Usma Mohamed, Ed.D., Council for Professional Recognition
Experts have highlighted research for many years that stresses how the most important part of education success relates to the quality of the teaching in the classroom. RAND reports that “When it comes to student performance on reading and math tests, teachers are estimated to have two to three times the effect of any other school factor, including services, facilities, and even leadership.” Quality teaching matters as much in early childhood education as it does in K-12 classrooms. In fact, the effort to better understand and support early childhood educators is growing.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) released research, in collaboration with The Education Trust, that looked at the responses, reactions, and recommendations from early childhood educators of color; the report examined the “structures, supports, and funding needed to support early childhood educators in increasing their educational qualifications, without deepening existing divisions along racial, geographic, socioeconomic, and linguistic lines.” The report, “Increasing Qualifications, Centering Equity: Experiences and Advice from Early Childhood Educators of Color,” includes participants’ initial reactions to the “prospect of earning a credential or degree; their reflections on their experiences; and their recommendations to policymakers on how to support this transition to increased qualifications for others.” The findings from the report stated that when policies change so that credentials and/or degrees become requirements, education systems have an obligation to support early childhood educators of color in tangible ways that respond to their expressed strengths and needs.
These supports include financial, workplace, higher education, and personal so that the leaders can maintain and grow workforce diversity. The need for research in this area continues to grow. This month the Council for Professional Recognition announced it had selected The Stanford Center on Early Childhood at Stanford University to conduct the most extensive and in-depth research project ever undertaken in the nearly 50-year history of the Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential™. The study will seek to understand the ways CDA has impacted the early childhood workforce. “Understanding the Impact of the Child Development Associate® Credential on Educator Outcomes” will also aim to identify opportunities to further bolster the effectiveness of the CDA credentialing process and support career pathways and trajectories for early educators.
The Council administers the CDA, the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE). To date, over 1 million CDA credentials have been issued around the world. The CDA is a key steppingstone on the path of career advancement in ECE and is based on a core set of competency standards that guide early childhood professionals toward becoming qualified educators of young children. Dr. Calvin E. Moore, Jr., CEO of the Council, says, “This announcement highlights the Council’s commitment to taking our research capabilities and insights to the next level. Research has always been at the forefront of our efforts, including through our CDA Holder Survey and the Reimagining the CDA Process Initiative. We’re proud the CDA continues to attract new interest, and this research will help us provide even more data and understanding at this critical time for early childhood education.” Dr. Moore says the Council’s Director of Psychometrics and Research, Dr. Richard S. Brown, led the intense review process for a research partner and will oversee the project and others as the Council’s research initiatives continue to expand.
Dr. Philip Fisher, Director of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, and Excellence in Learning Professor at the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University, says, “This study is a critical first step in evaluating the CDA that will yield important learnings to advance the Council for Professional Recognition’s ongoing evaluation and research efforts. Given CDA’s history and prevalence, our findings will be meaningful to both the Council for Professional Recognition and the entire early childhood sector. Our approach, grounded in centering participant voice, adeptly aligns with the Council’s values of listening, learning, and putting stakeholders first.”
Dr. Fisher and his team will use the Continuous Improvement Rapid Cycle Learning and Evaluation (CIRCLE) framework, a robust evaluation methodology. The framework will weave together multiple data sources (quantitative and open-ended response surveys, focus groups, and interviews) to not only quantify CDA impact but also capture the lived experiences of educators as they relate to CDA. The research will examine educators who’ve attained the CDA as well as those who have not. The Council estimates the research will take at least two years to complete.
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