New Study Sheds Light on Teachers’ Impact Beyond the Classroom

Few topics cause as much debate and concern in education as teacher quality and effectiveness. Do teachers have a strong impact on a student’s performance? Can we measure this impact? How do we identify effective teachers?

Last month, the National Bureau of Economic Research published a working paper by researchers Raj Chetty, John Friedman and Jonah Rockoff that addresses these questions. The paper provides a detailed analysis of the effects teachers in large urban school district on both the test scores and long-term outcomes of their students. (Read the executive summary here or the full paper here). Building on the recent trend toward “value-added” measurements (which measures the average gain among students in a teacher’s classroom against the student’s prior test scores), the study included two major findings:

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Registration Now Open for NYCAEYC Conference!

Registration for the NYC Association for the Education of Young Children (NYCAEYC) 2012 Conference is now open! This year’s conference features keynote speaker Faith  Ringgold, a world-renowned author of children’s literature, and over thirty workshops on a variety of issues in early childhood practice and policy. The conference will take place February 10 and 11, and will open with a reception featuring artwork by the keynote speaker. To register, or for more information, visit NYCAEYC’s Conference page.

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Credit-Bearing CDA Has Been Approved by State Education Department

PDI is pleased to announce that a 12-credit Child Development Associate Certificate (CDA) has been approved by the New York State Education Department. The launching of this credit-bearing certificate program will not only meet the new federal mandate for Head Start assistant teachers across New York City, but it will also enable participants to more easily transition into 2-year early childhood education degree programs.

Offered in partnership with the CUNY School of Professional Studies, the launch date for this credit-bearing CDA Program is Spring 2012. Applications are currently being accepted for January enrollment.

For more information about this Child Development Associate (CDA) Certificate program, please visit the SPS website: http://sps.cuny.edu/programs/spscourses/programdescription.aspx?pid=127&sid=EDUC

For more information about the CDA credential, please visit our website: http://earlychildhoodnyc.org/education/credentials.cfm#cda

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Reflections on “Dine and Discuss: Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education”

Dine and Discuss PanelLast Thursday’s Dine & Discuss Networking event held at the Murphy Institute focused on careers in early intervention and preschool special education.  The event features a panel made up of professionals working in all levels of the field including higher education, supervisory and director roles, and special education teachers.  One overarching theme was the gentle reminder that working in this field is about the child and family first.  In order to be successful when working with a child with special needs, you must have the flexibility to put the needs of that child at the moment first.

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“Welcome to your Child’s Brain” Authors Interviewed on Fresh Air

Dr. Sam Wang, and Dr. Sandra Aamodt were interviewed on NPR’s Fresh Air about the publishing of their new book, “Welcome to your Child’s Brain.” They discussed a range of topics in child care from a neuroscience perspective, including teaching self-control, encouraging language development, and the benefits of growing up bilingual. You can listen to the radio program, or read the interview and view highlights from the interview on the NPR website. Come back to NewsWatch to join the conversation!

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Reflections on “Dine and Discuss: Therapeutic Careers with Young Children”

Last Thursday, PDI debuted “Dine and Discuss”, a new series of events designed to explore different areas of early childhood education. Each session in this series features a moderated panel discussion with a diverse group of professionals.

Thursday’s event focused on therapeutic career paths, featuring a distinguished panel of professionals from several areas of this field. Each speaker shared a personal narrative of their journey that illuminated both the technical steps involved in joining the field, as well as the day-to-day joys and challenges of their profession. Read on for a full list of the speakers, an overview and highlights of the event and to continue the discussion.

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Champions for Children Nomination Deadline: Nov 21

The New York State Association for the Education of Young Children (NYSAEYC) invites you to submit a nomination for a deserving individual you know who has made a significant contribution to the field of early care and education. Nominations must be received by Nov 21

Read on for the full list of categories and link to the nomination form. Continue reading

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“Dine and Discuss:” Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education

Join us November 10th for the Career Development Services Center’s second session of the Dine and Discuss series, a moderated panel discussion that gives students, job-seekers, career-changers, and other professionals who work with young children the chance to network and learn more about different areas of the field. This session will focus on careers in Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education. Register today!

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Credit-Bearing CDA Information Session Nov 9

he NYC Professional Development Institute will offer an information session about the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential, Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 6:00 PM

Designed by the NYC Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, and offered in partnership with the CUNY School of Professional Studies, the program, pending SED approval, will be the only comprehensive credit-bearing CDA in New York City to provide students not only with the required course-work but also advisement, writing support, portfolio creation, career services, and final observation assessment.

Download the flyer to learn more and register!

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“Dine and Discuss:” Networking events for Early Childhood Professionals

Register today for Dine and Discuss, a new series of career networking events sponsored by The Career Development Services Center (CDSC). Each session will feature a moderated panel discussion with a diverse group of professionals from a different area of early childhood education. We invite everyone- especially students, job seekers, and career changers- to join us for an evening of networking, learning, and dining.

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