ERIC ED526812: Making the Grade: Making the Case for Well-Educated, Well-Trained Teaching Staff in Early Care and Education. Quality Matters: A Policy Brief Series on Early Care and Education. Volume 2, Fall 2007

2007·0.43 MB·English

by  ERIC

QualityMatters:APolicyBriefSeries Fall2007
onEarlyCareandEducation Volume2
Making the Grade:
Making the Case for Well-educated,Well-trained Teaching Staff
in Early Care and Education
Thelastquartercenturyofresearchonbraindevel- Research on Staff Qualifications
opmentsuggeststhatthenurturingandlearning
in Early Care and Education
experiencesavailableinthefirstfewyearsplaya
strongroleinshapingachild’sdevelopment.Babiesare
bornwitharemarkableintrinsicabilitytolearn.Thefoun- Whatdoweknowaboutstaffqualityinearlycare
dationforachild’sintellect,personalityandskillsises- and education settings and the link to child
tablishedinthefirstfiveyears. Today,avastmajorityof outcomesandschoolreadiness?
Wisconsin’schildrenundertheageofsixhaveallparents Toaddressthisquestion,wereviewedresearchfroma
intheworkforce, andearlycareandeducationhavebe- varietyofsources,includingtheNationalResearchCoun-
comearoutinepartofmanychildren’syounglives. cil’sexaminationofaquartercenturyofresearch,someof
Agrowingbodyofscientificevidenceindicatesthatin- the most extensive national studies,longitudinal inter-
vestingintheeducationofouryoungestlearnersmaybe ventionstudies,andtheworkoftheNationalInstituteon
oneof themostpromisingwaystopreparechildrenfor EarlyEducationResearch. Theresearchfindingsarestrik-
school and strengthen the future economic position of inglysimilar. Allofthesestudiesconcludethattheedu-
statesandthenation. Aseriesoflongitudinalstudieshave cationoftheteachersandcaregiversisakeyingredientin
establishedthathighqualityearlyeducationisacost-ef- thequalityoftheprogram,andcontributestoimportant
fectiveinvestment,yieldingthehighestreturnswhenchil- outcomesforchildren.
drenfromdisadvantagedbackgroundsaretargeted. The Whydowethinkteacherqualificationsarethekeyto
largestexpenseinanyearlycareandeducationprogram, quality? Researchershavefoundthateducationandtrain-
andtheonethatresearchhasshownhasthemostsignifi- ingoftheadultswhoguidechildren’sdevelopmentinout-
cantimpact,ishumanresources:theadultswhoguideand of-homesettingschangesthewaytheyrelatetochildren.
teachyoungchildren. Theyaremoreresponsivetochildren,provideactivelearn-
ThispaperisthesecondinaseriesofQualityMatters ing experiences, interact more, focus on each child’s
policybriefsthatexploretheelementsofhighqualityearly progress,andintentionallydesigntheirprogramstoen-
careandeducation.Itexamineseducationalqualifications hancehealthydevelopmentandlearning.
ofteachersasacomponentofquality,andexplorestheben- Itmakessensetoexpectthatbettereducatedteachershave
efitsgainedfromwell-educatedearlychildhoodteachers. moreknowledgeandskillstoindividualizelessonplansand
analyzeandsolveproblems. Better-educatedteachersare
likelytoexposechildrentoarichervocabularyandtopro-
videmorestimulatinglearningactivitiesandenvironments.
Most studies have found that teachers with two- or
four-yeardegrees,combinedwithspecializedtrainingin
earlychildhooddevelopment,providesignificantlyhigher
levelsofqualityforchildrenintheircare,asmeasuredby
positiveinteractionswithchildrenandstimulatinglearn-
ingenvironments.
1
QualityMatters:APolicyBriefSeries
onEarlyCareandEducation
Findings of the National Research Attheheartoftheefforttopromotequalitypreschool,
fromthecommittee’sperspective,isasubstantialin-
Council:ProfessionalQualifications
vestmentintheeducationandtrainingofpreschool
of Teachers is a Key to Quality teachers.
