Reducing Achievement Gaps by 4th Grade: The PreK-3rd Approach in Action

A Webinar Series for 2012

Our next webinar:

Looking Inside Classrooms: Teacher Effectiveness

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

3-4:30 p.m. ET

Far too many young children are deprived of effective teaching—a critical foundation for children’s future academic success. In the early years and early grades, practitioners, policymakers, and parents need to broaden and enhance the understanding of what constitutes high quality teaching. Teaching practices must be associated with improved school experiences and outcomes for children, both academically and in the social-emotional domain. In this webinar we will explore the use of observational measures to assess and inform teacher effectiveness in a PreK-3rd grade context. Addressing a broad range of instructional practices and priorities, these measures examine how teachers create opportunities for children to interact with their physical environment, their peers, and their teachers in ways that promote intellectual engagement and provide a social-emotional foundation for learning. This webinar will provide examples from schools districts and individual schools that are using these observational tools in novel and effective ways to promote better teaching.

• Bridget Hamre, Associate Director, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia (moderator)
• Courtney Bell, Research Scientist, Educational Testing Service
• Lisa Guernsey, Director, Early Education Initiative, New America Foundation
• Gail Joseph, Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology and Early Childhood and Family Studies, University of Washington
• Jason Sachs, Director, Department of Early Childhood, Boston Public Schools

REGISTER HERE

See below for information about the full eight-session webinar series, including archived materials for completed webinars. Recordings and/or slides from each webinar will be available on this web site approximately 2 weeks after each live broadcast.

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A Webinar Series for 2012

At its core, the PreK-3rd approach promotes high-quality learning experiences for children from prekindergarten through third grade, with an emphasis on instruction and engagement. An aligned and high-quality system of learning across early childhood and elementary education is critical to establishing a strong foundation for life-long learning. Effective PreK-3rd practices are grounded in research about early development and learning, and engage families. There is now a substantial body of evidence that PreK-3rd practices have positive effects, especially for children who are at increased risk for poor school outcomes. There is growing belief that the PreK-3rd approach offers promise to reduce pervasive achievement gaps. Throughout the country increasing numbers of schools are integrating elements of PreK-3rd reforms into their practices.

Reducing Achievement Gaps by 4th Grade: The PreK-3rd Approach in Action is a series of eight webinars, each highlighting a critical component of the PreK-3rd approach. The series will launch with an overview of the rationale for the PreK-3rd approach and how its core elements address the pressing problems of achievement gaps and low quality educational opportunities. Subsequent webinars will employ this lens to focus on leadership, family engagement, standards and curriculum, teacher effectiveness, child assessment, and state and district policy.

The webinars will present the research that supports and defines effective PreK-3rd strategies and highlight innovative practices within early childhood and elementary education systems, schools, and classrooms. Educators from across the country will describe novel approaches to PreK-3rd reform, including how they overcame implementation and policy-related challenges. The webinars are designed to be helpful to a wide audience. Leaders and educators in school districts, communities, and states will benefit. Individuals working in policy, practice, advocacy, and research will learn about the PreK-3rd approach’s potential to reduce achievement gaps and improve long-term educational outcomes for all children.

Progress and Possibilities: The PreK-3rd Approach (Archived video)

February 29, 2012

3-4:30 p.m. ET

PreK-3rd reforms—which promote high-quality learning experiences for children from prekindergarten through third grade with an emphasis on high quality instruction and engagement in learning—are being championed by increasing numbers of policymakers and practitioners. PreK-3rd, however, is more than just a catchy name or a new label for “business as usual.” In this webinar, we will provide an overview of the rationale for the PreK-3rd approach and how the core elements address the pressing problems of achievement gaps and low quality education opportunities. Panelists will define what differentiates PreK-3rd reforms from other early childhood initiatives and highlight the changes needed in both the early care and education sector and in the early elementary grades (kindergarten through third grade) to successfully develop and implement a high-quality and aligned early education system.

