Advocacy for Early Childhood through the Georgia Head Start Association

 

 

 Georgia Head Start Association

"What do we live for if not to make the world less difficult for each other?"—George Eliot

The Georgia Head Start Association advocates for children from birth to five years of age. The GHSA provides the families of these children with resources to aid their families in meeting their needs. The GHSA does not have unlimited income. Because of lack of funding, it is a federally funded program that can have a waiting list, shortened day hours, or not year-round (Mongeau, 2016). Lyndon B. Johnson began the Head Start Project in an effort to publically fund education services for children that were living in poverty. When he announced his program in 1964, he stated that

         His advocacy for children came from trying to break the poverty cycle that children were stuck in through no fault of their own. This program, though federally funded, has state branches. The Head Start Association supports positive environments for students to live, learn and thrive. They offer not only early learning centers but also health and family well-being services. By engaging and reaching the whole child and their family, Head Start aims to provide children with the readiness they need to be successful.

Preschool based origins that are publically funded were established to prepare students from low-income housing for kindergarten in the public school setting (Johnson et al., 2019). The Georgia Head Start Association (GHSA) is a non-profit branch of the National Head Start Association. The GHSA's mission is to partner with head start programs within Georgia and enhance their ability to provide children and families with quality services and allow children to receive early learning benefits. Georgia has 31 Head Start and Eary Head Start centers around the state. These locations allow birth through five-year-old children and their families that are low income to receive the benefits of their services. GHSA gives these families and children a "head start" to begin kindergarten with a strong foundation of learning.

The GHSA Mission and Vision Statements are:

"The Mission of the Georgia Head Start Association, a statewide, non-profit organization, is to enhance the capability of local Head Start programs to deliver quality comprehensive services to children and their families."

The Vision of GHSA is that "All Head Start programs will exceed the Head Start Performance Standards." (Georgia Head Start, n.d.)

 

 

 

 

 

                 

                                                            

 

                                                         

Image from Georgia Head Start Association

 

A Board of Directors governs the Georgia Head Start Association. These directors are ranked from executive officer to president. There are also two Vice Presidents, Secretary, Parliamentarian, Treasurer, and Historian, and each position has an assistant. A Region Representative also represents each region of Georgia. When a Georgia family participates in the Georgia Head Start Association, research shows they are 12% less likely to grow up and live in poverty and 29% less likely to receive public assistance as an adult. The GHSA allows children to receive the resources they need to be prepared for elementary school. The program also allows families a place for their children to go so they can go to work and provide for their families. The GHSA does more than educate children and provide them with a safe place to go during the day. The GHSA trains parents to conduct home visits and offers behavioral health treatment. The plethora of resources these families have through GHSA allows the families to be set up for success and eventually break their poverty cycle.

HEAD START'S ACCESSIBILITY AND REACH IN GEORGIA

ü Head Start served 19,907 children

ü Early Head Start funded to serve 4,429 children

ü 1,818 parents received job training

ü 56,994 home visits were conducted

ü 1,876 children received a behavioral health treatment plan

ü 375 Migrant Seasonal children served

ü 7,603 Head Start jobs

ü $236,460,419 in funding (excluding Migrant & Seasonal)

Data provided by: National Head Start Association

 

GHSA partners with national organizations as well as local school systems to educate parents on how to provide their children with a print-rich environment to foster a love for books and reading. This helps to promote kindergarten readiness among these children (Johnson et al., 2019). Together with the National Head Start Association, the GHSA provides an early education program m for children from at-risk backgrounds. This is determined through a Needs-Based Assessment given to the families. Once a family qualifies, they have access to all the resources the GHSA has to offer. Children who attend Head Start perform better cognitively and with social-emotional skills in a kindergarten than children who were at home with a guardian (Zhai et al., 2011). Green et al. (2014) stated that participation in the Head Start program correlated with fewer welfare visits while the child was in elementary school. These are just a few of the positive aspects of the Georgia Head Start Association.

 

Graphic obtained from Georgia Head Start Fact Sheet

The Georgia Head Start Association advocates for early childhood education and equality. By advocating, they bring awareness to the issue of poverty and inequity in the early childhood system. Through their association, they advocate for change to ensure children are given equal opportunities to be successful. The GHSA sets out to promote early educational development as well as monitor the whole child for physical and emotional development. They do this hand in hand with educating parents and providing a safe place for children to learn and play. When governing agencies work together to ensure equity and the health and well-being of children is a shared goal, real progress can be made to break poverty cycles and give children the tools they need to be successful, thriving adults.