—NationalResearchCouncil,2001
TheNationalAcademyof Scienceswasestablished
The Council concluded that early childhood programs
byCongresstoadvisethefederalgovernmenton
foundtobehighlyeffectiveintheUnitedStatesandabroad
scientificandtechnicalmatters. In2001theAcad-
havewell-educatedteacherstrainedandencouragedtore-
emy’sNationalResearchCouncilreleasedareport,Eager
flectontheirpracticesandontheresponsivenessofchildren.
toLearn:EducatingOurPreschoolers,thatspecificallyad-
dressesquestionsabouttheimportanceofstaffqualifica-
tions in early care and education. The report was the Other Research Findings:
productofathree-yearstudybyacommitteeof17experts
Strong Link between Teacher
appointedbytheCouncil.
Education and Quality
Theresearchfindingssummarizedinthisreportshow
that2-to5-year-oldchildrenaremorecapablelearners TheCost,Quality,andChild
thanhadbeenimagined. OutcomesStudy
—-NationalResearchCouncil,2001
Researchersfromfouruniversitiesinfourstatesstudied
thecharacteristicsofagroupofchildcareprogramsand
Drawingondecadesofresearch,theCouncilconcludedthat:
followed826childrenfrom183classroomstogatherin-
•Teacher-childrelationshipsfosterlearning:There-
formationonprogramqualityandchildoutcomes.
sponsiverelationshipbetweenearlychildhoodteach-
Afollow-upanalysisofthedataledtheresearcherstocon-
ers and children has clear influence on children’s
cludethatthequalityofchildcarewasrelatedtobothformal
dispositiontolearnandtheiremergingabilities,af-
educationlevelsandspecializedtraininginearlychildhood
fecting“socialcompetenceandschoolachievement.”
development,andthatteachercompensationwasclosely
linkedtothequalityofservicesprovided. Theanalysisalso
•Professionaldevelopmentofteachersisakeytoqual-
foundthathigh-qualitychildcaresettingspositivelypredict
ity:“Theprofessionaldevelopmentofteachersisrelated
children’s performance well into their school years,with
tothequalityofearlychildhoodprograms,andpro-
greaterbenefitsforchildrenatriskofschoolfailure.
gramqualitypredictsdevelopmentaloutcomesforchil-
dren.” TheCouncilfoundastrongrelationshipbetween
thenumberofyearsofeducationandtrainingandthe
Ourresearchindicatedthatthequalityofchildcare
appropriatenessofateacher’sclassroombehavior.
wasrelatedtoboththeformaleducationlevelsand
thespecializedearlychildhoodtrainingoftheclass-
roomteachers.
—Cost,Quality,andChildOutcomesStudy
NationalInstituteofChildHealthand
HumanDevelopmentStudy
TheNationalInstituteof ChildHealthandHumanDe-
velopment(NICHD)conductedprobablythemostcom-
2 WisconsinCouncilonChildrenandFamilies
BrainDevelopment:TheEarlyYears
prehensive study of child care ever undertaken in the NationalInstitutefor
UnitedStates,followingmorethan1,000childrenacross EarlyEducationResearch
careandeducationsettingsfrominfancyin1991totheir
highschoolyears.Thestudyfoundthatacrossagesand The National Institute for Early Education Research
types of care,positive caregiving was more likely when (NIEER),directedbyeconomistDr.StevenBarnett,re-
caregiverswerebettereducated,focusedontheeachchild’s portsthatapreponderanceof researchstudiesconclude
development,andhadmoreexperienceinchildcare. This thateducationlevelsofpreschoolteachersandspecialized
study,liketheothersreviewedforthispaper,foundthat traininginearlychildhoodeducationpredictsteaching
qualityofchildcarewasrelatedtobothformaleducation qualityandchildren’slearninganddevelopment,citing14
andspecializedearlychildhoodtrainingforteachers.Are- key research studies in child care,Head Start,and pre-
latedanalysisofthedatafromthestudyfoundthatmore kindergartensettings.Hisreviewoftheresearchshowsev-
highlyeducatedortrainedcaregivershavebeenfoundto idence that quality is higher in programs where more
improvechildren’sschoolreadinessandlanguagecom- teachershaveatleastafour-yeardegree. Thequalitystan-
prehensionscores. dardssetbyNIEERforpre-kindergartenteacherqualifi-
cationsareafour-yeardegreeandspecializedpreparation
intheeducationofpreschoolchildren.
