LINC Workshop: Leadership and the Learning Continuum

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LINC Workshop Leadership and the Learning
Continuum Early Childhood Breakout Session
Joyce Weiner Ounce of Prevention Fund
Robin Miller Young Indian Prairie School
District 204
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• The Early Years Matter
• Children Learn How To Learn
• Key ingredients of successful, life-long
  learners
• Confidence
• Self-Control
• Curiosity
• Self-reliance
• Persistence
• Ability to Communicate
• Cooperativeness

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• Variables That Put Children At-Risk For Poor
  Developmental Or Academic Outcomes
• ? Low socio-economic status
• ? Parents education level, employment,
  income, age
• ? Adverse health circumstances
• ? Limited English proficiency
• ? Social conditions

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Early Experiences Affect the Architecture of
the Developing Brain
Healthy Development
Development Affected by Environmental Stress

• Nurturing, active, and challenging experiences
• Thicken the cortex of an infants brain
• Develop more extensive and sophisticated neuron
  structures
• Create the neurological foundations that
  support lifelong learning

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• Professional parents
• Working class parents
• Welfare parents

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Cycle of Promise
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• High-quality early learning opportunities provide
  a higher economic rate of return than later
  interventions such as
• Reduced pupil-teacher ratios
• Tuition subsidies
• ? Adult literacy programs
• ? Public job training
• ? Criminal rehabilitation programs
• ? Expenditures on police
• James J. Heckman, PhD Nobel Laureate in
  Economic Sciences, 2000
• University of Chicago

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• Children with access to high-quality early
  education
• ? Have stronger academic skills
• ? Are more likely to stay in school
  graduate
• ? Are less likely to repeat grades
• ? Are less likely to need special education
  remediation
• ? Are less likely to be arrested
• ? Have higher earnings as adults

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• As Educational Leaders, Principals
• Foster collaborative relationships
• With families
• Among staff
• Horizontally and vertically

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"If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more and become more, you are a
leader. --JQ Adams
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Who is involved in these collaborative
relationships? Children . . . Parents and
Families . . . Staff members . . .
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• Children . . .
• Common Educational Needs
• 1. Ambitious early learning standards.
• 2. Rich and stimulating environments.
• Adults who intentionally engage children in self-
  initiated and teacher-directed activities.
• Unique Instructional Needs
• 1. Boys and girls.
• 2. Learning rate cognitive and problem-solving
  skills.
• 3. English Language Proficiency.
• 4. Background knowledge opportunities to
  practice .

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• Parents and Families . . .
• Common Expectations and Desires
• 1. First schooling experience . . . child ?
  student.
• 2. Safe and nurturing environment.
• Monitor progress and prepare for kindergarten,
  and beyond.
• Unique Goals and Dreams
• 1. Unique cultural expectations. self-help
  skills.
• 2. Families of Entitled children (grants,
  federal s).
• 3. Families who are paying for a service.

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• Staff Members . . .
• Common Characteristics
• Women . . . nurturers.
• Passion for working with young children and their
  families.
• Unique Qualities
• Training, certification, qualifications, etc.
• Philosophical orientation to childrens
  development.
• Typically, not systems thinkers.
• 4. Educators and therapists.

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"The best principal is the one who has sense
enough to pick good people to do what she wants
done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling
with them while they do it." -Theodore
Roosevelt (with apologies!)