Recent Publications
Preparing Teachers of Young Children: The Current State of Knowledge, and a Blueprint for the Future ![]()
by Marcy Whitebook, Deanna Gomby, Dan Bellm, Laura Sakai, and Fran Kipnis (2009)
What is the best way to prepare skilled and effective teachers of young children? And how can early care and education (ECE) programs best support teachers in continuing to learn and grow as professionals? This two-part paper examines the ECE and K-12 research literature in depth to assess the current state of knowledge about the effective preparation of excellent teachers, and charts a research and policy agenda for the future.
Executive Summary ![]()
Part I, Teacher Preparation and Professional Development in Grades K-12 and in Early Care and Education: Differences and Similarities, and Implications for Research
, summarizes the differences between these two fields, but finds more than enough similarities to warrant a close consideration of the combined wisdom of both fields.
Part II, Effective Teacher Preparation in Early Care and Education: Toward a Comprehensive Research Agenda
, contains an in-depth review of the ECE and K-12 teacher preparation research, and of what remains to be learned, concluding with a set of key recommendations for research and policy.
Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in Early Care and Education (Year I Report) ![]()
by Marcy Whitebook, Laura Sakai, Fran Kipnis, Mirella Almaraz, Esther Suarez, and Dan Bellm (2008)
Cohort B.A. completion programs, which target small groups of adults working in early care and education to pursue a course of study together and receive a variety of support services, have emerged in several California counties. To demonstrate the outcomes of these efforts, and to inform further policy and program development, CSCCE has launched Learning Together, a five-year study of six student cohort programs. This report presents findings from Year 1, during which we interviewed over 90 percent of the 124 student cohort members, as well as 13 administrators and faculty members from three of the six institutions of higher education.
Early Childhood Educator Competencies: A Literature Review of Current Best Practices, and a Public Input Process on Next Steps for California ![]()
Editor, Dan Bellm (2008)
By request from First 5 California and with support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, CSCCE conducted an extensive literature review in 2007 on current best practices across the United States for defining early childhood educator competencies—the appropriate knowledge and skills for working effectively with young children. We also solicited feedback broadly from California's early care and education field on the appropriate structure and content of such competencies for our state. This report compiles our research and the input received from the field.
Partnering for Preschool: A Study of Center Directors in New Jersey's Mixed-Delivery Abbott Program ![]()
by Marcy Whitebook, Sharon Ryan, Fran Kipnis, and Laura Sakai (2008)
Full Report
Executive Summary
Reseach Highlights ![]()
Since 1999, New Jersey’s court-ordered Abbott Preschool Program has provided publicly funded early education services in a combination of private child care centers, Head Start centers, and public schools, and it has sought to place preschool teachers on an equal footing with K-12 teachers in terms of pay and qualifications. CSCCE interviewed 98 private child care and Head Start directors in 2007 to collect their firsthand accounts of implementing this ambitious educational reform, and their suggestions for improving it.
Take Each Child by the Hand: An Early Childhood Educators' Delegation to China ![]()
by Dan Bellm (2007)
This article describes a 2006 visit to several regions of China by 20 early childhood educators from the United States. The delegation visited public and private kindergartens, elementary schools, university-level teacher education programs, and a school for children with developmental disabilities.
Chutes or Ladders? Creating Support Services to Help Early Childhood Students Succeed in Higher Education ![]()
Spanish Version ![]()
by Kara Dukakis, Dan Bellm, Natalie Seer, and Yuna Lee (2007)
Disparities in California’s Child Care Subsidy System: A Look at Teacher Education, Stability and Diversity ![]()
by Marcy Whitebook, Fran Kipnis & Dan Bellm (2007)
Using data from the California Early Care and Education Workforce Study, this policy brief focuses on disparities in staff professional preparation, stability, and diversity between licensed child care centers that receive public funding solely through vouchers, and those that receive it through a contract with Head Start or the California Department of Education.