Watching for Evolutionary Patterns

Abstract

WATCHING the thousands of sandhill cranes that stop over as part of their annual migration triggers an appreciation for the impressive patterns that occur in nature. Year after year, these marvelous birds pause to rest and feed in the San Luis Valley--a high plains area near the mountain towns of Alamosa and Monte Vista, Colorado. The cranes pass through at the same time every year and rest in the same fields. They leave as regularly as they arrive. Patterns in education are not always so clear, but they do exist, as the following sampling of recently emerging trends in education policy demonstrates. PATTERNS OF EARLY learning ACTIVITY The enactment of a new law in South Dakota places it among an increasing number of states (15)--plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands--that now require students to attend at least half-day kindergarten. A longer established pattern now exists in 86% of states, which require districts to offer kindergarten. The South Dakota legislature acted quickly to pass a bill at Gov. Mike Round's request. According to Mimi Howard, early learning program director for the Education Commission of the States, this year, governors are taking a strong leadership role with regard to early learning. Howard's examination of stateof-the-state messages found some governors moving to expand and enhance the programming already in place, while others addressed new areas that need attention. In their 2006 state-of-the-state addresses or in budget proposals, 23 governors this year mentioned the importance of early childhood education and kindergarten: six governors called for greater access to full-day kindergarten or expanding access to kindergarten of any kind; three asked for universal prekindergarten; 10 called for increased funding and greater access to pre-K programs; and 10 asked for funds and services to increase quality across programs. Examples of gubernatorial leadership include Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell's Executive Order Number 13, which establishes the Governor's Early Childhood Research and Policy Council. Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich issued an executive order that creates the Maryland Child Care Subsidy Coordinating Council--a major purpose of which includes increasing low-income families' access to high-quality early care and education programs. With Executive Order No. 7 (2006), Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine put in place the Strong Start Council--a 17-member body that he will appoint--to help ensure that early childhood education in the state is sufficient to build a strong foundation for children's success. Declaring 2006 the Year of the Child, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson proposed expanding access to pre-K and doubling existing funding to $10 million in order to serve 3,000 4-year-olds (12%) statewide. In the final year of his first term, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen promised to increase funding by $20 million to expand the state voluntary pre-K program. This would pay for 5,400 additional 4-year-olds. WHAT EXPERT TEACHERS RECOMMEND The National Education Association and the Center for Teaching Quality (formerly the Southeast Center for Teaching Quality) produced Every Child Deserves Our Best Teachers, a report that synthesizes recommendations from North Carolina's National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) on how to support and staff high-needs schools. In addition to financial incentives, the North Carolina NBCTs recommend a comprehensive approach that takes into account the working conditions that are necessary to attract, promote, and sustain high-quality teaching in a school, including: 1) skillful administrators; 2) sufficient curriculum resources; 3) a high-quality, results-driven professional development program; and 4) the time for teachers to reflect collaboratively on student data and their own teaching practice. The specific examples these expert teachers offer are revealing: * Give NBCTs and other accomplished teachers in high-needs schools the flexibility to use research-based practices that go beyond scripted curricula. …