1. Education + Innovation = Transformation
“Early Childhood: The Gateway to Student and School Success” Presentation by: Rhea Williams-Bishop August 29, 2012 Dropout Prevention & Special Education Conference Jackson, MS
Education + Innovation = Transformation

2. Presentation Overview
Vision and Mission of MSCEI
MSCEI’s Work in Early Education
Early Childhood Development and Learning ECE 101
Using Title I to Finance Early Childhood Programs
Q and A

3. MSCEI History
Established in 2008 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Tasked with assisting MDE in meeting its goals
Focus specifically on the MS Delta Promise school districts (14 school districts/communities)
Funded primarily by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

4. Education + Innovation = Transformation
Our Vision
The Center for Education Innovation envisions a Mississippi in which all of its children become productive citizens of a global society in the 21st century.
Education + Innovation = Transformation

5. Education + Innovation = Transformation
Our Mission
The Center for Education Innovation supports and connects families, early learning environments, schools and communities to resources, technical assistance, and best practices that prepare vulnerable children to become productive members of a global society.
Education + Innovation = Transformation

6. Center’s Focus Areas Education + Innovation = Transformation
Leadership Development & School Improvement
Teacher Quality & Student Achievement
Child Development & Early Learning
Community, Family & School Engagement
Building Support for Public Education
To attain this vision and implement this mission, the Center will focus on:
Building and Enhancing a Culture of Education in Mississippi
Establishing Early Childhood Education as a Statewide Priority
Recruiting and Retaining Quality Teachers in Every Classroom
Recruiting and Retaining Quality Administrators in Every School District
Building Public Will for Public Education
The Center will be the focal point in Mississippi where experts and consultants in the field will meet with stakeholders in education:  parents, teachers, business and community organizations, public and private sector leaders to formulate plans that will ultimately transform Mississippi’s public educational system.  Additionally, the Center will identify best practices and model programs that may exist at the local, state, regional, national, or international levels, and work to introduce and implement model practices or programs that yield the best results for improving student outcomes.
In addition, the Center will work as an agent for sustainable change in communities where poverty, low educational attainment and a lack of infrastructure intersect thus, leading to a low quality of life. The initial activities of the Center will be focused primarily in the Mississippi Delta, but ultimately statewide, in the following five critical areas:  (1) Enhancing Leadership Development and School Improvement, (2) Increasing Teacher Quality and Student Achievement, (3) Advancing Early Childhood Education, (4) Maximizing Community, Family and School Engagement, and (5) Building Public Will to Support Public Education.
Education + Innovation = Transformation

7. Program Pathways Leading, Teaching, and Learning for Excellence
Community, Family, and School Engagement
Early Childhood Development and Learning

8. Overarching Goals
1) Support children’s academic readiness for Pre-K through 12th grade 2) Promote a culture and climate that supports and demands excellence in education 3) Confront the underlying challenges that hinder academic excellence (i.e. health, poverty, equity, etc.) 4) Inform and impact education policy

9. Primary Sites of Focus Areas
Child Development and Early Learning
Jackson Metro Area and Sunflower County (Indianola School District, Drew School District, and Sunflower School District)
Community, School, and Family Engagement
Bolivar County (North Bolivar School District and West Bolivar School District)
Leading, Teaching, and Learning for Excellence
Greenwood and Holly Springs

10. National Affiliations/Models/Best Practice Programs
CLASS
NBCDI
NROPI
TEACH/WAGES
High Scope Ready Schools Assessment
Play Works
HIPPY
Reach Out and Read
Positive Parenting Program
Early Developmental Instrument
Watch, Know, Learn
Teach Up
Everfi
Voices for America’s Children
Communities In Schools
COSEBOC

11. Urgent Issue Areas
Other issue areas that we are compelled to address due to the urgent nature of the direct impact on students and schools:
Conservatorship process
K – 12 Education Policy
Early Education Policy
Impact of Charter Schools and Consolidation
P-16 Process
Common Core training and preparation
Dropout Prevention
Opting in or out of higher level classes
State Subject Area Testing
Examining the growing district concerns re: Teach for America
Lack of/Quality of Professional Development for current/existing teachers
Need for more extensive school board training

13. Community Engagement Partners
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
Community Engagement Partners
Education + Innovation = Transformation

