The head of state higher education in Maryland has proposed a major overhaul of teacher education there that includes shifting to a five-year program and deploying college faculty members in the public schools.
As part of a wide-ranging plan released this summer, Secretary of Higher Education Shaila Aery recommended replacing traditional edion.
Raising the school entry age or holding a child out of school a year are “misdirected efforts to impose a rigid schedule on children’s growth,” according to the group.
“The only legal and defensible criterion for determining school entry is whether the child has reached the legal chronological age of entry,” the statement says.
Noting that the “undervaluing” of early-childhood educators jeopardizes the quality of care and education available to young children, the n.a.e.y.c. board adopted another position statement in Denver calling for:
Equitable compensation for similarly qualified early-childhood professionals, whether they are based in schools, child-care centers, or family day-care homes;
Equivalent compensation to that of professionals working with older children and to other professionals with comparable preparation, experience, and responsibilities;
Adequate benefits packages;
Career ladders based on performance and participation in professional-development activities.
