Voice from the Field
Lest We Forget the Littlest Learners…
Barbara A. Chester, Principal, David Douglas School District , Portland, Oregon, and President, National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Board of Directors — Friday, May 13, 2011
The age of accountability is in full bloom, and the success or failure of K-12 public schools everywhere is often established by a single assessment score or graduation rate. Educators are continually working to seek ways to support both the professional development of teachers as well as the implementation of strategies to support student learners. Meanwhile, the era of slashing budgets is an ongoing story across the country. The reality of growing deficits, larger classrooms, and limited resources—all with unchanging expectations—wreaks havoc in many schools and districts.
But it occurs to me that in the midst of our mad rush toward attaining budget-limiting, data-driven academic success, a couple of pieces are missing from the puzzle. First, the success or failure of an educated society rests on the shoulders of everyone within that society, not just the individuals who have chosen K-12 education as a profession. Second, the strength of a house is only as strong as the foundation on which it stands. So how do these pieces relate to the continual success of students in K-12 public schools and beyond?
Let’s start with the foundation… those early learners who traditionally come to public school at the age of 5. We often assume that all children come to school with the same basic set of skills, such as knowing and recognizing their name, counting or recognizing colors and letters, and interacting socially on a basic level. The reality, however, is that many children—our littlest learners—come to kindergarten ill-prepared for the high expectations or even basic concepts that a standard curriculum and school system expects. Let me be clear: There are many very successful preschool programs and highly engaged parents who provide their children this greatly needed foundation. But the truth of the matter is that wide discrepancies exist. Some families are unable to access any type of preschool program or for personal reasons, such as language, are unable to provide such support within their own home. So by the time children reach age 5, the playing field of kindergarten is terribly uneven. While some states have or are beginning to provide some type of appropriate preschool for all students, the foundation for all of our earliest learners continues to be sadly unequal.
Now let’s talk about the responsibility to develop that foundation. Where does it lie, and why should it include more than traditional service providers? If, in fact, it IS the responsibility of all members of a society to engage in activities that will ensure an educated populous, what can we do to make sure this occurs?
From the education viewpoint, actions are being taken to build a bridge from elementary school to early childhood providers and the families they serve. The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the NAESP Foundation have been working to focus our work in key areas. Working with federal legislators, we have sought to bring the critical need of funding for principal professional development to the forefront in terms of learning about early childhood learners. Their needs are substantially different than those of our established students. We, as principals, need to be able to know and understand this area of developmental learning and build bridges with current and future providers to ensure that there is a seamless transition from preschool to the primary grades. But in this era of high-stakes accountability and short funds, principal professional development in any area is often one of the first areas cut from budgets. Advocating for professional development for principals related to early childhood education is a particularly challenging endeavor, but it is one we are committed to making happen. Additionally, the NAESP Foundation recently completed work with a blue-ribbon Early Childhood Task Force to identify key standards for these programs. Ensuring that all children have an equal opportunity to learn and grow from their earliest ages is of paramount importance to their lifelong success. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has brought two federal agencies (the departments of Education and Health and Human Services) together to begin to have conversations across previous boundaries that relate to the needs of early learners. NAEYC has brought the needs of early learners to the forefront as they work to add their support. These aforementioned efforts are a small step in the right direction to help all children learn, but they are only a few in a vast arena.
But outside of education, our littlest learners also need the focus and support of all members of our society. We cannot afford to allow some children the luxury of starting school “pockets brimming with life experiences” and other children attempting to access an extraordinarily uneven playing field. In every state, in every city, town, and community, it is the responsibility of every individual to seek ways to ensure that all children have equal access to learning opportunities, to the richness of play, and to the development of appropriate social skills. While foundations and organizations abound to reach out to some groups, the gap continues to widen for many others. The simple random act of kindness to reach out to just one child and one family and to share the time, talents, and knowledge that all adults possess would make an extraordinary difference in the lives of every early learner. And with such actions, the foundation of an educated society begins to strengthen, and the load is shared by all— educators, businesses, legislators, and community members of all ages.
The question is not where individual children might attend school, but if, when they enter the front door of their neighborhood school, they are off to the best start possible. When that strong foundation is in place, we can be confident that we have launched our littlest learners into the beginning of a successful future.
“Education is not preparation for life, but life itself.”
John Dewey
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Barbara A. Chester, a 28-year veteran principal, is the elected president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), which represents pre-K-8 educators in the United States, Canada, and overseas. NAESP is led by board members who are practicing principals and key instructional leaders, actively involved in shaping the long-term impact of school improvement efforts.
Chester is an experienced leader and award-winning principal whose efforts have been recognized at the district and national levels. For the past eight years, she has served as principal of Cherry Park Elementary School in Portland, Oregon. Under her leadership, Cherry Park was a finalist for Oregon’s 2007 Celebrating Student Success Award, which recognizes schools that show significant progress in student math and reading achievement and significant improvement in student achievement for minority and/or low-income students.
Barbara may be reached at Barbara.Chester@naesp.org.