Caregiverswithhighereducationlevelsengagedin
morepositivecaregivingand,inturn,thechildrenthey
caredforshowedbetteroutcomes. Better-educatedpreschoolteacherswithspecialized
—NationalInstituteofChildHealthandHuman trainingaremoreeffective.
Development —NationalInstituteforEarlyEducationResearch
EvidencefromLongitudinalResearchon
InterventionPrograms
AreportwrittenbyEllenGalinskyfortheCommitteefor
EconomicDevelopmentanalyzedthreefamouslongitu-
dinalstudiesthattrackedtheimpactofhigh-qualityearly
educationprogramsonat-riskchildrenintoadulthood.
Thethreestudies—theHigh/ScopePerryPreschoolProj-
ect,theAbecedarianProject,andtheChicagoChild-Par-
ent Centers—all showed consistent positive economic
benefitsthatoutweightheprogramcosts. Thethreehigh-
quality programs led to improved early learning and
schoolreadiness,aswellaslong-termpositiveoutcomes,
suchashigherearningsandlowerlevelsofincarceration.
Allthreeofthesestudieshadwell-educated,well-trained
andwell-compensatedteachers.
TheprominentresearchersinterviewedbyGalinskybe-
lievethattheongoingindividualrelationshipsteachersde-
veloped with the children were central to learning and
development.
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QualityMatters:APolicyBriefSeries
onEarlyCareandEducation
WisconsinChildCareResearch ConclusionsandIssuesfromtheResearch
Partnership
A largebodyof researchunequivocallydemonstratesa
TheWisconsinChildCareResearchPartnership,housedat solidrelationshipbetweenteachereducationandtraining
theUniversityofWisconsin-Extension,foundfromitsre- andthequalityofoverallearlychildhoodprogramsettings
searchinWisconsinchildcareprogramsthatcaregivers andchildoutcomes. Whiletheresearchindicatesastrong
withmoreeducationhadsignificantlyhigher-qualityin- connectionbetweenteacher/caregivereducationandthe
teractionwithchildrenthancaregiverswithlesseducation. qualityof earlychildhoodsettings,thereisanemerging
AfteryearsofstudyofWisconsinchildcarecentersand debateaboutjusthowmucheducationisnecessary.
familychildcareprogramsthatincludedhundredsofob- Instatepreschoolprograms,alittlemorethanhalfof
servationsandsurveys,theresearchersfoundthattheed- statesrequireteacherstohavebachelor’sdegrees,and35
ucationalqualificationsofstaffwerepersistentlylinkedto statesrequirespecializedteachertraining. Congressis
dozensof otherqualitymeasures.Theresearcherscon- currentlydebatingtherelativevalueoftwo-andfour-year
cludedthattheskillsinvolvedinorganizingfortheirown collegedegreesforHeadStartteachers.
educationappeartotranslateintoteachingskills. BothpublicpreschoolprogramsandHeadStartpro-
gramsareprimarilypubliclyfundedprograms. Thesitu-
ationisquitedifferentinprivatechildcaresettings.Only
asmallfractionofcenter-basedteachersandlicensedfam-
ily child care providers have four-year degrees,and for
mostahighschooldiplomaisthehighestdegree. Given
theresearchfindingsontheimportanceofwell-prepared
teachers,thewiderangeof teacherqualificationsacross
earlychildhoodsettingsiscauseforconcern.
Implications for Public Policy
in Wisconsin
Theresearchpaintsaclearpicture: Well-educated,
well-trainedteachersarekeytoprovidingthekindof
high-qualityearlycareandeducationthathelpchil-
drenbecomereadyforschool.Wisconsinhasmuchtobe
proudofinearlycareandeducation,throughitseffortsto:
•make4-year-oldkindergartenavailableintwo-thirds
ofschooldistricts;
•provide affordable child care access to low-income
workingfamilies;
•deliverenhancedservicestoyoungchildrenwithdis-
abilitiesandtheirfamiliesthroughitsBirthto3In-
tervention ProgramandSpecialEducationservicesto
childrenages3-5;and
•meettheearlydevelopment,education,healthandnu-
trition needs of children in poverty through Head
StartandEarlyHeadStart.
Butwhatdoweknowofthequalityoftheseservices?