References

Facts & Figures. Facts and Figures | Georgia Head Start Association. (n.d.). http://georgiaheadstart.org/about/facts-and-figures/.

Georgia Head Start Association (GHSA). (n.d.). http://www.decal.ga.gov/HeadStart/GHSA.aspx.

Green, B. l., Ayoub, C., Bartlett, J. D., Ende, A. V., Furrer, C. J. (2014). The effect of Early Head Start on child welfare system involvement: A first look at longitudinal child maltreatment outcomes. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.044

Johnson, A. D., Finch, J. E., & Phillips, D. A. (2019). Associations between publicly funded preschool and low-income children's kindergarten readiness: The moderating role of child temperament. Developmental Psychology, 55(3), 623–636. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000651

Mongeau. (2016, August 9). Is Head Start a failure? The Hechinger Report. https://hechingerreport.org/is-head-start-a-failure/

Office of Head Start. (2020, June 23). Administration of Children and Families. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs/about

Zai, F., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Waldfogel, J. (2011). Head Start and urban children's readiness: A birth cohort study in 18 cities. Developing Psychology, 47(1), 134152. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020784

 

 

 

Reflection of Blended Classroom Course

 

When planning to develop my blended course, I’m at some challenges and some triumphs. The triumph was a feeling of accomplishment and trying new things. My students loved having the power to go home yeah and preview or work on upcoming lessons. They came in feeling like they already knew what we were going to do for the day, which gave them a quote leg up. It was exciting for me when they would come in ready to learn and prepared to ask and answer questions. This was especially helpful for the students that always ask, “what are we going to do today?” or “what’s next?”. I never thought of how it gave children the power of knowing what would be occurring the next day. This seemed to help their self-esteem.

This course also came with its challenges. I had some parents who were not happy with the “extra schoolwork” since they were in school all day. Coming out of a pandemic and one hundred percent virtual learning,  parents were not wanting to “be the teacher” at night and wanted their children off of the computers since they have had too much screentime in the last year. I quickly realized I needed to compose a letter with my reasoning and let them know why we were doing a quote flipped classroom. When I wrote an explanation letter about what I wanted them to do at night, I did not include the “why”. Once I let the parents know why I was doing what I was doing and some research behind it, they were OK with it. Some students did have extracurriculars that impeded, so I try to do as much as I could where it would fall on a Tuesday night because, in my district, Wednesdays are 100% virtual. Students are to work on uncompleted work or be pulled into small virtual groups by their teachers.

I would like to implement this next year as well. I would make sure to state my reasoning to parents, to begin with, and not make them think I am making them be the teachers. Because of the pandemic, students can navigate the technology well. Next year, I will make sure that the computer lab teacher goes over using specific digital tools before I implement them in a flipped classroom environment. Depending on the age of the students, I feel there was more that could be done. As a second-grade teacher, I think a lot of my job is to scaffold student knowledge regarding the use of technology and cooperative learning. Students need to learn how to work together. Students also need to learn how to navigate technology independently. This is not something that happens quickly and takes practice.

Using Technology for Authentic Assessments

 

Using Technology for Authentic Assessments

            When students engage in real-world tasks and apply their knowledge and skills to show their learning, authentic assessment occurs. Teachers must be able to evaluate if a student can apply their new knowledge in different contexts (Assessing Authentically, n.d.). Technology is essential when students engage in these tasks in order to gain the skills needed to be successful in the 21^st century workforce. E-portfolios allow students to digitally organize and archive their learning over a period of time (Basken, 2008). E-portfolios can cultivate motivation and engagement from students who are given a choice about what artifacts they want to include in their e-portfolio (Tosh et al., 2005).

Reflection with E-portfolios

When students reflect on the creation of their E-portfolio, they are able to see their learning as a process that builds (Bass and Eynon, 2009). When students reflect on their learning through the use of an e-portfolio, they are able to see their progress and take steps to improve in the future. Self-reflection is important for students and teachers to practice to continue to grow and learn. 

