Early Care & Education

Why we need more qualified STEM teachers

Posted by Jacquelyn Lendsey on Aug. 31 Voices intern Nicole Bibel contributed this piece on a new initiative to promote effective STEM teaching in the U.S. Last month, President Obama announced his plan to create a master corps of STEM teachers, those who teach science, technology, engineering, and math.  The initiative, which would have a $1 billion budget, aims to have 10,000 exemplary STEM teachers placed throughout the country within four years.  The corps will be comprised of teachers who not only have incredible knowledge in their field, but also apply innovative and effective techniques to their teaching.  The program was announced following a series of studies that brought to light the deficits within current STEM programs; a National Center for Education Statistics survey found over a quarter of STEM teachers are not certified in the subjects that they teach, and according to a report by the New Teacher Project, those who are successful are continuously leaving the classroom because they feel as though they’re not being allowed to use their talents to the best of their abilities. Both the President and outside agencies agree that this is more than just an education issue, and that the quality of STEM programs will have a direct economical impact.  In the press release for the program, President Obama said: “if America is going to compete for the jobs and industries of tomorrow, we need to make sure our children are getting the best education possible,” a sentiment echoed in several news articles that have highlighted the importance of “a highly skilled STEM workforce to compete and succeed in a global marketplace.”  This initiative ensures economic security not just on a global scale, but on a national one as well.  Change the Equation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving STEM education recently found that while nationwide there are three times as many unemployed citizens as there are job openings, there are twice as many STEM positions open as people qualified to fill them. Several independent groups have risen to the challenge and have devoted themselves to filling this gap.  Teach For America and 100Kin10 have both launched initiatives to not only hire and train more highly qualified STEM teachers, but also to spread the word that this is an area that desperately needs to be addressed.

Making the Most of the End of Summer

Posted by Terrylynn Tyrell on Aug. 9 Voices interns Nicole Bibel and Sarah Rogers guest blog to share some of the findings about summer learning losses. As summer quickly comes to an end it’s a great time to look at what summer vacation means for school performance, and how kids can stay engaged these last couple of weeks before heading back to the classroom.  Studies spanning time, race, and socioeconomic status show that nearly all students score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer than they did on the same tests just a few months before.  Parents must be aware of the need to continue their children’s learning throughout summer.  The National Association of Summer Learning makes clear that encouraging children to remain engaged through activities like reading and exploring the world around them are beneficial; the learning doesn’t have to be strictly from a textbook.  Voices for Alabama’s Children has recognized this and recently developed an information brief on summer learning loss and some possible solutions. While it seems typical that students need a bit of time to “get back in the swing of things,” further studies show that in regards to the amount of lost learning there are huge gaps between socioeconomic classes.  Students in lower economic classes lose a lot more over the summer when compared to their more affluent peers, and much of this gap exists because students in low-income families and communities tend to have less access to stimulating materials once they are out of school.  A John Hopkins study found that these gaps not only persist over time, but they also accumulate, leading to an ever-widening and cumulative achievement gap throughout elementary and middle school. In a recent New York Times article, Jeff Smink, policy analyst at the National Summer Learning Association, found that “by ninth grade, two-thirds of the achievement gap in reading could be traced to what happens during the summer.”  This issue has been the subject of many recent articles, which discuss both the systemic problems and possible solutions.  Many of those solutions are summer learning programs in the forms of summer camps.  A few of the most successful summer learning programs have been cited by the Washington Post and USA Today, and we recommend that the public reviews these. No matter what socioeconomic class, it’s important that all children keep reading and engaging in stimulating activities to prevent summer learning loss.  In these last couple of weeks, encourage your kids to pick up a book, create a project, journal and or draw a picture  about the best part of their summer so that they enter their next classroom alert and ready to learn!

More education updates from around the country

Posted by Jacquelyn Lendsey on May. 15 Last week we gave you updates on education policy in Michigan and South Carolina. This week our member organizations in Colorado and New Jersey report on slow but steady progress on winning support for greater investments in early education, starting with Colorado: "This year, Colorado’s state legislators spent time discussing the role of early childhood learning and education, particularly as it relates to state funding. While no legislation was passed relating directly to funding early learning and development before kindergarten there were ongoing debates around when supports for early learning should begin. Conversations, often facilitated by the Colorado Children’s Campaign, aimed to target supports for Colorado’s youngest and most vulnerable populations. We were able to pass legislation targeted to strengthening Colorado student’s proficiency in reading at the end of third grade and had champions in both parties repeatedly supporting early learning and education as well as early identification of reading issues. Through this bill, Colorado increased its overall investment in full-day kindergarten. Additionally, the School Finance Partnership — a bipartisan group comprised of education leaders, education reform advocates, elected officials, and business leaders tasked with examining the School Finance Act and considering options and alternatives, and presenting recommendations for an innovative overhaul to the state’s system of funding public schools — gave strong support to investing in half-day preschool for at-risk 3-year-olds, half-day preschool for all 4-year-olds, and full-day preschool for at-risk 4-year-olds." Our New Jersey member organization has been hard at work as well: "Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) is busy working to strengthen our state’s early learning continuum. After briefing Rep. Rush Holt’s staff and Rep. Donald Payne about the importance of a federal investment in preschool expansion, ACNJ’s recent efforts have focused on ensuring adequate state funding to reduce the child care waiting list, which has experienced a 21% reduction in funding since FY 2010 and a 250% increase in the number of children waiting for care; expanding preschool for all low-income 3- and 4- year olds; and restoring $3 million for the school breakfast program."

More than 10,000 teaching jobs lost to budget cuts in Texas

Posted by Terrylynn Tyrell on Apr. 10 Texas lawmakers cut funding for public education by around $5.4 billion to balance its budget, and students are feeling the effects. A New York Times article on the education cuts is calling it "the year of doing without" for Texas schools, which are "increasing class sizes, reducing services and supplies and thinning the ranks of teachers, custodians, librarians and others." The cuts have forced the elimination of more than 10,000 teaching jobs, according to Children at Risk, our Voices member organization in the state. Their new report details the more than 25,000 jobs lost as the Texas legislature cut its support for public education.

Sec. of Education: No Child Left Behind “still has flaws that need to be fixed”

Posted by Terrylynn Tyrell on Jan. 9 The controversial No Child Left Behind education law made progress toward school reform but has its own flaws that must be fixed, according to the U.S. secretary of education. Secretary Arne Duncan credits the law with exposing achievement gaps among American students, but its focus on testing has often proved counterproductive. Duncan describes schools that have lowered their standards simply to avoid federal penalties and shrunk curriculum to comply with a new emphasis on standardized testing. The prospects for new education legislation during the election year are dim. But the policy discussions have been simmering around the country lately, including Voices' own series of town hall meetings. Voices member Voices for Georgia's Children has just told us of two meetings it has scheduled with Georgia's members of Congress, which will include presentations with school workers, early education experts and more. They're excited about the possibilities and so is Voices! Befriend Voices for Georgia's Children on Facebook for updates on their work.