Panelists:

• Kristie Kauerz, Program Director, PreK-3rd Education, University of Washington and Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Thomas Schultz, Project Director for Early Childhood Initiatives, Council of Chief State School Officers
• Tonja Rucker, Principal Associate, Early Childhood, The National League of Cities
• Sharon Ritchie, Director, FirstSchool, and Senior Scientist, FPG Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

School Administrators: PreK-3rd Instructional Leaders (Presentation slides and video file)

(To download the video, right click to save, then open file from your download folder; you may need a GoToMeeting codec file available here.)

April 11, 2012

3-4:30 p.m. ET

Superintendents and elementary school principals are uniquely positioned to play a critical leadership role in improving educational opportunities from prekindergarten through the early grades. Studies show that instruction in elementary schools is often of low quality and inconsistent, contributing to achievement gaps that last throughout adulthood. Further, studies show there are few if any meaningful linkages between elementary schools and early learning programs. School leaders have the responsibility to change this, but doing so is not without its challenges, especially when administrators have not been given the tools to provide better support for early learning and the early grades. In this webinar, we will share strategies for providing superintendents and principals with the support they need to ensure a high quality experience for children from prekindergarten through third grade.

Panelists:

• Vincent Costanza, Education Program Development Specialist, Division of Early Childhood Education,
  
  NJ Department of Education
• Cynthia Rice, Senior Policy Analyst, Advocates for the Children of New Jersey
• Sharon Ritchie, Director, FirstSchool, and Senior Scientist, FPG Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• John Welsh, Principal, Naval Avenue Early Learning Center, Bremerton School District, Washington

Allies Not Foes: School-Family Partnerships (Presentation slides and video file)

(To download the video, right click to save, then open file from your download folder; you may need a GoToMeeting codec file available here.)

May 16, 2012

3-4:30 p.m. ET

Families can play a critical role in closing achievement gaps, but schools often underestimate what it takes to create meaningful partnerships with a wide range of families to improve children’s academic, social, and emotional progress. Research—and common sense—tell us that to engage families in their children’s learning, educators should be partnering with families as early as possible and sustaining that involvement beyond the first few days or years of school. But too often, parents see schools as less than welcoming, while educators may see parents as barriers instead of bridges to greater achievement for their children. In this webinar, we will outline the real work involved in building strong home-school partnerships. This involves establishing positive relationships with parents and providing educators with new opportunities to identify family goals, beliefs and aspirations, and home practices. It also means helping educators to improve their ability to provide families with knowledge about what happens in schools and classrooms and the reasoning behind it.

Panelists:

• Chris Maxwell, Director, New Schools Project at Erikson Institute (moderator)
• Christine Patton, Senior Research Analyst, Harvard Family Research Project
• Mimi Howard, Fellow, Office of Head Start
• Julie Wood, Former Implementation Administrator at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for "Three to Third" in the Boston Public Schools
• Mary Ellen Burns, Vice President of Partner Relations, United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County

Not So Simple: Standards and Their Implementation (Presentation slides)

June 20, 2012

3-4:30 p.m. ET

Too often, standards are seen as simple answers to complex questions surrounding achievement gaps. Early learning standards and the Common Core State Standards can be launching points for the implementation of high quality curricula, prekindergarten through third grade. Rather than prescribed outlines of what, when, and how to teach, standards are best viewed as tools for constructing high quality teaching and learning experiences that address the needs of all students, especially those at risk for poor school outcomes. Effective standards promote balanced teaching for learning across content and developmental domains, and contribute to enduring academic, intellectual, and social-emotional outcomes. Engaging educators and families in understanding, aligning, and implementing standards supports professional learning, school quality, and school-family partnerships. Educational leaders and teachers must have the knowledge, skills, and support to use these tools in intentional ways to plan and implement instruction that is content-rich, informed by developmental science, and responsive to the young children they serve. This webinar will highlight local initiatives to implement aligned standards and discuss what state policy changes would help school districts and their community partners understand and implement aligned standards.

This webinar is co-hosted by the PreK-3rd Grade National Work Group, the Chief State School Officers Implementing the Common Core System (ICCS) project, and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.