Sincetheresearchevidencetellsusthatearlychildhood
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educationinvestmentspayoffinpositivechildoutcomes wagesnearlydoublethoseofHeadStartwages. Wiscon-
only if the programs meet quality standards,including sinchildcarecenterteacherwagesaveragedlessthan$9.00
well-qualifiedstaff,thenthequalityofWisconsin’spro- perhourin2004,andrealwages(adjustedforinflation)
gramsshouldbeamajorpublicpolicyconcern. havenotincreasedappreciablysince1980. Table1shows
estimatesoftheeducationalqualificationsofWisconsin’s
earlychildhoodworkforce. Italsoestimateshowmany
EducationalQualificationsofWisconsin’s Wisconsinchildrenunderage5areineachofthemajor
EarlyChildhoodWorkforce typesofsettings.Thesenumbersincludeduplicatecounts,
sincemanychildrenareinmorethanonesettinginatyp-
Thequalificationsofleadteachers(teachers/providers icalweek,oftennecessarytocovertheworkschedulesof
withleadresponsibilityforagroupof children)inearly parents,orbecausemanyfamiliescanaffordonlylimited
careandeducationsettingsinWisconsinvarydramati- hoursinmoreformalsettings.TheUrbanInstitute’s2001
cally. Virtuallyallpublicschoolandspecialeducationpre- studyofWisconsinchildcarefoundthat37%ofchildren
school teachers have bachelor’s degrees, and about 70 innonparentalcarewereregularlyintwoormoreearly
percentofHeadStartteachershaveatleastatwo-yearde- childhoodout-of-homesettings.
gree.But fewerthan30percentofchildcarecenterteach-
ersandlicensedfamilychildcareprovidershavetwo-year
degreesormore. Note:Thenumberofchildreninchildcaresettingmaynot
Asmightbeexpected,wagesalsovarywidely,withchild beaccurate,becausethenumbersareestimatedbasedonca-
carewagesthelowest,HeadStartwagessomewhathigher pacitydata—noreliabledataexistabouthowmanychildren
thanthoseofchildcarecenterteachers,andpublicschool ofwhatagesareenrolled.
Table1: TeacherorSpecialEducatorQualificationsbyEarlyCareandEducation(ECE)Settings
Teacheroreducator %ofTeacherswith %ofTeacherswith Estimated#children ChildrenServed
inECEsetting 4-year-degrees 2-or4-yearDegree underage5served %ofTotal
(duplicatedcounts)
Certifiedsmallfamily Unknown Unknown 17,729 8%
childcareprovider
Familychildcareproviderina 6% 24% 21,814 10%
licensedfamilychildcarecenter
Childcareteacherina 14% 29% 119,234 54%
licensedchildcarecenter
HeadStartteacher 45% 85% 14,954 7%
Teacherinpublicschool4K 99-100% 99-100% 45,085 21%
andspecialeducationfor
ages3-5; Specialeducatorin
Birthto3Interventionprogram
218,816 100%
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QualityMatters:APolicyBriefSeries
onEarlyCareandEducation
Table2:TeacherEducationalRequirementsbyECESetting
TeacheroreducatorinECESetting TeacherRequirements
Certifiedfamilychildcareprovider LevelI“regular”:atleast15hoursofchildcaretraining
LevelII“provisional”:norequirement,excepttrainingon
suddeninfantdeathsyndrome
Familychildcareproviderinlicensed 40hoursor3creditsofearlychildhoodtraining
familychildcarecenter Additional10hourstrainingoninfantsandtoddlers,ifserved
Childcareteacherinlicensed 2coursesinearlychildhoodeducation
childcarecenter Additional10hourstrainingoninfantsandtoddlers,ifserved
HeadStartteacher 50%ofteachersnationallymusthavea2-yearAssociate’sDegreeorhigher
inearlychildhoodeducationoranadvanceddegreeinarelatedfieldwith
experienceteaching
StaffworkingwithinfantsandtoddlersmustobtainaChildDevelopment
Associate(CDA)credentialorequivalent.
Teacherin4-year-oldkindergarten Bachelor’sdegreeandteacherlicenseforearlychildhoodlevel
inpublicschool(includingchild
careandHeadStartparticipating
ascommunityapproachsite)
Specialeducationforages3-5 Bachelor’sdegreeandappropriateearlychildhoodspecialeducationlicense
inpublicschool
Birthto3specialinstructors Bachelor’sdegreeandearlychildhoodspecialeducatorlicense
Thevariationineducationallevelsandwagesshownin
Table 1 appears to be highly related to the way each of
these early childhood programs are regulated and fi-
nanced. Table2showstherequirementsforteachersin
differentprogramsettings.
