Foundations for Teaching Excellence: Connecting Early Childhood Quality Rating, Professional Development, and Competency Systems in States

Improving teacher quality in early education is a major part of ensuring young children¿s school readiness and closing the achievement gap. This is the book decision-makers and administrators need to begin developing coordinated, effective teacher-quality systems¿ones that not only get teachers ready for the classroom, but also promote continuous learning of new skills and strategies. This book is the first effort to integrate at a state level three critical components of teacher quality: Early Childhood Education Competencies, Professional Development, and Quality Rating Systems. After an in-depth exploration of all three components and their role in high-quality education, readers will get detailed analyses of how six states are making progress toward integrating them. Through case studies on each state, readers will examine the diverse approaches these systems are taking to determining early childhood education competencies and systematically linking them with professional development and quality rating systems (QRS); developing and managing the structure, content, and delivery of effective professional development; creating clear partnerships between state organizations to promote integration of systems; and more. A call-to-action volume on three of the hottest topics in ECE, this book is an essential reference for taking the first steps toward statewide, integrated teacher quality systems¿and ensuring that every young child gets the best possible education.

Carollee Howes, Ph.D., is Director of the Center for Improving Child Care Quality, and Professor, Department of Education, University of California, Los Angeles. Robert C. Pianta, Ph.D., is Dean, Curry School of Education; Novartis US Foundation Professor of Education; and Director, Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.