About four months ago, my husband and I welcomed our second child, Maddy, into the world. Unlike 20 months earlier, when Oliver was born, we weren’t worried about having all the right baby gear. I wasn’t waking with nightmares about the birth. Quite frankly, our hands were so full juggling full time jobs and a toddler that child #2 was more of an afterthought. It would be simple—I knew exactly what I was doing.

As I began to delve into the results of our first-ever State of CLASS survey data, I thought, “Am I about to be out of a job?”

Immediately I noticed that our users are “doing CLASS” the right way.  Not only do they have lots of experience—both in early childhood and with the CLASS tool—but they’ve taken that experience, paired it with what they know to be best practice, and are implementing CLASS just as it was intended: as a tool to measure the effectiveness of classroom interactions and as a way to improve teacher practice and drive children’s learning.  

A SUCCESS STORY:

Georgia DECAL is a bit of a hero around these parts. When we talk about states and programs that have successfully implemented CLASS, DECAL inevitably comes up. We talk about its thoughtful roll out of CLASS, how it ensured buy in from all parties, and more broadly, about the state’s leadership in early childhood education with the nation’s first state-funded universal pre-K program in 1995. DECAL’s Pre-K Professional Development Evaluation Report that came out earlier this year speaks to a lot of these incredible details.

I’m a bit of what some would call a perfectionist. In school, I was devastated if I didn’t receive an A. In the swimming pool or in a regatta, first place was the only option. At work, my colleagues make fun of me and call me “a square” and make fun of me for “wearing a seatbelt” at my desk.

At the QRIS National Meeting in July, I sat in on a session about the next generation of quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) and learned about how Arizona and two counties in Florida are shifting their thinking and plans to ensure continuous quality improvement. Having recently written a case study on Arizona, I reached out to Katie Romero again and had the opportunity to interview Katie and her colleague from First Things First, Leslie Totten, to learn more about the upcoming changes. Here’s the skinny:

Charlottesville, VA – Teachstone^®, a leader in the field of quality early childhood education, announced that Dr. Jennifer Park has joined the company as the Director of Applied Research and Public Policy. In this role, Park will lead collaborations in research and evaluation, and will design and drive all public policy initiatives.

A few months ago, I came upon this article by Christina Quattrocchi at EdSurge. It spoke to so many of the themes we are seeing in professional development—the power of video, the challenges related to technology, the importance of individualizing professional development—that I just wanted to probe a bit deeper with Christina. As a reporter for EdSurge, Christina is talking to educators, ed tech companies, and leaders across the field about her passion: using technology to support teachers in improving their practice.

Three weeks into 2015 and I’ve made some headway on my personal new year’s resolutions. I’ve been planning out my meals and grocery shopping on Sunday to make weeknights a little bit easier and a lot healthier. I’ve tried to be less critical of my husband’s household contributions (really I have!). And I’ve managed to make it to the gym even when traveling. With my personal confidence bolstered, I’m ready to share my Teachstone resolutions with the world, hoping that you’ll keep me accountable and maybe even share some of your own resolutions. So here goes …

Happy New Year!! How did this happen so quickly? Weren’t we just ringing in 2014? Cheers to 15 things to be excited about in 2015!

We are thrilled to have Marcy Whitebook, PhD, join us again in response to her recent whitepaper "Worthy Work, STILL Unlivable Wages". Marcy began her career as a teacher of young children in the 1970s. Over the last four decades, she has been engaged in research, public education, policy development, training, and advocacy efforts focused on the early care and education workforce. She now directs the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California, Berkeley.