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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240604T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240604T163000
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SUMMARY:The "Sturdy Bridge": Ensuring a Seamless Transition to Kindergarten
DESCRIPTION:In this Kindergarten Matters session\, Paula Grubbs\, Ph.D.\, from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute\, UNC Chapel Hill served as moderator\, leading panelists through the conversation while sharing insights from her work as lead of the Kindergarten Sturdy Bridge Learning Community. \nAttendees first heard from Stacy Ehrlich Loewe\, Ph.D. with NORC at the University of Chicago who served as Principal Research Scientist & Project Director on the Head Start to Kindergarten Transitions Project. The project\, Loewe explained\, was created to determine the best ways to achieve effective transitions from Head Start to kindergarten. Through their research\, the program team developed a “four P’s” framework — policies\, perspective\, professional supports and practices — which is important for successful transitions. \nFollowing Loewe’s dissection of the research\, attendees then heard from on-the-ground experts who shared their experiences supporting smooth transitions into kindergarten. Olivia Christensen\, Ph.D.\, with the Minnesota Department of Education began by discussing the department’s shift from traditional “readiness” terminology toward a more inclusive concept known as the “Successful Learner Equation.” Christensen explained that the department has engaged with schools\, community partners and families to promote this new messaging\, and has uncovered the need for collective collaboration across different entities to create supportive environments for children entering kindergarten. \nChristensen closed\, “We’re using the successful learner equation to really dedicate time and space to listen to our partners\, to pay attention to the field\, then to reflect back on how the state can be more ready to identify where we can provide support\, make improvements and seek collaboration with other entities.” \nAttendees also heard from Janice Kilburn\, Ph.D.\, with South Carolina First Steps who stressed the significance of kindergarten transition\, reflecting on the lasting impact it holds for students. Kilburn highlighted the emotional and biological aspects of this milestone\, emphasizing the spike in cortisol levels and the symbolic nature of starting school. She also discussed South Carolina First Steps’ dedication to smoother transitions for all students\, particularly for at-risk early school children\, through its “Countdown to Kindergarten program.” The program\, Kilburn explained\, involves personal home visits by future kindergarten teachers\, helping to ease the transition by establishing strong relationships from the beginning. \n“If we can concentrate on children and families\, especially those with challenges to school success\, and provide them with solid transition supports\, we’re going to experience success\,” Kilburn closed. \nSharonda Johnson from the South Carolina Department of Education also shared her perspective on the work happening within the state\, with special emphasis on the importance of foundational literacy and family engagement in children’s long-term academic success. As a Learning Engagement Coach\, Johnson underscored that children’s future success hinges on providing them with a robust educational foundation. She views early childhood educators as crucial “MVPs” in the process. Johnson also emphasized the importance of making families feel comfortable and welcomed in school environments\, even if it requires educators to adapt their approaches. She believes that when parents are equipped with the necessary tools and strategies\, they feel confident and capable of contributing to their child’s educational journey. \nJohnson closed by encouraging attendees to consider the family perspective\, “I think a lot of the time it’s not necessarily that they don’t want to help\, they just don’t know how or they don’t feel comfortable. Just being able to provide them with strategies can help them become a part of that conversation.” \nTo close\, attendees heard from Jessie Cuadra\, Psy.D.\, with Families In Schools who shared her experience as a former Family Engagement Manager for a Head Start Birth to Five grantee in Southern California. Drawing on experience from her previous and current role\, Cuadra shared the importance having reflective practices in planning and improving transition services for young learners\, highlighting the need to review the effectiveness of these services and their impact on children\, families and communities. She also discussed how vital it is to dig into personal narratives and peer support in fostering relationships between staff and families. Cuadra encouraged attendees to always link family engagement efforts to children’s learning outcomes\, ensuring that families understand the impact of their involvement on their child’s success. \nCuadra concluded\, “I encourage everyone to step into spaces where we can have these difficult\, authentic conversations to help us show up for our young learners and families.”
