Scholar Practitioners as Program Evaluators

The information from this course has much value for me as College Instructor because I want to make sure the future teachers are prepared and understand their role as future early childhood educators. I want to be able to understand and be up to date with current issues and topics of importance within the field of early childhood so that students understand how critical program evaluation is. At every level of education, in an increasingly high-stakes climate, programs unable to demonstrate effectiveness in improving readiness or creating positive child outcomes may be at risk of losing support (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2003). I want to ensure that future educators care about program quality (Epstein, 2003). I want to ensure that they care about program quality to ensure that they are providing developmentally appropriate practices to young children as well as services to their families.

The questions I have are:

1.  Are there any skills or strategies I can implement to improve program evaluations to ensure accountability of the program?
2. Are there any trainings I can attend that can truly be helpful so that I can turn around and train others?
3. What are appropriate assessment from different programs?

I believe this course on program evaluations has an impact on me because I want to find ways to personally improve my teaching style and delivery of the content so that students are learning the material which they can use within their personal life as well as their professional life. Through this course I can learn from my professor as well as from my colleagues on program evaluation from different early childhood programs in different schools as well as different states. I also want to learn more about program evaluation so that I can continue to write better program evaluations so that I can continue to provide funding for much needed programs within the field of early childhood education. In one of my many hats, I also provide workshops and trainings for different early childhood programs and I would love to be able to provide a workshop of program evaluation for early childhood teachers. A program that they can implement in their everyday teaching to provide better services to children and their families. As expectations for professional preparation and for implementing high-quality curriculum and assessment systems rise (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2003).

Resources:

Center on the Developing Child Harvard University. (2017). Early childhood program. evaluations: A decision-makers guide. Retrieved from              https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/early-childhood-program- evaluations-a-     decision-makers-guide/

Epstein, A. S. (2003). Holding your program accountable: Introducing High/Scope’s new  preschool program quality assessment (PQ). High/Scope ReSources, A Magazine for Educators, 11-14. Retrieved from             https://web.archive.org/web/20150321075739/http://www.highscope.org/file/Assessment /PQA.pdf

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2003). Early childhood    curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation. Retrieved from            https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-   shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/CAPEexpand.pdf