Eventhoughthousandsof youngchildrenspendsig-
nificanttimeineachofthesesettings,theteacherrequire-
mentsvarydramatically,from40hoursof trainingtoa
bachelor’sdegree.
Regulationlevelsandteacherqualificationsseemtobe
basedlargelyonwhetheraprogramispublicorprivate.
Childcare,whichoperatesprimarilyintheprivatesector,
hasthelowestrequirementsandthelowesteducationlev-
elsofstaff. Publicschoolsarepubliclyoperatedandfi-
nanced, and set high educational standards for the
teachers they hire,and pay commensurate salaries and
benefits,usuallynegotiatedbyteacherunions. HeadStart
ispartpublic,partprivate--financedpublicly,butoper-
atedlargelyintheprivatesector.
6
Thedatashowthatnearlythree-quartersof children thestate’schildcareteachershadanypost-highschooled-
underage5inorganizedsettingsareservedinchildcare ucation. Fourteen years later, with support from the
programs,whereteacherqualificationstendtobecom- T.E.A.C.H.program,aqualityratingsystem,anditsSmart
paratively low. While public policy discussions about Startprogram,morethan80percentof thestate'schild
schoolreadinessandearlyeducationoftenfocusonpub- careteachershavecollegeleveleducation.
lic school pre-kindergarten programs and Head Start,
childcareisinfactthesettingwherethevastmajorityof
youngchildrenarespendingthemosttime. WiththevisionandsupportofTEACH™EarlyChild-
hood Scholarship Program,more than 80 percent of
childcareteachersinNorthCarolinahavecollegelevel
EffortstoIncreaseTeacherQualifications education.ThroughWAGE$™andotherwagebenefit
programs,ourteachersarebetterpaidandmorethan
Effortstoincreaseteacherqualificationsinearlycareand halfhavehealthbenefits.
educationdemonstrateseveraldifferentapproaches,trig- —KarenPonder,President,NorthCarolinaSmartStart
geredbyvariousgoalsandmotivations,asillustratedby
thefollowingexamples.
Wisconsin's T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship
T.E.A.C.H.EarlyChildhood:ScholarshipsandWage programisadministeredbytheWisconsinEarlyChild-
Supplements hoodAssociation,undercontractfromtheWisconsinDe-
partmentofWorkforceDevelopment. Anevaluationof
TheT.E.A.C.H.EarlyChildhood®Project,establishedin theT.E.A.C.H.programbytheWisconsinChildCareRe-
NorthCarolinain1990,givesscholarshipstochildcare searchPartnershipin2003foundthat:
workerstocompletecourseworkinearlychildhoodedu- •Over2,000scholarshipshadbeenawarded
cationandincreasetheircompensation.Theprogramwas •84%ofrecipientsworkedinchildcareprogramsserv-
developed to address the low levels of education,poor inglow-incomechildrenfundedbythestatechildcare
compensation,andhighturnoverintheearlychildhood subsidyprogramorHeadStart
workforce,particularlyinchildcaresettings.T.E.A.C.H. •Asignificantportionoftheeducationalcreditsearned
scholarships link continuing education with increased byT.E.A.C.H.recipientswouldnothavebeenearned
compensationandrequirethatrecipientsandtheirspon- withoutthescholarships
soringchildcareprogramsshareinthecost. T.E.A.C.H. •TeachersparticipatinginT.E.A.C.H.completedonav-
programsarenow(asoffall2007)operatingin21states, eragethreetimestheeducationrequiredbylicensing
includingWisconsin. rules
WhiletheT.E.A.C.H.programhelpschildcareworkers •T.E.A.C.H.recipients received wage increases more
increasetheireducationalcredentials,theWAGE$™pro- thandoubletheaverageforchildcareworkers
gramcomplementsitbyrewardingteachersinthefield •JobturnoverforT.E.A.C.H.recipientsislessthanthird
thathavealreadymetcertaineducationallevels. Thegoals theturnoverrateforWisconsinchildcareteachers.
