framework for guiding curriculum and pedagogy in all early childhood settings. In this article, several core members of the Charles Sturt University-led Consortium contracted to develop and trial the EYLF outline the political and policy context that has shaped its development; the intent and approach of the Consortium; and some of the many 'decision points and dilemmas' (Westbury, 2007) they encountered. The article concludes with reflections on lessons learned and implications for early childhood curriculum development.
When teachers and principals share leadership in a school, both the adults and students win. Teachers have an increased sense of collective responsibility and, as a result, an increased sense of professionalism. That's the lesson from our five-year study of five middle and high schools where teacher groups moved from voluntary to compulsory schoolwide professional learning communities. From 2004 to 2009, we studied seven teacher groups as they transitioned from voluntary to compulsory schoolwide PLC structures and processes. The choices that leaders made to create these PLCs made a difference in outcomes (Talbert in press). In this article, the experience of Silver Valley Middle School (pseudonym) illustrates three important features of distributed leadership that help create an environment characterized by ongoing professional learning. The 300-student middle school in the Pacific Northwest has an enrollment that is mostly white, and about 55% qualify for free-or reduced-price lunch. Students do not have access to advanced coursework, and only 5% of the district's students go past 10th-grade mathematics. For two consecutive years, Silver Valley Middle School received the State Superintendent's Award as a School of Distinction. Only schools exceeding the state average performance on the state test in reading and math during the preceding six-year period receive the award, and Silver Valley was one of only three middle schools in the state to receive the award two years in a row (2007 and 2008).
BackgroundChildren who experience neglect and abuse are likely to have impaired brain development and entrenched learning deficiencies. Early years interventions such as intensive education and care for these children are known to have the potential to increase their human capital. The Early Years Education Program (EYEP) is a new program offered by the Children’s Protection Society (CPS) in Melbourne, Australia. EYEP is targeted at the needs of children who have been or are at risk of being abused or neglected. It has the dual focus of seeking to address the consequences of abuse and neglect on children’s brain development and redressing their learning deficiencies. Our objective is to determine whether EYEP can improve school readiness by conducting a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of its impacts.Methods/DesignThe RCT is being conducted with 90 participants (45 intervention and 45 control). Eligible children must be aged under three years and assessed as having two or more risk factors as defined in the Department of Human Services Best Interest Case Practice Model. The intervention group participate for three years (or until school entry) in EYEP. The trial does not provide any early years education or care to the control group. Data are being collected on outcome measures for participants in EYEP and the control group at the baseline, at yearly intervals for three years, and six months after commencing the first year of school. Outcome measures encompass children’s health and development, academic ability and emotional and behavioural regulation; and quality of parenting practices. The study will evaluate the impact of EYEP on these outcomes, and undertake a benefit-cost analysis of the program.DiscussionFindings from the study have the potential to influence the quality of care and education for the large population of children in Australia who are at risk of abuse and neglect, as well as for children in mainstream childcare. The study will provide up-to-date evidence on the impact of an early years intervention relevant to an urban population in Australia; as well as (to our knowledge) being the first RCT of an early years education and care intervention in Australia.Trial registrationACTRN 12611000768998. Date 22nd July 2011.
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