Preparing Early Educators: A Community College Connecting Theory to Practice

• In Event: Promising Practices in Early Educator Preparation: Supporting a Diverse, High-Quality Workforce

Abstract

Objective
The purpose of this presentation is to provide insight into how early childhood faculty can prepare qualified early educators and support the educational attainment of “non-traditional” students at the community college level. The presenter, a faculty member in the Education/Child Development department at a community college, will share the results of a case study of her program, including the challenges and successes of the Department in meeting students’ diverse needs.

Methods
The presenter will describe the findings of a case study (Yin 1994) conducted of a community college’s Child Development program which included interviews with faculty, staff, current students, and alumni; focus groups of students; course observations; and observations of students in the college’s lab school where students conduct their clinical practice. Data were triangulated with a survey of current students and alumni as well as administrative program data.

Perspective
This case study was conducted through the lens of Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), recognizing that students’ education experiences are impacted by multiple contexts that affect their ultimate success. Community college students’ various life circumstances, such as their access to secure food and housing or their caregiving responsibilities, are important to take into account as colleges design degree programs (PPIC, 2017). Similarly, historic racism impacts students’ relationship to learning (Harro, 2000) and engagement in the classroom, especially when the majority of teaching faculty are White. This study attempts to take a holistic view of the program of study, examining how it addresses students’ needs at various levels.

Results
Lessons for other early educator preparation programs include the following:
• Courses are taught in a way that meet the needs of diverse learners, with faculty using engaging teaching strategies that are tied to practice and scaffolded for students with different needs.
• Students have multiple opportunities to gain high-quality, early experience that prepares them to integrate what they have learned in their courses and apply it in Education/Child Development classrooms.
• The program’s laboratory school has a strong focus on mentorship, guiding students through multiple opportunities for practice, frequent feedback, and strong models from mentor teachers.
• The Department cultivates a supportive environment that includes counseling and academic, financial, and career resources which allow students to navigate a complex higher education system.

Significance
The presentation will complement the others in this symposium by describing the unique challenges and opportunities that arise from preparing educators in a community college setting.
Although community colleges prepare the majority of early educators in many states, there is little evidence of what makes educator preparation programs successful (Kaplan, 2018); this paper begins to fill that gap.

Author

• Nicole Porter, Skyline College