ofWAGE$aretokeepqualifiedteachersinthefieldand
provideincentivesforstaff toseekadditionaleducation. Wisconsin’s T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® program,
TheChildCareWAGE$Projectprovideseducation-based combined with its R.E.WA.R.D.™ program, which like
salary supplements to low-paid teachers, directors and NorthCarolina’sWAGE$programprovideswagesupple-
familychildcareprovidersworkingwithchildrenbetween mentstoworkerswithspecifiededucationalqualifications
theagesof0and5.Theprojectisdesignedtoprovidepre- whostayinthefield,hashelpedhundredsof childcare
schoolchildrenmorestablerelationshipswithbetter-ed- workersimprovetheireducationalqualifications,increase
ucated teachers by rewarding teacher education and theircompensation,andstayintheearlychildhoodwork-
continuity of care.The two programs (T.E.A.C.H.and force. Asof mid-2007Wisconsin’sT.E.A.C.H.program
WAGE$)appeartohaveplayedastrongroleinthetrans- hasfundedscholarshipsfor3,281earlycareandeducation
formationofNorthCarolina’searlychildhoodworkforce. stafffrom897programswhoearnedover50,000college
NorthCarolinareportsthatin1993lessthan20percentof credits. TheR.E.WA.R.D.™programhasprovidedwage
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QualityMatters:APolicyBriefSeries
onEarlyCareandEducation
stipendsto4,981individualswhomeeteducationalcrite- TrainingandeducationareintegralpartsoftheMCCS
ria. TheaverageR.E.WA.R.D.™recipienthas13.2years (MilitaryChildCareSystem)—notjustforafewcare-
ofexperienceinthefield. givers,butforall. Childcareworkersaregiventhetools
WhiletheT.E.A.C.H. programensureswageincrease toperformtheirjobsinacompetentandprofessional
or a bonus on completion of a scholarship, and manner,andtheyarerewardedfortheirknowledgeand
R.E.WA.R.D.™providesastipendtowell-qualifiedwork- expertisethroughsystematicpayincreases.
erswhostayintheearlychildhoodfield,thecurrentfiscal
incentivesaremodest.Theremaybesomelimitstothe —TheUrbanInstitute,ImprovingChildCareQuality:A
numberofearlychildhoodworkerswillingtobothwork ComparisonofMilitaryandCivilianApproaches,2003.
andgotoschoolwithoutmoresignificantfinancialpayoffs
for individual teachers and the programs that invest in
them. However,itisclearfromWisconsin’sexperience Florida’sChangesinLicensingRequirements:
thatchildcarescholarshipandwagesupplementprograms IncreasedTeacherEducation
playasignificantroleinincreasingthequalityoftheearly
childhoodworkforce. Intheearly1990sFloridameasuredtheimpactoftworeg-
ulatorychangesinchildcarecenters:increasedteachered-
MilitaryModel:AFocusonStaffCompensation ucation and more rigorous staff-to-child ratio
andTraining requirements.Thestatewantedtofindoutwhetherregu-
latorychangesaffectedthequalityof theprogramsand
TheU.S.military’stransformationofitschildcaresystem children’soutcomes.
wastriggeredbyaninvestigationbytheGeneralAccount-
ingOfficeandCongressionalhearingsthatfoundserious Thestudy,whichwasidentifiedbytheU.S.GeneralAc-
problemswiththequalityofmilitarychildcare. TheMil- counting Office as one of the few state studies using a
itaryChildCareActof1989mandatedimprovementsto methodologysufficienttoproduceconclusivefindings,
themilitarychildcaresystem,andnowtheDepartment foundthat:
ofDefenserunsasystemthatmanyseeasamodelforthe
nation.
The military child care system, which serves over
200,000childrenatover300locations,offersasystematic
approachtohigh-quality,affordablechildcare,according
toareportbytheNationalWomen’sLawCenter.
Akeyelementof themilitary’sreformisitsemphasis
onincreasingstaffcompensationandtraining. Basedon
requirementssetintheMilitaryChildCareAct,theDe-
partmentof Defenselinkedwagestotraininglevels,de-
veloped a comprehensive training program, and hired
trainingandcurriculumspecialiststoensurequalitycon-
trol. ARANDstudyconcludedthatthetrainingandcom-
pensationchangesimprovedstaffqualityandhelpedthe
programachievethegoalsof abetter-trainedandmore
stableworkforce.