14. Building Support for Education
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
Building Support for Education
Goal: To build public will to support public education and early childhood education by implementing well designed programs and strengthening collaborative partnerships that can be replicated statewide.
Highlights:
Education Matters Infomercials and Public Awareness Campaign
Supporting school districts in conservatorship
Commissioned Godwin Group Early Education Survey
Addressing education policy issues
BUILDING PUBLIC WILL TO SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION. By implementing well designed programs and strengthening collaborative partnerships, the Center will build support for public education. These programs and partnerships can be replicated across the state to build public will. In addition to building public will for public education in general, the Center will be specifically addressing building public will for early childhood education.
Education + Innovation = Transformation

15. Early Childhood Development and Learning
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
Early Childhood Development and Learning
Goal: To ensure that all entities involved in the education of young children are working together on their behalf, garnering, and leveraging resources for the maximum benefit to all children.
ADVANCING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. The mission of the Early Childhood Education Program is to ensure that all entities involved in the education of young children are working together on their behalf and are garnering and leveraging resources for the maximum benefit to all children. A primary focus of the Center will be to enhance and provide early childhood education opportunities in Mississippi.
Education + Innovation = Transformation

16. Early Childhood Development & Learning
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
Early Childhood Development & Learning
Highlights:
Mississippi Learning Lab development of a strategic plan
Growth of business community support for early education
Building a state-wide movement for young children and their families
Allies for Quality Care Program
Building on the work of SPARK MS
Major player in the field of early education
Member of the State Early Childhood Advisory Council
Mississippi Building Blocks advisory board member
Mississippi Low Income Childcare Initiative board member
Excel by 5 board member
Education + Innovation = Transformation

17. Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK MS)
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK MS)
SPARK early education efforts are ongoing through Center support
Continuing to target vulnerable children ages 0-8, their parents, community-based organizations, child-serving institutions, and business leaders
Maintaining past gains acquired in the original five SPARK-MS school district catchment areas of Cleveland, Hollandale, Mound Bayou, North Bolivar and Pearl
Expansion districts include: West Bolivar, West Tallahatchie, Humphreys County, and Clarksdale

18. Education + Innovation = Transformation
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
MS Learning Lab
Overview:  The MS Learning Lab (MSLL) was created as a means of effectively addressing the early education needs of MS children from birth to age eight.  The MSLL accomplishes this through the ongoing coordination and networking of key agency and individual stakeholders representing early education efforts statewide.  A strategic plan has been designed to provide a viable context for outlining current and future efforts that should result in the development of a “formal” early education infrastructure for MS.
Education + Innovation = Transformation

19. MS Learning Lab Partners
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
MS Learning Lab Partners
State Partners
Alcorn State University
Barksdale Reading Institute
Children’s Defense Fund—Southern Regional Office
Delta Council
Delta Health Alliance
Parent Campaign
Excel by Five
Hardin Foundation
Jackson State University
Kids Count Mississippi
Mississippi Building Blocks
Mississippi Department of Education
Mississippi Department of Human Services -Division of Early Childhood Care and Development
Mississippi Head Start Association
Mississippi Economic Council
Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning
Mississippi State University –
Social Science Research Center
Early Childhood Institute
Extension Service
Stennis Institute of Government
National Strategic Planning and Analysis
Research Center (nSPARC)
Parents for Public Schools
State Early Childhood Advisory
Council
Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids—Mississippi
University of Mississippi – William Winter Institute
Mississippi Low Income Child Care Initiative
Fidelis Policy Group
Godwin Group
Chevron
National Partners
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Birth to Five Alliance
Ounce of Prevention Fund
DCA, Inc.
High Scope Foundation
Dreyfus Foundation
Augenblick, Palaich and Associates
Insight Center for Community Economic Development
Committee for Economic Development
Fight Crime – Invest in Kids
Mission Readiness
UF Lastinger Center for Learning
AIR - American Institutes for Research
NACRRA - National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
Education + Innovation = Transformation

20. Statewide Early Education Campaign
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
Statewide Early Education Campaign
Godwin group survey of 1,000 voting Mississippians
Key messages developed by the Learning Lab
Information sent out to all candidates for governor and members of the legislature
Planned activities through out the summer and fall building up to the legislative session
Culminated with press event and Day at the Capitol in the February
Education + Innovation = Transformation

21. Allies for Quality Care
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
Allies for Quality Care
Quality initiative serving 15 childcare centers: 75 infant, toddler and pre-k classrooms with a total enrollment of 661* children located in Hinds and Rankin Counties.
$2.2 million dollar initiative funded by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, Division of Early Childhood Care and Development
Collaborative effort between the Center for Education Innovation, the Early Childhood Institute, the Mississippi State Extension Service and Mississippi Building Blocks
Education + Innovation = Transformation