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/the-sturdy-bridge-ensuring-a-seamless-transition-to-kindergarten/
CATEGORIES:Past Event,Upcoming Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240611T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240611T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T150819
CREATED:20240522T184452Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240614T213753Z
UID:247568-1718109000-1718114400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Every Child Thrives: A Journey in Early Childhood Equity Strategies
DESCRIPTION:This session featured members of the “Every Child Thrives” collaborative in Dodge and Jefferson Counties\, Wisconsin. The panelists in the session formed the Early Childhood Equity Strategies Learning Collaborative in August 2023 and shared their progress and lessons learned in this work.     \nThe webinar began with Susan Olson and Kim Melcher from Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation (GWCHF)\, the backbone organization for “Every Child Thrives.” Olson and Melcher provided an overview of the structure of the collaborative and what led the team to invest in embedding equity strategies across specific early childhood programs.   \n\n“We believe that transforming community health requires more than check writing. It’s our role to serve as a catalyst — to inspire collaboration\, mobilize resources and encourage innovation that measurably contribute to the well-being of our community.” – Kim Melcher. GWCHF  \n\nCarol Quest and Abbigail Kuehn with the Watertown Department of Public Health discussed how their work has been influenced by joining the Early Childhood Equity Strategies Learning Collaborative. A review of birth records and maternal child health data revealed disparities for families of color\, particularly in the areas of prenatal health and supportive services after birth. This led the organization to change programs and approaches that directly address these factors.   \n\n“Our goals are to create a process for screening pregnant individuals for unmet social health needs\, establishing a process for connecting them with community-based resources\, and creating an agency process to close the loop when making referrals to ensure families are getting the resources they need. And if they aren’t\, what are the barriers and how can we help reduce those barriers?” – Abbigail Kuehn\, Watertown Department of Public Health  \n\nFollowing Quest and Kuehn\, Jessica Johnson with the Dodgeland School District shared that their strategies have included providing specific professional development for teachers\, having an emphasis on social-emotional based learning\, and building in a tiered system of supports for students. Other strategies emphasize reviewing ASQ Developmental Screening data and cultivating trust and partnerships between teachers and families prior to kindergarten entry.   \n\n“We know that kids who attend good early childhood education programs are much more likely to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. We’ve invested in the pyramid model in our preschool programs. The primary focus of the pyramid model is to support the social\, emotional and behavioral outcomes of young children aged birth to 5 by reducing the use of inappropriate discipline practices\, promoting family engagement\, using data for decision-making\, integrating early childhood and infant mental health and fostering inclusion. – Jessica Johnson\, Dodgeland School District  \n\nJenny Borst from the Watertown Unified School District concluded the session by discussing the ways the district is using a social-emotional framework called the pyramid model in classrooms to promote student well-being and inclusion\, and the data used to track correlations with reading outcomes.    \n\n“Taking a look at our equity strategy\, we feel very strongly about not only the pyramid model\, but specifically providing a coaching support for that classroom teacher.” – Jenny Borst\, Watertown Unified School District  
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/watertown-community-health-foundation-early-learning-collaborative-and-equity/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Parents,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240611T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240611T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T150819
CREATED:20240610T020340Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240625T023033Z
UID:247840-1718118000-1718123400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Innovative Approaches to Teacher Recruitment & Retention Across Rural & Diverse Regions
DESCRIPTION:During this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Betsy Mijares\, Ed.D.\, with the T.L.L. Temple Foundation moderated a conversation exploring innovative approaches that university and nonprofit leaders are applying in rural and urban areas to strengthen teacher recruitment and retention. Mijares began by sharing information about her rural east Texas foundation’s investments and partnerships related to teacher recruitment and retention. Examples include creating teacher pathways for high school students through a partnership with Texas A&M University and contributing to a “teacher incentive allotment” for financial incentives to recruit and retain teachers and encourage them to work in high-needs schools.  \nJason Judd\, Ed.D.\, from Educate Maine described his partnership with the Maine Department of Education to launch the Teach Maine Center\, designed to recruit\, retain\, diversify and elevate current and future teachers in Maine. Judd described various funding sources\, including from the state department of education\, a local foundation and a recently awarded congressional “earmark\,” that are helping to support the work. He shared that they spent six months traveling to every county in the state to host focus groups with teachers to understand and elevate their needs and interests. “We’ve had teacher leaders not only at every focus group\, dozens of them\, on weekends\, but also on our design team\, in consultant roles and leadership roles\, really going hand in hand with us planning this work moving forward.” While this initiative is still relatively new\, Judd outlined next steps including a report summarizing their focus groups\, pilots in two counties to recruit and retain teachers\, a “Be a Teacher” campaign and efforts to establish sustainable funding.  \nFlynn Ross\, Ed.D.