The military’s systematic implementation of a staff
trainingandcompensationsystemdemonstratesthatwith
clearmandatesandresources,aneffectivesystemtode-
velopandretainaqualifiedworkforcecanbeimplemented
onalargescale.
8
(1)increasedteachereducationandstaff-childratiore- sequence of New Jersey’s experience identified by re-
quirementssignificantlycontributedtoanumberofpos- searchersisthatonceteachersinprivatechildcareand
itive outcomes in children's development in 1994 and HeadStartprogramsincreasedtheirqualifications,many
continue to improve in 1996; (2) teachers with an ad- plannedtoleavethosesettingsforpublicschoolpositions
vancededucation(associate'sdegreeorhigher)hadthe wherepayandbenefitswerehigher.
highest scores in terms of children's development and
classroomquality;and(3)increasedstaff educationand
morerigorousratiorequirementsdidnothaveamarked Thisstudydemonstratesthatasaresultofthepressure
negativeimpactonthechildcaremarketplace,nordidre- and supports mandated by the New Jersey Supreme
quirementssignificantlyaffectconsumercostsduringthe Court’sdecisions,approximately90%oftheteachersin
1992-96period. theAbbottdistrictswillhaveattainedtheirbaccalaure-
atedegreeandbeatleastprovisionallycertifiedby2004.
Florida’sexperiencedemonstratesthatincreasingrequired Thisisanextraordinaryaccomplishmentconsidering
educationalqualificationsthrougharegulatorymecha- thatonly15percentofteachersinprivatesettingshada
nismcanleadtohigherqualitywithoutseriousdisrup- BAinearlychildhoodin2000whentheCourtissuedits
tions to private sector services. However, regulatory mandate.
changecanbedifficulttoachievepoliticallybecauseofthe
increased costs involved for regulated programs when —CenterforEarlyChildhoodLeadership,National-Louis
standardsareraised. University
NewJersey:TransformingPreschoolTeacher
Qualifications NewJersey’sexperiencetellsusthatwithacleargoaland
resources,theexistingearlychildhoodworkforcecanbe
NewJerseyundertookamajorefforttoprovidehigh-qual- transformedinashortperiodoftime,butthataslongas
itypreschoolservicesforall3-and4-yearoldchildrenin thereissignificantdiscrepancyinwagesacrosstheearly
its30poorestschooldistricts(called“AbbottDistricts”). careandeducationlandscape,qualifiedteacherswillmove
TheeffortwasorderedintheunprecedentedAbbottvs. to where they are rewarded for their qualifications by
Burke decisions by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, higherpayandbenefits.
whichruledthatregardlessof setting,allpreschool-age
childreninpubliclyfundedpreschoolsshouldbetaught HeadStartTeacherUpgrades
byacertifiedteacher. NewJerseylaunchedaprojecttoen-
surethatallpreschoolteachershadabothabachelor'sde- ThenationalHeadStartprogramhasinrecentyearsfo-
greeinearlyeducationandteachercertificationby2004. cusedonenhancingteacherqualificationsinaneffortto
Because a large percentage of New Jersey’s publicly increasetheschoolreadinessofitstargetgroup,children
fundedpreschoolprogramswereoperatedinprivatechild inpoverty. The1998HeadStartActmandatedthat50
caresettingsandHeadStartprograms,wheremostteach- percentofallHeadStartteachersnationwidehaveamin-
ersdidnothaveeitherafour-yeardegreeorateachingcre- imumofanassociatedegreeinearlychildhoodeducation
dential, the task confronting the Abbott districts was orarelatedfieldbySeptember30,2003.
monumental.Atthetimeofthecourtdecisionin2000,82 AccordingtoareportfromtheGeneralAccountingOf-
percent of the teachers were in Head Start and private fice,HeadStartmetthemandate,with52percentofteach-
preschoolsandchildcareprograms,andonly15percentof ersachievingthegoal. HeadStartgranteeshadreceived
themmetthequalificationrequirements. Furthermore, additionalfundingtohelpteachersmeetthegoalset,and
theyhadonlyfouryearstocomplywiththecourtman- weresupportedbyqualityimprovementcentersandtech-
dateforover1,600teachers. nicalassistance. HeadStartofficialssupporton-sitetech-
Due to the pressures and supports mandated by the nical assistance and mentoring to ensure that new
NewJerseySupremeCourt,about90percentoftheteach- knowledgeinintegratedintoclassroompractice.
