Making School Great for Young Children
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The document discusses the work of FirstSchool, an initiative aimed at improving education for young minority and low-income children. It does this by partnering with schools to help teachers implement research-based practices through collaborative inquiry. Data is collected on student experiences and used to facilitate changes in instructional practices and classroom culture. Results show increases in teaching time, literacy instruction, collaboration and student autonomy, and decreases in transitions between activities. The goal is to create a high-quality, seamless educational experience for young children.
Making School Great for Young Children
- 1. Making School Great for Young Children Sharon Ritchie, Ed.D. Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill September 12, 2013
- 2. Early Learning Technology | www.HatchEarlyLearning.com #HatchExperts| Copyright 2013 Hatch Inc. All Rights Reserved. GoToWebinar Technology You may use either Telephone or VOIP (Computer Speakers) to Listen Ask Questions in the Questions Pane
- 3. Tryna King Product Training Coordinator Dale McManis Research Director
- 4. Early Learning Technology | www.HatchEarlyLearning.com #HatchExperts| Copyright 2013 Hatch Inc. All Rights Reserved.
- 5. Early Learning Technology | www.HatchEarlyLearning.com #HatchExperts| Copyright 2013 Hatch Inc. All Rights Reserved. Questions | Comments | Feedback @HatchEarlyChild @firstschoolfpg #HatchExperts
- 6. Early Learning Technology | www.HatchEarlyLearning.com #HatchExperts| Copyright 2013 Hatch Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sharon Ritchie, Ed.D Director of FirstSchool
- 7. FirstSchool Making School Great for Young Children Dr. Sharon Ritchie Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina Funded by W. K. Kellogg Foundation
- 8. Persistent achievement gap School-to-prison pipeline, especially for African American males Tendency for schools with high minority and/or high poverty student populations to increase use of prescribed curriculum and emphasize skill-and-drill while decreasing opportunity for higher order thinking Instructional practices not guided by current educational research and neuroscience Children’s educational trajectories are well-established during the first year or two of school. Current State of Education © FirstSchool 2013
- 9. The past decade has left too many teachers feeling burnt out, disrespected, and helpless. They see themselves as needing to lie low, and to tolerate mandates and programs that are visited upon them in great numbers, rather than feeling motivated to contribute their voice to key pedagogical decisions. © FirstSchool 2013 Current Conditions - Teachers
- 10. The data suggest that after just five years, between 40 and 50% of all beginning teachers have left teaching altogether. (Ingersoll R. 2003) Each year 10,000 top teachers leave their schools or stop teaching. (The New Teacher Project 2012) © FirstSchool 2013 Current Conditions - Teachers
- 11. Current Conditions: Students Early on, too many minority boys lose their sense of eagerness and excitement about school and adopt a position of passive or aggressive disengagement that often leads to later school dropout. © FirstSchool 2013
- 12. 12% 2% 33% 2% 41% 10% 2% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Distracted Basics Meals/Snacks Whole Group Free Choice/Center Individual Time Small Group Outside Snapshot Date: Minority boys – successes and challenges in remaining engaged © FirstSchool 2013
- 13. 0 16 4 56 0 52 0 24 20 40 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Pre K KG 1st 2nd 3rd Snapshot Data: Time children are bound by arbitrary rules © FirstSchool 2013
- 14. Facilitate the development of a culture of collaborative inquiry in programs and schools; Provide educators with research and professional development on educational practices that lead to success for minority students and those living in poverty; Present teachers with new lenses through which to view and improve their practice?” Faced with these realities, we asked ourselves, “Could we …. © FirstSchool 2013
- 15. FirstSchool School improvement initiative focused on improving the school experience of Pre K- Grade 3 African American, Latino, and low income (AALLI) children Staffed primarily by former educators Envisioned by some of the best minds in the country for the purpose of developing high quality Pre K- grade 3 education Piloted our work in 4 partner schools in NC & 3 partner schools in MI – work primarily with school leadership teams Partner schools - all are high minority and/or high poverty with low student performance Currently working at district level with Lansing, MI school system, Forsyth, NC school system, and with the Bertie/Martin Counties, NC district collaborative © FirstSchool 2013
- 16. Reinvigorating professionalism to create a better workplace culture for teachers is a core component of our vision for PreK-3 reform and a prerequisite for meaningful action. © FirstSchool 2013 Facilitating the development of a culture of collaborative inquiry Value teacher expertise Develop and sustain a mindset of continuous improvement Move from evaluation toward inquiry Move from a performance to a mastery orientation