\, with the University of Southern Maine described another innovative partnership in Maine focused on teacher recruitment through the creation of the Maine Teacher Residency. This partnership between the university and local school districts was launched in response to the demand to recruit high-quality teachers in a local high-poverty district\, and the university used this situation as an opportunity to create a residency program. Funded in part by existing district position funding\, the residency model offers the teacher candidates paid student internships\, mentor teachers\, tuition support for residents and advice on coursework to complete their professional certification. Ross shared how the university is accommodating students in this residency program: “We’ve moved all of our courses after school and/or online to accommodate full-time working students.” She also described how the university has created a statewide mentoring network to support mentor teachers in their coaching of teacher candidates.  \nNathan Sorber\, Ph.D.\, with West Virginia University described the university’s involvement in an innovative initiative\, Teachers Ascend\, to attract teachers to move and teach in West Virginia to respond to their teacher shortage challenges. Teachers Ascend builds off an earlier initiative\, Ascend West Virginia\, that found success in recruiting people working remotely during the pandemic to relocate to the state\, incentivized by a stipend and the opportunity to enjoy the state’s natural beauty and outdoor recreation. The initiative offers candidates tuition support and mentoring\, as well as a sense of community through a cohort of teachers going through this initiative together. As Sorber said\, they thought about\, “How could we create this space of\, say\, you’re not coming into the state alone\, that [instead] you could move in and be part of a network and part of a community?” They are piloting the program this spring with 10 teachers to be placed in two districts\, with the hope of creating a “proof of concept” to spread across the state.  \nFinally\, Audrey Rogers\, Ed.D.\, with Southern New Hampshire University\, discussed her university’s clinical apprenticeship model as well as a unique partnership with AmeriCorps. For the university’s early childhood and elementary licensure programs\, teacher candidates are funded to teach in the Manchester school district partly through Title I funds. For students pursuing a master’s degree in secondary education\, they are co-enrolled as AmeriCorps members and receive associated AmeriCorps training and financial support\, and they provide a commitment of service to the Manchester community and students. As Rogers said about students’ co-enrollment with AmeriCorps: “These students\, when they join this program\, it’s not just\, I’m going to go…into this program and student teach. They take on the identity of an AmeriCorps volunteer. They do AmeriCorps training. They become a part of the community and have joined something that’s really bigger than themselves.”  
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/innovative-approaches-to-teacher-recruitment-retention-across-rural-diverse-regions/
CATEGORIES:Past Event,Upcoming Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240618T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240618T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T150819
CREATED:20240520T220413Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T064148Z
UID:247549-1718722800-1718728200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Beyond Parent-Teacher Conferences: Partnerships That Maximize Student Learning
DESCRIPTION:CGLR has long advocated for productive parent-teacher partnerships and has hosted several webinars in recent years that revealed why “big bets” should be made on this strategy\, which has the potential to make more than the usual increments of change. When parents (or any primary caregiver for a student) build relational trust with their child’s teacher and come to see them as a colleague and a collaborator on the success and well-being of their children\, it can make a noticeable impact on student learning and development.  \nModerator and family engagement leader Gloria Corral of the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) introduced the session by engaging five state and national leaders in a discussion of what research from parent surveys has revealed about their various beliefs about schooling and learning. Cristina Gonzalez of Abriendo Puertas-Opening Doors\, Jessica Kelmon of GreatSchools.org\, Gina Martinez-Keddy of Parent Teacher Home Visits (PTHV)\, Shana McIver of Learning Heroes and Helen Westmoreland of the National PTA talked about the need for mindset changes across the board.  They discussed what makes parents feel welcomed and\, importantly\, recognized for their knowledge of and contributions to their children’s learning\, and what teachers need in terms of professional development to best partner with parents. Capturing this idea\, McIver emphasized the importance of trust in building relationships and the need for this to be part of the whole school’s approach to student learning:  \n“Like any relationship that we can think of\, the strongest are grounded in trust and teamwork. Same applies for parents and school-based leaders\, teams and educators. Family engagement strategies need to be anchored in student learning and student well-being. This is the work of everybody in the schoolhouse and school community. And so when [everybody is on board]\, schools are more likely to have authentic cultures of engagement where you see clear communication.” \nCorral then engaged with two district leaders who are training educators and cultivating partnerships between parents and teachers in their schools. Principal Katie Kriscunas of the Lakeview and Pajaro Middle Schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District in California and Nancy López of the Elk Grove Unified School District and trainer for PTHV discussed their “on-the-ground” work to educate teachers on what it takes to understand family context\, build trust and then work to engage with parents as partners in their children’s learning. Kriscunas shared how she is working to leverage her personal experience to change mindsets and facilitate a systemwide commitment to strong relationships with parents and families:  \n“In my experience as a teacher\, an assistant principal\, and an administrator\, I found that I’m capable of building those relationships one on one with families when I’m meeting with them. So then\, how do I bring that to go beyond the administration\, beyond the office staff\, beyond our counselors and really invest my time and energy in those systems and elevate student learning and student well-being as a key result of strong parent relationships?