ersintheAbbottdistrictsattainedtheirBAandwereat Thisyearfederallegislationisunderconsiderationthat
leastprovisionallycertifiedby2004.Anunintendedcon- wouldsetahighergoalfor2013: 50percentof center-
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QualityMatters:APolicyBriefSeries
onEarlyCareandEducation
basedHeadStartteachersineachstatewouldneedtohave linksqualifiedteachers/providerstohighqualitypro-
abachelor’sdegreeinearlychildhoodeducation(orare- gramsandpositivechildoutcomes.
latedarea). •Most children do not have well-qualified teachers:
The Head Start experience demonstrates a national Mostchildrenages0-5areservedinprivatechildcare
recognitionthatteacherqualificationsareessentialtopro- settings, where teacher/provider qualifications and
gram quality and school readiness,and that mandates, compensationarelowest. Ifteacherqualificationsare
withresources,canquicklyupgradethequalificationsof akeyingredientforearlylearningandschoolreadi-
earlychildhoodteachers. ness,specialattentionmustbepaidtochildcare.
•Teacher education requirements: Teacher require-
mentsmaybethekeytoassuringearlylearningexpe-
PossiblePublicPolicyFocusforWisconsin riencesthatpreparechildrenforschool.
•Qualificationsarelinkedtocompensation:Increased
Failuretoaddressthequalificationsofourearlycareand educationmayneedtobelinkedtohighercompensa-
educationteachersisalostopportunitytoeventheplay- tionif qualifiedteachersaretobeavailableandre-
ingfieldforWisconsin’schildren,regardlessofeconomic tained across early childhood settings, since more
status. In recent testimony before the Joint Economic qualifiedteachersmovetowherehighersalariesare
Committee in Washington, Nobel Laureate economist paid.Privatechildcareandpreschoolsettingscan,in
JamesHeckmanconcludedfromhisresearchthatinvest- effect,becometheminorleaguesforpublicschools--
inginearlyeducationfordisadvantagedchildrenisahigh- onceteachersincreasetheireducationalqualifications,
returninvestmentthatpromotessuccessinschool,reduces theyleaveforhighersalariesandbenefits.
crime, promotes workforce productivity, and reduces
teenagepregnancy. Iftheeducationallevelandexpertiseofteachersisakey
Likeotherstatesacrossthecountry,Wisconsinhasex- toquality,Wisconsinofficialsandadvocatesshouldcon-
ploredwaystoensurehigh-qualityearlylearningforallits sidertheseoptions:
children,oftenwithaparticularfocusonthosemostat
riskofschoolfailure. Thisreporthaspointedtoseveral 1. RaisingRegulatoryRequirements: Wisconsincould
factorsthatmayneedtobeconsideredinanyeffectiveap- takealookatregulatoryrequirementsacrosstheearly
proachtoassuringthatpreschoolchildrenhavequalified careandeducationlandscape,andconsiderwhereed-
teachers: ucationalqualificationscouldbeincreased. Thismay
•Research evidence: The research evidence strongly beeasiertoaccomplishinprogramsthatarepublicly
operatedorfunded(likepublicschoolsorHeadStart)
thanintheprivatesectorchildcarearena,whereregu-
lations are not usually linked to financial resources.
However,graduallyraisingeducationrequirementsin
childcarelicensingstandardsmaybefeasible.
Anotherapproachtoraisingrequirementsfor
childcarewouldbetoestablishhigherstandardsat-
tachedtofunding. Wisconsinprovidesover$300mil-
lioninpaymenttoregulatedchildcareproviderswho
servelow-incomeworkingfamiliesthroughtheWis-
consinShareschildcaresubsidyprogram. Manystates
havelinkedhigherpaymentstohigherstaff qualifica-
tions and other quality indicators. Wisconsin could
considerhigherbaselinestaff educationrequirements
asafundingstandard. Itisparticularlyappealingto
focus on improving teacher quality for the children
fundedthroughWisconsinShares,sincechildrenfrom
low-incomefamiliesareathigherriskofschoolfailure.
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