can be stated that the changes in NCLB programs had positive impact on the performances of children (Hess & Kendrick, 2008). Conclusion Quality childhood education helps children to prosper in schools as well as become responsible citizens. Through early childhood education, children can gain several short-term as well as long-term benefits. But to make the education program successful it is recommendable to hire qualified teachers who have appropriate knowledge to treat children and give quality education. The early children education has significant importance in an economy as it helps generating capable employees which can contribute to industrialization and the socio-economic development. Conclusively, children are considered as the backbone of every country and early childhood education can help to strengthen the backbone so that they turn out to be successful in future. References Ackerman, D. J., (2005). Getting Teachers from Here to There: Examining Issues Related to an Early Care and Education Teacher Policy. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 7(1). Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v7n1/ackerman.html Editorial Projects in Education, (2011). No Child Left Behind. Education Week. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/no-child-left-behind/ Expat Web Site Association Jakarta, (2011). Importance of Early Childhood Education. Schooling. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://www.expat.or.id/info/earlychildhoodeducation.html Hess, F. M., & Kendrick, R. H., (2008). No Child Left Behind: Trends And Issues. The Book of the States. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://www.aei.org/docLib/20080828_HessKendrickNCLBTrends.pdf Hyson, M. & Et. Al., (2009). Quality Improvement in Early Childhood Teacher Education: Faculty Perspectives and Recommendations for the Future. Journal on the Development, Care, and Education of Young Children, 11 (1). Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v11n1/hyson.html Kamerman, S. B. & Gatenio-Gabel, S., (2007). Early Childhood Education and Care in the United States: An Overview of the Current Policy Picture. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, Vol: 1, pp. 23- 34. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://childcarecanada.org/sites/childcarecanada.org/files/3_Kamerman.pdf Lobman, C. & Et. Al., (2005). Reconstructing Teacher Education to Prepare Qualified Preschool Teachers: Lessons from New Jersey. Journal on the Development, Care, and Education of Young Children, Vol: 7. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v7n2/lobman.html Spahr, P. M. & Et. Al., (2011). Quality Early Education and Child Care from Birth to Kindergarten. Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/1/187.full UNESCO, (2011). Early Childhood Care and Education. Education. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/ Read More