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/bb-beyond-parent-teacher-conferences/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240625T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240625T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T150820
CREATED:20240518T093236Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240628T192027Z
UID:247507-1719327600-1719333000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Early Childhood Workforce:  Where and How Can AI Support?
DESCRIPTION:The early research on the use of generative AI tools…suggests that those children who are underperforming the most are gaining the most from access to this technology.– Isabelle Hau\, Stanford Accelerator for Learning\, Stanford University  \n\nIsabelle Hau of Stanford Accelerator for Learning\, Stanford University offered the quote above during our June 25\, 2024 GLR Learning Tuesdays session as panelists delved into the potential role of AI in supporting the early childhood education (ECE) workforce.   \nThe discussion opened with the recognition that the ECE workforce is experiencing significant challenges\, such as burnout and high turnover rates. AI is presented as a tool that can offer substantial support in this sector. Hau highlighted the early research indicating that generative AI has an “equalizer effect\,” suggesting that children who are underperforming can benefit significantly from access to this technology. Hau emphasized the importance of equitable access\, noting that AI tools must be accessible to all to avoid exacerbating existing inequities. \nAI presents various opportunities for the ECE workforce\, including personalized learning experiences and administrative support. Michelle Kang of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) discussed the potential of AI to assist in data management and lesson planning\, which can free up educators to focus more on direct interactions with children. Kang said\, “AI can provide the sketch but we as human beings have to provide the color. We can’t depend on AI to provide that complete picture. It is a tool to be able to help provide that picture.” However\, Kang and Celia Stokes of Teaching Strategies also cautioned against potential risks\, such as data privacy concerns and the need for AI tools to be inclusive and representative of diverse contexts. Highlighting both the promise and the digital divide challenge and emphasizing the need for equitable access to technology\, Kang stated\, “We really have to be thinking about proceeding with caution…not losing sight of equity in all of this.” \nEnsuring that AI is used effectively and equitably requires thoughtful implementation and ongoing support. Jay Lee stressed the importance of “investing in the technologies around AI to make the pathway into becoming a certified teacher more accessible and more inclusive.” This involves providing adequate training for educators to use AI tools effectively and ensuring that these tools are designed to support diverse learning environments. Lee emphasized the need for AI to aid in teacher recruitment and retention by making the profession more sustainable. \nAs the conversation shifted to talk about what this means for grassroots implementation\, Dana Clarkson shared practical examples of how AI is currently being integrated into classrooms. At Design39Campus\, AI is used to foster creativity and engagement among students. Clarkson described a project where AI tools helped students write and perform music lyrics\, integrating their interests with educational standards. This approach illustrates how AI can be a collaborative tool in the learning process\, helping to make education more engaging and personalized for students​. \nFor families\, there is an emerging conversation and recognition around how AI can be a powerful force for good. According to Keri Rodrigues of the National Parents Union\, 67% of American families believe that the potential benefits of AI outweigh the negatives. And the major reason why we’re seeing that is because one silver lining of the pandemic is parents being very involved in education and deeply concerned about whether their children were going to be adequately supported. There is “real interest in personalized learning and individualized attention and how parents can use data for good and for action. And so\, what AI does from their perspective is really open up the avenue [for this] and the idea that we can adapt learning materials to a student’s pace and learning style\, or create new content from practice problems and videos\, or just making sure that we’re providing data-informed insights. We have parents right now [who are hungry for] more information\, and\, even at the earliest ages\, want to make sure their child is on track so that they can intervene and take action around the things that they need to do to support.” And AI provides that opportunity. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/early-childhood-workforce-where-and-how-can-ai-support/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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