22. Allies for Quality Care (continued)
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
Allies for Quality Care (continued)
Addresses the programmatic needs of child care centers through evaluation and intense technical assistance. Centers will be assisted with:
(1) improve the learning environment in each classroom, as evidenced by improved ITERS/ECERS scores,
(2) improve the nutritional quality of food provided to children, as evidenced by menus and shopping plans approved by a nutrition specialist, and
(3) develop operating budget for the program, including the identification and implementation of available cost-saving measures.
Education + Innovation = Transformation

23. Allies for Quality Care (continued)
Center’s Focus Areas
Leadership
Teacher Quality
Early Learning
Community Engagement
Building Support
Allies for Quality Care (continued)
A total of 137 staff members and will be provided with a minimum of 6,030 total hours of technical assistance - technical assistance is being provided by 8 Classroom Technical Assistants, 3 Nutrition Advisors and 1 Business Advisor over a 12 month period of time.
This year the program is expanding to serve more centers in the Jackson metro area.
Education + Innovation = Transformation

24. Early Education 101 “It is easier to build strong children
than to repair
broken men.”
- Frederick Douglass

25. Passing the Education Buck
The college professor says: “Oh my, he’s unprepared and can’t keep pace - on him my PhD is such a waste!”
The high school teacher says: “They send him up so silly that it’s tragic and they expect me to work some magic!”
The middle school teacher says: “Poor boy, he’s such a fool what did they do in that elementary school?”
The elementary school teacher says: “These pre-schoolers are still green as green as can be, honey.”
These parents really wasted their pre-school money.”
The pre-school teacher says: “Gee, whiz no home training do I see, what kind of mother must she be!”
The mother says: “My poor child, it’s such a shame; his father’s folks are surely to blame!
“We cannot allow our children to fail in our schools, but we cannot allow our schools to fail our children”
from comments made by Dr. Warner- former President of Grambling State University during JSU EPhD Cohort 1 Orientation 2004

26. 1 IN 3 CHILDREN IN THE U.S. IS NOT READY FOR KINDERGARTEN

27. Developing the Workforce of 2025 begins NOW
The child’s brain is NOT a smaller version of an adult brain.
Neurons are not yet fully insulated.
Neurons are still moving into positions.
Synapse development is exploding.
Intelligence is a product of both heredity and the child’s interactions with the environment.

28. Neurons: the brain’s building blocks
Born with 100 billion
Waiting to connect
Cell body, axon, dendrites and synapses

29. Making the Connection

30. This is REAL and PERMANENT

31. The Alternative…

32. Emotional and Language Development
Emotions are set by the limbic system and prefrontal lobes.
Both lobes are developed and connected early in life (8-18 months)
A brain of a two year old is more active than that of her pediatrician and of her teenage sister
Language development occurs in stages-receptive language first, then verbalization

33. Mississippi’s Public Kindergarten-How Does it Fit?
Mississippi has been applauded for offering a full day program in all school districts
Mississippi has been criticized for not requiring all five year old children to attend if they are five years old before the cut-off date for school enrollment
All of the kindergarten classes in public schools in Mississippi are taught by a certified teacher

34. Research Speaks to the Importance of Early Childhood
Center-based care raised IQ of young children by 15 points (normal range)
Control Group: Center-based Program: 115

35. Research on High Quality Early Childhood Education Indicates..
It is one of the best economic investments that can be made
It is a major strategy in reducing school drop-outs
It takes time to pay off, but results can be measured after 3-5 years
It helps children from economically depressed families more than children from high resource families

36. And What is Happening to Our Children NOW?
A national study found that 60% of children living in rural America enter kindergarten in special education classes
34% % of MS White 4th grade students and 70% of Black students in 2005 were measured BELOW basic achievement levels on the National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading Test

37. How We Compare
Mississippi has a collaborative pre-kindergarten program. $3 million dollars has been appropriated by the MS legislature for R&R and QRIS. No formal “system of early education”.
Arkansas is funded at over $100 million for their early childhood program
Louisiana’s LA4 program is funded at $56.5 million
Alabama about $12 million
Georgia over $350 million
Tennessee nearly $100 million
Source: Pre [K] Now. (2006) Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2007.