Eportfolio and Accessibility

            E-portfolios must be easily accessible for students to ensure they are able to add and organize their artifacts. Teachers must take the time to show students how to use, access, and manipulate their e-portfolio. This scaffolding allows students to be independent when adding, deleting, and organizing their artifacts. When students perceive they have choices in their learning, they take ownership of their learning (Kreber et al., 2014).  Eportfolios allow students to make connections and show their learning outside the classroom walls. 

All About Me

 

Welcome to The Controlled Chaos Classroom

This blog is used to organize my college classes, and to hopefully be informative to other teachers.

My goal is to work to educate other teachers through coaching and mentoring. 

I spend most of my time working on ways to make my class more fun and exciting for my second graders and chauffeuring my daughters back and forth to dance. 

I moved to Georgia after college to begin my teaching career.  I have been teaching in the public school system for the past 18 years. I graduated from the Jacksonville State University in Alabama with my undergraduate degree and my Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education.  I also attended Piedmont College where I earned my Educational Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction.  I taught the first 13 years of my career in Paulding County where I taught 1st grade for 6 years, the Early Intervention Program (EIP) for a year and 6 years teaching Kindergarten.

I have been married for 16 years and have two daughters.  My oldest daughter will be sophomore and my youngest will be in 8th grade..

Module 7 Refelction

 

What kind of BYOD resources are available to your population?

In my classroom, I have students who are able to bring devices in order to accommodate a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) day. This allows me to plan for instruction and check out the devices for students who may not have access at home. My school offers two laptop carts and an iPad cart that can be checked out using an electronic sign-out on OneNote. Having these devices available to students allows me to assign websites/apps such as Freckly, Zearn, and our Digital Library to students and know that they have access.

How could you make more devices accessible?

Devices have been distributed throughout my district to students who requested them. With the pandemic and mandated virtual learning, the district collected school devices and checked them out to students to use throughout the year. This ensured students had what they needed. Mobile hot spots were also given to families based on needs. This has made the ability to have any extra technology slim throughout the year, but students have had the ability to use these websites and apps at home.

How could you have students use smartphones to create, share, and/or gather data for this assessment?

Students can use Seesaw to complete assignments for grades. They can also participate in Kahoot through their smart device and play learning games. Students can use their knowledge of Seesaw to create, answer questions, and explain through recordings their understanding of content knowledge.  Microsoft Forms can also be used for assessments.

How useful is digital storytelling as an assessment strategy in a variety of contexts?

Digital storytelling is useful and allows students to creatively show what they know. This allows students' knowledge to shine through, even if they are lacking grammar skills or phonics in their writing. This tool is helpful for the outgoing child but also the shy child who does not want to present in front of a crowd.

Informational Writing Infographic and Infopic

 

Here are our reminders for writing our informational piece on life cycles.

Community of Inquiry Model

 

Culminating Views on Assessment

 Assessments are a tool that can measure many areas such as teacher effectiveness and student weaknesses or mastery. A teacher's ability to effectively create assessments to assess the standards, as well as the teacher's ability to use the information gleaned from the assessments, is crucial to the academic success of their students. 

Student Growth Portfolios

 Student Growth Portfolios

What are student growth portfolios/portfolios for student growth? What are the benefits and shortcomings of using them?

Student growth portfolios are used to keep artifacts to document performance throughout a school year. Students also use the portfolio to record goals for the school year. They are then able to use the portfolio as a way to track progress. Teachers can use the portfolio at parent-teacher conferences or for informal conferences with the student. The student can choose what artifacts they would like to go into the portfolio. This is a way to keep them actively involved in their learning and progress (McDonald, 2011). Portfolios are great in theory but do require a lot of work to stay up to date and relevant to student learning.

McDonald, E. (2011). Student portfolios as an assessment tool. https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald025.shtml.

The Use of Figures in Assessment

 

The Use of Figures

How do figures (tables, graphs, etc.) aid in the assessment process? Provide one figure in this blog section.

 

Tables, graphs, and figures allow the person analyzing the data to represent the data in a clear, visual way. The table above shows how the information from yearly standardized testing was formatted to show how the students at this school closed their learning gaps from the prior year. This pictorial representation allows the reader to quickly see the school's progress in each content area.

Georgia Department of Education. (2019). http://ccrpi.gadoe.org/Reports/Views/Shared/_Layout.html

Effort Grades

 

Effort Grades

What are effort grades? What is your stance on this topic?