Panelists:

• Sue Pimentel, Lead Writer of ELA Common Core Standards and Founding Partner of Student Achievement Partners
• Jeanne Reid, Ed.D., Research Scientist, National Center for Children and Families, Teacher's College at Columbia University
• Sophia Pappas, Executive Director and Jennifer Rosenbaum, Director of Instruction and Performance, Office of Early Childhood Education, NYC Dept. of Education
• Susan Choplin, Kindergarten Teacher, Forsyth County Schools, NC and NC Dept of Public Instruction Power of K Teacher Leader
• Albert Wat, Senior Policy Analyst, National Governors Association

Curricula: What, How and Why (Presentation slides)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

3-4:30 p.m. ET

Curricula that support learning and development across the PreK-3^rd grade continuum build on children’s competencies and desire to learn; develop the whole child; strengthen self-efficacy, identity, and independence; encourage peer interaction; balance and integrate content; prioritize oral and written expression; and build higher order thinking.  Amongst all this, curricula must address and align with states' standards and the Common Core Standards.  Often the first question is, “what curricula should we buy?”  Given the complexities, there are more essential questions to ask: “How can early childhood programs and schools work together to choose curricula to support high quality, coordinated PreK-3rd grade efforts?”  “What are criteria for good curricula that span these ages?” “Are there ways to simplify and streamline curricula use?"  This webinar will address these questions, exploring how curricula can be explored, selected, refined, and used in developmentally responsive ways to promote high quality teaching and learning, from preschool through 3rd grade.

Looking Inside Classrooms: Teacher Effectiveness

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

3-4:30 p.m. ET

Far too many young children are deprived of effective teaching—a critical foundation for children’s future academic success. In the early years and early grades, practitioners, policymakers, and parents need to broaden and enhance the understanding of what constitutes high quality teaching. Teaching practices must be associated with improved school experiences and outcomes for children, both academically and in the social-emotional domain. In this webinar we will explore the use of observational measures to assess and inform teacher effectiveness in a PreK-3rd grade context. Addressing a broad range of instructional practices and priorities, these measures examine how teachers create opportunities for children to interact with their physical environment, their peers, and their teachers in ways that promote intellectual engagement and provide a social-emotional foundation for learning. This webinar will provide examples from schools districts and individual schools that are using these observational tools in novel and effective ways to promote better teaching.

Panelists:

• Bridget Hamre, Associate Director, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia (moderator)
• Courtney Bell, Research Scientist, Educational Testing Service
• Lisa Guernsey, Director, Early Education Initiative, New America Foundation
• Gail Joseph, Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology and Early Childhood and Family Studies, University of Washington
• Jason Sachs, Director, Department of Early Childhood, Boston Public Schools

Registration is now open.

Using Data to Inform and Improve Instruction: Child Assessment

December 5, 2012

3-4:30 p.m. ET

A PreK-3rd approach focuses on investments in high quality learning opportunities that span the early childhood and early elementary grades to provide an enduring foundation for children's long-term learning and educational success. Many local schools and districts are thinking about comprehensive and appropriate ways to assess and provide evidence for children's learning across the PreK-3rd grade span. In this webinar we explore assessment strategies that support effective teaching and child progress in traditional and innovative ways. Presenters will share information about current school-based efforts to measure children’s progress across key developmental domains (physical, social emotional, language, cognitive) and academic content areas (literacy, mathematics, science), and using assessment results to improve instruction and professional development (for teachers, administrators, and parents). This webinar will examine exemplary tools for assessing children from birth through age 8, and will also feature best practices from schools and districts that have successfully implemented comprehensive assessment systems.

Registration not yet open.

Scale and Sustainability: Implications for State and District Policy

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

3-4:30 p.m. ET

By definition, the PreK-3rd approach requires bringing together disparate systems across multiple sectors. Creating an aligned educational experience for children from prekindergarten through third grade involves building a collaborative infrastructure that includes school districts, local and state government agencies, and community-based organizations. New administrative structures that govern and fund PreK-3rd work often must be established (at both state and local levels) and their roles and responsibilities coordinated to support meaningful and sustainable implementation. In this webinar we will examine strategies to integrate and align federal, state, and local policies, regulations, and funding to create a coherent system of learning from prekindergarten through third grade.

Registration not yet open.

These webinars are hosted by the PreK-3rd National Work Group, a consortium of organizations committed to closing achievement gaps through aligned, high-quality education throughout children's formative years, including pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, second and third grades.

Thanks to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their support of the technology that makes this webinar series possible.