38. Importance Candidates Share View
Q 27. How important is it to you that a political candidate in Mississippi share your point of view about early learning opportunities for young children - is it very important, somewhat important, or not important?

39. Influence of Facts on Support
Q In regard to this fact, please tell me how much this information influences you to support efforts to improve early learning opportunities for young children in Mississippi using a 1-to-5 scale where 1 means the information "has no influence at all" and 5 means the information "strongly influences" you to support efforts to improve early learning opportunities for young children in Mississippi.

40. ONE Best Reason to Support
Q24. Which one of those facts about early learning for children do you feel is the best reason to support an early learning initiative in Mississippi? (If necessary, read list below.)

41. Why Look to Title I for Preschool Financing?
Title I is a flexible source of funding
Title I funds may be layered with federal, state, or local funds to provide high-quality preschool services for additional children or to extend the day.
Funds may supplement or expand existing early education programs, including state-funded pre-kindergarten and Head Start, and may by used in conjunction with community-based child care programs.

42. Benefits of Using Title I for Preschool
Serve children from birth through age at school entry
Reach at-risk children in families with incomes above poverty
Fund high-quality programs that meet Head Start educational standards
Provide comprehensive services
Serve children in community-based settings
Fund teacher professional development

43. Title I Grants to States
Title I funds are allocated to state education agencies (SEAs) who distribute funds to local educational agencies (LEAs) based on percentages of low-income children. Funds are then distributed to schools within Title I districts.
Funding is based on the LEA’s percent of low-income children ages 5 to 17.
LEA determines what measure of need to use from a composite of indicators
Most districts use the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced price school lunches

44. Title I Funds Services at the District and School Level
Schoolwide programs: Title I funds can be used schoolwide if at least 40% of children in a school are low-income.
90% of children served in Title I preschool attend schoolwide programs
Targeted-assistance programs: Title I funds must be targeted toward disadvantaged children if less than 40% of children in a school are low-income.
9% of children served in Title I preschool attend targeted-assistance programs

45. How Can Title I be Used for Preschool?
At the district level
Eligibility based on residence within district, or part of district, and assessment of risk for meeting state academic standards as determined by multiple, educationally-related, objective criteria determined by state.
Income is used to prioritize, not determine, eligibility.
At the school level
Schoolwide programs: Eligibility based on residence within the attendance area of the school.
Targeted-assistance programs: Eligibility based on assessment of risk for meeting state’s academic standards.

46. How Can Title I Funds Be Used for Preschool?
Title I funds can be used for preschool or to supplement or expand other early childhood education programs, such as state-funded prekindergarten, Head Start, Even Start, or Early Reading First.
Title I funds may be used in conjunction with existing programs, including community-based child care programs, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant.

47. How Can Title I be Used for Preschool?
In addition to direct educational services, Title I funds can be used to fund:
Teachers’ salaries
Professional development
Counseling services
Minor remodeling
Leasing or renting space in private facilities
Comprehensive services, including access to medical services
Diagnostic screening
if a needs assessment shows that a child needs health, nutrition, or other social services and they are not available from other sources
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, Title I Preschool Education: More Children Served, but Gauging Effect on School Readiness Difficult.

48. Title I Preschool Requirements
Meet Head Start Standards
Include a parental involvement component
Title I programs using an Even Start model must integrate ECE, adult literacy or adult basic education, and parenting education into a family literacy program and must comply with Even Start requirements
In some Title I preschools, teachers must meet the NCLB “highly qualified” standard

49. Highly Qualified Pre-Kindergarten Teachers?
Requirements “do not apply to early childhood or pre-K teachers unless a state includes early childhood/pre-K as part of its elementary and secondary school system.”

50. What Are the Components of High-Quality Preschool?
Include requirements for how a program should operate in order to create the conditions and context for early childhood learning and development
Sufficient funding to attract and retain well-trained and qualified teachers
Professional development and training for teachers
Access to comprehensive health services, including diagnostic screenings, for children who need them
Infrastructure supports to ensure quality
Strategies to help children manage transitions
Full-day/full-year options to support working families

51. Title I Stories: Every District is Unique
Children Served
Title I Funds Used
History of Investment
Chicago, IL
1, and 4-year-olds and their parents
$6 million in 2007 (2%)
Detroit, MI
2,800 4-year-old children in HS and state pre-k classes, which include Title I funds
$13 million in 2006 (9%)
Unknown-present
Pittsfield, MA
120 families of 2- and 3-year-olds; 72 4-year-olds
$500,000 in 2005 (25%)
Houston, TX
131 full school-day classes in 76 schools and early childhood centers
$17.4 million in 2006 (21%)
2004-present