- 17. When teachers feel as if leaders are working with them to determine how to improve, instead of working on them to fix their instruction, the rules and regulations that govern school reform start to feel humanizing. © FirstSchool 2013 R E S P E C T
- 18. When administrators develop a caring professional community, provide teachers with opportunities for meaningful participation in decision-making, and emphasize high expectations for both staff and students, they bolster individual and community resilience capabilities (Henderson & Milstein, 2003). Within this atmosphere, intellectual curiosity, greater competence, openness and willingness to share, and an increased capacity to contribute can thrive. © FirstSchool 2013 STRENGTH
- 19. Tackling whole-school reform is no small task! Administrators can ease their own burden by providing excellent teachers with the trust and space to share their skills and guide their colleagues and using teacher leadership to sustain change. © FirstSchool 2013 TRUST
- 20. Focus on teaching and learning Stay current Be in concert with other school efforts © FirstSchool 2013 Improve the school experiences of minority children and those who live in poverty
- 25. © FirstSchool 2013 The Missing Piece Oral Language Development Vocabulary Development Integrated Curriculum Balanced Teaching Approaches Developmental Science Higher Order Thinking Problem-Solving
- 26. Attachment Positive teacher-child relationships are the foundation that allows children to explore classrooms and actively engage in learning opportunities. Emotional quality of the classroom, including warmth of adult-child interactions and adults’ ability to respond to children in a sensitive and individualized manner, is a consistent predictor of both reading and math skills. Children show the largest gains in social skills and largest decreases in behavior problems when teachers reported warm relationships with children. © FirstSchool 2013
- 27. Benefits for Self-Regulated Individuals As children develop self-regulation, they: ignore distractions focus and attend delay gratification persist in challenging situations recognize that others have needs ask for help plan and think deliberately, control emotions and express them appropriately work toward their goals. (McClelland, Acock, & Morrison, 2002). © FirstSchool 2013
- 28. It is essential that teachers recognize the contributions of self- regulation to learning and support its development by: limiting arbitrary rules promoting student choice in physical comfort and work experiences, insisting upon physical activity and movement soliciting and incorporating the perspectives and contributions of each child routinely including opportunities for choice. © FirstSchool 2013 Self-Regulation
- 29. Resting brain of boys is sleeping. Boys are more emotionally sensitive. Young boys prefer real world connections and using their own imagination Boys tend to prefer having space when they learn. Movement helps boys manage and relieve impulsive behavior. Some things we know about boys… © FirstSchool 2013
- 30. Classroom observation is a potent form of professional development. It helps teachers: • develop their own reflective practice • share their strengths and admit their challenges • gain new ideas and fresh perspectives about teaching • improve the quality of the learning experiences made available to students. (Sheppard, Leifer, & Carryer, 1998) Utilize the Power of Classroom Observation © FirstSchool 2013
- 31. Snapshot: Minute by minute view of child experience of activity settings, curriculum content, and teaching approaches CLASS: Global view of child experience of emotional climate, classroom organization and instructional support © FirstSchool 2013 Lenses for Examining Practice
- 32. Using data from the Snapshot and CLASS to view children’s experiences across the PreK-3 continuum helps identify dramatic shifts in experience throughout a typical day or from grade to grade, as well as periods of static sameness that are unresponsive to children’s developmental abilities and needs. © FirstSchool 2013 Incorporating a developmental perspective
- 33. Getting children off to a good start: What teachers do really matters! “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, J., 2004; Rothstein, J, 2010). © FirstSchool 2013
- 34. Basics 15% Meals/ Snacks 9% Whole Group 24% Choice 37% Station 5% Small Group 2% Individual 8% Activity Setting - Pre K Basics 19% Meals/ Snacks 5% Whole Group 45% Choice 6% Station 2% Small Group 0% Individual 23% Activity Setting - K Basics 23% Meals/ Snacks 4% Whole Group 45% Choice 5% Station 4% Small Group 1% Individual 18% Activity Setting - 1st Grade Basics 26% Meals/ Snacks 4% Whole Group 33% Choice 8% Station 0% Small Group 0% Individual 29% Activity Setting – 2nd Grade Snapshot DataSnapshot Data © FirstSchool 2013
