1. Early Childhood Leaders Ready to Change the World:
2015 Leadership Conference
“All In: Achieving Results Together”
Early Childhood Leaders Ready to Change the World:
Examples and Implications of an
OSEP Funded Program
Alissa Rausch, Geneva Hallett, Rosemarie Allen,
Elmer Harris and Barbara Smith
CU Denver

2. The ECSELS Grant is…
A federally funded grant for 10 doctoral students at CU Denver
All students are enrolled in the Educational doctorate in Leadership for Educational Equity with a concentration in Early Childhood Special Education/Early Childhood Education (ECSE/ECE)

3. OSEP Grant Information
Federally funded grant through the Office of Special Education Programming
Designed to improve outcomes for young children with special needs at policy, leadership, and advocacy levels
Student support for tuition and stipend
Service obligation agreement: 1 academic year = 2 service years after completion

4. The EdD is…
Practice-based, doctoral-level program for professional leadership
Prepares leaders to
address complex educational challenges for combining decision-focused, analytic, and research skills
with a broad-based understanding of systems anchored in principles of equity and access to education

5. PhD’s study the world, but EdD’s change the world.
Legitimizing the EdD
PhD’s study the world, but EdD’s change the world.

6. Equity Focus Courageous Conversations Power and Privilege Course
Schools and Society Public Writing

7. Policy Focus
Policy Briefs
Backward Mapping Activity
Day on the Hill

8. Leadership Focus DEC Internship/ Professional Identity
Implementation Science
Professional Learning and Technology

9. Early Educators as Agents of Social Change
An Action Research Study
Alissa Rausch

10. The Problem
In 30 years, the number of children (ages 3-5) who are receiving quality inclusion has increased 5.7% nationally.
Educators indicate that they have a passion to advocate for quality inclusion (at classroom, program, organizational, local & national levels).
Educators indicate that they do not have the knowledge or behaviors about HOW to do this.
Smith & Barton, 2015; U.S. Department of Education, 2014

11. The Question:
Is there a place in higher education (graduate or licensure preparation) to support educators in acting as agents of social change?
A review of the literature helped me to conclude that learning about inclusion (as the problem of practice as well as benefits of) combined with law policy, leadership skills, collaboration with families, advocacy processes, and the design of social change plans MIGHT support educators in acting as agents of social change.

12. I theorize:
A higher education course (ECED 5091) for ECE/ECSE graduate/ licensure students at CU Denver with a focus on social change agency will prepare teachers to act as agents of social change to support quality inclusion in their places of work: classrooms, programs, organizations, communities and nationally.

13. Practitioner Inquiry Action Research
Systematic inquiry within a teaching environment that can be used to learn about teaching and learning.
Insider positionality/ Practitioner as researcher.
Student participation and collaboration.
Appropriate for the scope of this project.
Cochran- Smith & Lytle, 2009; Mills, 2011; Noffke, 1997; Nolen & Putten, 2007

14. Research Questions
In regards to the ability to act as agents of social change, based on the results of the LAS and follow-up interviews, did students in ECED 5091 demonstrate perspective transformation and if so, what type?
What learning experiences, if any, did students in ECED 5091 identify as contributing to a transformative learning?
To what extent, if any, are the perceived self-competencies of students in ECED 5091 affected by participation in the course?

15. Methods Learning Activities Survey (King, 1997) Follow Up Interview
Perspective Transformation Index
Coding for experiences
Demographics
Follow Up Interview
Confirm/disconfirm initial results
Member checking
Course Artifacts
Needs Assessment= descriptive statistics
Document Analysis

16. Research Question
Sources of Evidence
In regards to the ability to act as agents of social change, based on the results of the LAS and follow-up interviews, did students in ECED 5091 demonstrate perspective transformation and if so, what type?
Learning Activities Survey (LAS)
Follow Up Interview
What learning experiences, if any, did students in ECED 5091 identify as contributing to a transformative learning?
To what extent, if any, are the perceived self-competencies of students in ECED 5091 affected by participation in the course?
Course Artifacts and Needs Assessment on Course Competencies

17. Deliverables from this study
Redesign of the ECED 5091 course based on the results of the PT Index, Coding of Experiences, and Coding of Permanent Products etc.
Recommendations to the ECE graduate program about integration of social change into coursework or continued class.
Recommendations to the School of Education and Human Development on how social change principles can be included into teacher preparation coursework.
Publications submitted to journals of teacher education.