Anxiety has an effect on how students perform on assessments (Steinmayr et al., 2016). When students are given a grade for their effort, they can see that they are being acknowledged for their work and how hard they are trying. Effort grades help students continue to be determined and work hard to learn their content. I believe that effort grades and content grades should be used in a classroom. These grades should be weighted differently; however, they are both important to student achievement.

Steinmayr, R., Crede, J., Mcelvany, N., & Wirthwein, l. (2016). Subjective well-being, test, anxiety, academic achievement: Testing for reciprocal effects.  Frontiers in Psychology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01994

Assessment

Assessment

What is your definition of assessment? How do you determine lesson objectives on which an assessment is based?

Saeed, et al. (2018) stated that assessments should guide instruction. Assessments are crucial when gauging student understanding of concepts. Assessments change throughout a student’s academic career. As a kindergarten teacher, most of my assessments were given one on one through conversation or by observations. Now, as a second-grade teacher, my assessment practices have changed. I still make notes on what I observe students doing, but now have a grade book to keep the student's scores.

When students take an assessment, the assessment is graded and analyzed by me. I then take notes on how each student performed and look for ways to group students for small group instruction based on their understanding of the material on the test. Differentiation and extension groups come from this analysis as well as the plan made to teach new content.

Learning objectives are created as statements that are specific and measurable and project the expected goal of a lesson, unit, or standard (Harvard, 2020). These learning objectives should drive instruction. In order for this to occur, the standard needs to be unpacked to understand what the learning expectation entails. Then, assessments can be created and lessons can be planned to ensure the learning objective is met.  

 

Harvard University. (2020). On learning goals and learning objectives. https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/learning-goals-and-learning-objectives

Saeed., M., Tahir, H., & Latif, I. (2018). Teachers' perceptions about the use of classroom assessment techniques in elementary and secondary schools. Bulletin of Education & Research, 40(1), 115-130.

Student Self-Assessment

 

Student Self-Assessment

What is student self-assessment? How should it be accomplished? What is your stance on student participation in developing assessments?

When students are asked to self-assess, they are give a chance to evaluate their work. This process is made easier with rubrics. Rubrics are a tool that lays out expectations and allows students to ensure they are meeting expectations. Rubrics are important in helpings students examine their work and see where their strengths and weaknesses lie (Brewer, 2019).

Brewer, E. (2019). The active role of students in a balanced assessment system. [Transcript of Audio File]. https://ace.instructure.com/courses/1751819/files/114911277?module_item_id=26533487&fd_cookie_set=1

Viewpoints and Information

 

Viewpoints and Information

What other viewpoints or information can you share on assessments (e.g., standardized testing, behavior assessment, parent-teacher conferences, assessment to improve instruction, etc.)?

Students should take part in their learning. This means they know what is expected of them. Students need to know the standards they are expected to learn and how they need to show they have learned the knowledge. Since moving from teaching kindergarten to second grade, I can see how each grade level gives students more responsibility. This year, I asked my students to do more than I ever would have asked of them when I taught them in kindergarten. This includes self-monitoring of behavior, testing, and extension. Parent-teacher conferences are an example of students have been given more control. In kindergarten, they had a little share time, and then I would take over to discuss expectations and answer any questions from the parent. This year, students were able to lead their own conferences through Zoom. The students know they would be leading the conferences, and we worked together to ensure the conference was planned out and structured (West, 2017).

West, K. L. (2017) Teacher Perceptions and Benefits of Student-Led Conferencing in Southern Central Illinois Elementary Schools [ProQuestLLC].

The Best Type of Assessment

The Best Type of Assessment

What type of assessment is best in your view: open-ended, selected-response, or performance?

It is imperative to use a variety of assessments while gauging student learning (Alvis, 2019). As an elementary teacher, I have found that formative assessments give me a way to check students learning while teaching a unit quickly. This allows time to change my instructional plan, if needed, to ensure all students are learning the information that is being taught. These formative assessments are usually selected-response or short answers. I like to use summative assessments with a mixture of selected-response, short answer, and open-ended questions or assign a performance task for the end of a unit. To best assess students, a variety of assessments must be used. This balance of assessments allows for an accurate picture of the whole student and their knowledge.

Alvis, A. V. Predictors of elementary-aged students’ writing fluency growth in response to feedback writing intervention. [Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University]. Open Access.