- 35. CLASS Emotional Support 5.3 1.3 5.3 4.8 4.1 3.0 3.8 3.3 4.6 1.6 4.3 3.9 5.1 1.4 4.6 3.5 4.0 2.1 3.5 2.9 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 Positive Climate Negative Climate Teacher Sensitivity Regard for Std Perspective Pre K K 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade © FirstSchool 2013
- 36. Using Research to Guide Practice: Ending the Culture of Silence * A classroom emphasis on oral language development has been identified as one of the premier instructional strategies for ensuring the success of children, especially those from low socio-economic communities (Mason & Galloway, 2012). * Oral language development influences vocabularies in young children (Snow, 2007) suggesting discrepancies in young children’s vocabularies in prekindergarten may remain throughout their schooling. * Vocabulary proficiency is a predictor of academic achievement beginning as early as the third grade (Storch & Whitehurst, 2002). © FirstSchool 2013
- 37. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Read To Whole Language Phonics Oral Language Vocabulary Compose Copy PercentofDay Snapshot Data: Literacy Components by Grade Levels PreK Kindergarten 1st 2nd 3rd School © FirstSchool 2013
- 38. CLASS Emotional Support 5.3 1.3 5.3 4.8 4.1 3.0 3.8 3.3 4.6 1.6 4.3 3.9 5.1 1.4 4.6 3.5 4.0 2.1 3.5 2.9 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 Positive Climate Negative Climate Teacher Sensitivity Regard for Std Perspective Pre K K 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade © FirstSchool 2013
- 39. Let’s take a look at a sample of the results that FirstSchool has been achieving. Small Changes Make a Big Difference © FirstSchool 2013
- 40. 34% 16% 1% 64% 23% 7% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Didactic Scaffolds Reflection PercentofDay Snapshot Data: Teaching Approaches Time 1 Time 2 Time 1: Spring 2010 Time 2: Fall 2012
- 41. Small Changes Make A Big Difference…Let’s Celebrate!!! Increase of 43% in amount of time spent teaching (from 51% to 94%) 516 hours of additional teaching time per year Increase in all teaching approaches: Didactic 34% to 64% (+30% = 360 hours/year) Scaffolds 16% to 23% (+7% = 84 hours/year) Reflection 1% to 7% (+6% = 72 hours/year) © FirstSchool 2013
- 42. 5% 9% 9% 13% 1% 8% 0% 0% 18% 7% 13% 15% 5% 4% 7% 0% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% PercentofDay Snapshot Data: Components of Literacy Time 1 Time 2 Time 1: Spring 2010 Time 2: Fall 2012
- 43. Small Changes Make A Big Difference…Let’s Celebrate!!! Teaching Literacy +24% (from 45% to 69% of day) 288 additional hours/year of literacy development! Noteworthy areas of increase: Read-aloud 5% to 18% (13% = 156 hours/year) Oral language development 13% to 15% (2% = 24 hours/year) Vocabulary development 1% to 5% (4% = 48 hours/year) © FirstSchool 2013
- 44. 4% 10% 13% 88% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Collaboration Flexible PercentofDay Snapshot Data: Collaboration & Autonomy Time 1 Time 2 Time 1: Spring 2010 Time 2: Fall 2012
- 45. Small Changes Make A Big Difference…Let’s Celebrate!!! Collaboration: 9% increase (from 4% to 13%) 108 more hours/year of children intentionally talking & working together Flexible: 78% increase (from 10% to 88%) 936 less hours/year of children subjected to arbitrary rules © FirstSchool 2013
- 46. The average amount of time students spent in transitions decreased from 21% of day to 17%. This works out to 2,880 minutes of additional time spent in instruction per year per year per classroom. Teachers increased the amount of time spent teaching math (Numbers increased 9% = 6,480 minutes/year, Geometry increased 2% = 1,440 minutes/year, Algebraic Thinking increased 1% = 720 minutes/year, & Time increased 2% = 1,440 minutes/year) T1= children were interacting with a teacher 50% of the time. T2 = 70%. This adds an additional 36 days per school year of instructional time in each classroom. Sample of Project Findings © FirstSchool 2013
- 47. Effective PreK-3 Teachers Base Instruction on Developmental Science Engage in Collaborative Inquiry Use Student- Experience Data See themselves as talented professionals Develop cultures of caring, competence and excellence Create a Seamless Experience for Students & Families Use Research- Based Teaching Strategies Focus on Continuous Improvement © FirstSchool 2013
- 48. is supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Michigan State University, Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Lansing School District, NCDPI–Office of Early Learning, & Private Donors © FirstSchool 2013
- 49. http://firstschool.fpg.unc.edu Follow us on Twitter: @firstschoolfpg Please feel free to contact us with questions or comments at: sharon.ritchie@unc.edu © FirstSchool 2013
- 50. FirstSchool 2012 FirstSchool is supported by: W. K. Kellogg Foundation grant Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Grant University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill District Contracts Private donors
- 51. Early Learning Technology | www.HatchEarlyLearning.com #HatchExperts| Copyright 2013 Hatch Inc. All Rights Reserved. NAME TITLE Sharon Ritchie, Ed.D Director of FirstSchool
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