Connections and Resources

I made local and international connections which had an impact on me both personally and professionally.  The consequences of these connections were context, commonality, and collaboration.  Context - Connecting with colleagues and international professionals provides me with new perspective.  For example the UNICF site helped me understand that in many countries childhood is tragically disrupted by war, drought, and diseases.  In many U.S. cities, childhood is tragically disrupted by the consequences of short-sighted policies.  Now, I am more focused on consequences of policies that perpetuate inequities.  Commonality - Connecting with colleagues and international professionals helped me see the field has common themes across countries.  For example, culturally responsive pedagogy is an area of focus in TJ Skalski’s charter school for indigenous people, it is a concern for me and the African American students of Arlington school, and it is a concern for Bobbie as she works with Chinese children and families who have unfamiliar traditions.  Now, I think more globally.   Collaboration - Our field has many challenges, and we must form partnerships to solve them.  For example, I learned from the UNESCO website, 75 million children are excluded from education worldwide.  It is impossible to reduce this number without partnerships.  Now, I intend to focus on collaborative partnerships to resolve local challenges. 

As a result of this class, I have a new professional goal to stay connected internationally.  I can do this through UNESCO. I find UNESCO is a good resource for context, commonality, collaboration and potentially new colleagues.

UNESCO and Inclusive Education

I sent my contact another message this week.  My conversation partner is the principal of Mother Earth's Children's Charter School in Canada.  However, she did not reply.  Maybe she is busy with school starting.  As a result, I investigated the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) site and found interesting information on inclusion.

 “Inclusive education is based on the right of all learners to a quality education that meets basic learning needs and enriches lives. Focusing particularly on vulnerable and marginalized groups, it seeks to develop the full potential of every individual”  (UNESCO, 2011).   It is sad to discover 75 million children are excluded from education. According to the 2011 Global Monitoring Report, the primary reasons for exclusion are poverty, gender inequity, disability, child labor, speaking a minority language, belonging to an indigenous people, and living a nomadic or rural lifestyle (UNESCO, 2011).

For me, UNESCO has reaffirmed a new perspective during this course:  inclusive education is a human rights issue. As early childhood professionals, our challenge is to elevate our leadership and advocacy to promote inclusive and quality education as a human rights issue. To promote inclusion, UNESCO had 10 questions; however, I selected three questions that could be used when discussing inclusion with others.  UNESCO provides some thoughts to consider for each question.

1. Beyond the figures, what do we know about the excluded?

Being poor or marginalized are the major causes of exclusion

2. How do curricula need to change to improve learning and encourage the inclusion of all pupils?

Contrary to the traditional approach, curricula can foster tolerance and promote human rights. A culturally responsive curricula can challenge stereotypes.

3. Does inclusive quality education lead to more inclusive societies?

UNESCO promotes the concept that inclusion is “founded on values of democracy, tolerance and respect for difference.”  These values will carry on to adulthood and help create a more inclusive society.

In summary, consider discussing inclusive and quality education issues with family, friends, coworkers and politicians.  I found 80% of the people I talked to enjoy the conversation and hearing a passionate perspective on inclusion.  Even though 20% have been offended. I am comfortable with my track record.

Reference

United Nations Educational, Scientific,  and Cultural Organization. (2011).  Inclusive education. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/inclusive-education/

Harlem Gems - A Success Story

If you go to the Harlem Children’s Zone website http://www.hcz.org, you will discover that 100% of their pre-kindergartners were at grade level for the eighth consecutive year.  How many programs can claim this distinction?  The Harlem Gems program is successful because it is based on current research in child development and best practices.  It is not surprising; therefore, the curriculum is child-centered.  The program is based on the knowledge that children are naturally active learners regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status.  The role of the adult is to plan activities and facilitate learning based on the child’s interest. The Harlem Gems curriculum was designed in consultation from researchers, child development experts, and pediatricians.  Lead teachers have master’s degrees, assistant teachers have associate degrees, and every classroom has a Family Worker who looks at for the needs of parents.  Each day, the child uses language to choose and plan an activity, carriers out the plan, and solves problems that may arise.  The teacher helps the child review accomplishments and lessons learned.  Children must also spend 75 minutes per week using a software application called Lexia to develop phonemic awareness.  Teachers use the Brackin Basic Concept Scale to assess 258 concepts for school readiness and the Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum Assessment System to measure 50 areas of social/emotional, language, and physical development.  The Harlem Gems program clearly uses research and best practices to help all children succeed.  What may not be clear to outsiders is they also apply a lot of “love”.  I found a 2007 newsletter on the HCZ website, “Harlem Children’s Zone, A look Inside”, and I searched for how many times the word “love” was used.  “Love” was mentioned 19 times.     Harlem Gems program shows best practices, appling all resources necessary, and a lot of love go a long way to addressing the inequity that invariably exists in any society.