If you look at student outcomes on nationally reliable math and literacy assessments, children living in poverty who attend high quality Pre-K classes show the greatest gains when compared to their more affluent peers. This finding is especially pertinent to Mississippi, since the National Center for Children in Poverty reported in 2013 that 62 percent of Mississippi children under age 6 were classified as residing in low-income environments.
This research provides Mississippians with a solution to diminish the poisonous effects of generational poverty, if we just choose to take it.
The Mississippi Department of Education, or MDE, is attempting to design and implement a high quality Pre-K program as defined in the Early Learning Collaborative Act in 2013. According to the law, teaching Pre-K in Mississippi’s public schools may require additional training for teachers and assistant teachers. The Fall 2018 Pre-K Teacher Credentialing document on MDE’s website states that more emphasis will be placed on training teachers on how preschoolers develop and acquire specific skills. Beginning in the 2018 school year, public schools in Mississippi must employ individuals who have a Pre-K license endorsement to teach in this area. Additional requirements for assistant teachers in the classrooms will also be required. As the MDE document illustrates, there are several ways an individual can obtain the endorsement.
The focus on the credentials of teachers is part of Mississippi’s desire to meet the national standards set by the National Institute for Early Education Research, or NIEER. As referenced in the State of Preschools 2015, Mississippi has reached and/or surpassed all 10 of the national evidenced-based benchmarks in our state-funded Pre-K collaborative programs. In order to maintain 100 percent compliance, the 2018 teacher and assistant teacher requirements will be enforced.
Other national benchmarks address the need for ongoing professional development for teachers and assistants. Through professional development, area-specific experts present practices proven to be successful and foster a dialogue that enriches teachers’ “classroom tool box.”
It’s important to remember that high quality Pre-K teachers are those who demonstrate a knowledge of instructional strategies and take into account the continuum of how and when children learn. They also show a respect for children’s individual differences. These are educators who develop a classroom into a community of learners who are engaged and exhibit a spirit of acceptance to others who may be different. With a room full of 20 4-year-olds, this is no small task.
Educators are more than willing to do their very best for young Mississippians, if only given the opportunity. But, funding for additional Pre-K programs is slow to be appropriated. For every year we receive flat funding, or a $1,000,000 increase, approximately four sites are added (less than 15 are currently funded). Thus, we are losing precious time that can never be returned to the thousands of children who missed out because of circumstances and politics.
Dr. Cathy Grace