52. Partnerships and Collaboration—Title I Supports Transition to Kindergarten
Title I requires LEAs to have a plan to coordinate and integrate Title I with Even Start, Head Start, and other preschool programs, “including plans
for the transition of participants in such programs to local elementary school programs.”
Gwinnet County, GA funds a district Title I transition specialist and transition teams in 25 Title I elementary schools. A SPARK grant and Title I funds support the transition work.

53. How’d They Do That? The Story Behind Title I Investments
Resourceful school leaders
Partnerships and collaborations
Research and data to make the case for investments
Capitalizing on changes in state policies and funding opportunities
Leveraging all available funds

54. Title I Stories: Lessons Learned
Build relationships with early childhood partners
Champion early education using research and data
Dollars are flexible
Build on existing resources in communities
Invest in coordinated district-wide solutions
Invest in early diagnostic assessment and program evaluation
Link vulnerable children and families to family supports and health services
Leverage state and federal funds—and capitalize on funding opportunities.
Title I can fund high-quality preschool.
Flexibility of Dollars: Communities can use the funds to best meet their own needs—to improve quality, provide comprehensive services, expand opportunities, or lengthen the day for low-income children.
Decision makers in local school districts need research-based evidence to help move Title I dollars to preschool programs.
Uncertainty of funds: NCLB pressures may be driving dollars away from preschool exactly when early investments will pay off the most and help states and local communities meet their 3rd-grade goals.

55. How a Pre-K/K Classroom Should Look (SPARK example)
Before
After

56. Questions to Ponder Is your school or district ECE ready?
Do you have a well trained early childhood expert on your staff?
Do you partner with Head Start and early childhood providers that are feeders to your elementary schools?
Do you offer joint training with these groups?
Are your pre-K – 3rd classrooms developmental appropriate?
Do you assess your Kindergarten students to find out where they are – then provide specific interventions to ensure their progress?
What is your kindergarten retention rate?
Do you equate more classroom time to more rigor?

57. Education + Innovation = Transformation
MSCEI Staff
Betty Bankhead, Office/HR Manager
Angela Carson, Allies Business Manager
Jeri Knapp, Allies Administrative Assistant/Communications
Kate McMillin, Allies Collaboration Manager
Koronda T. Smith – Allies Business Advisor
Sharon Nettles – Allies Early Learning Specialist
Babak Mostaghimi, Community, Family, & School Engagement
Ilean Richards, Leading, Teaching, and Learning for Excellence
Rhea Williams-Bishop, Executive Director/Director Early Childhood Development & Learning
Education + Innovation = Transformation

58. Education + Innovation = Transformation
The Center for Education Innovation 200 South Lamar Street, Suite 100-S Jackson, MS (O) (F)

59. “We are intentional about the work and are approaching the work with a sense of urgency: one student, one family, one school, one community at a time.” Rhea Williams-Bishop Executive Director

60. CLASP Resources on Title I Preschool
Title I and Early Childhood Programs: A Look at Investments in the NCLB Era
Recommendations to Support High-Quality Early Education Programs Through Reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act
Missed Opportunities? The Possibilities and Challenges of Funding High-Quality Preschool Through Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act

61. References
Education Week (2007). Quality Counts 2007:From Cradle to Career.
Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 15, (January 2006). Poverty Guidelines. Pgs
Grace,C., Shores, E. Zaslow, M., Brown, B., Aufseeser, D., Bell, L. (2006). Childhood Longitudinal Study: A Chartbook on Rural Disparities in Baseline Data of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: A Chartbook. The National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives, Mississippi State University.
Mississippi Department of Health (2007). Child Care Licensure Data.
Mississippi Department of Human Services (2006). Mississippi Child Care Quality Step System.
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (2007).Child Care in the State of Mississippi.
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (2007). We Can do Better: NACCRRA’S Ranking of State Child Care Center Standards and Oversight.
National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading Results for 2005, Grade 4, Percentage of Students Below Basic Achievement Levels.
Newsweek (Spring/Summer 1997) Your Child from Birth to Three, pp
Pre [K] Now (2006). Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2007.
Shores, R. (1997). Rethinking the Brain. Work and Family Institute.