Application Assignment: Equity in Early Childhood Systems-A Closer Look
Bring to mind the focus this week-two different yet connected issues related to early childhood care and education-excellence and equity. In the Discussion, you evaluated some of the main issues that are part of the debate about excellence, such as school readiness, national standards, and achievement gaps. With this Application Assignment, you turn your attention more specifically to questions and issues related to equity in early care and education.
In preparation for this assignment:
• Review Kagan's article "American Early Childhood Education: Preventing or Perpetuating Inequity?,"and note the six early childhood inequities the author presents. They range from the kinds of inequity that affect young children even before they get to preschool, to inequity in the infrastructure that supports early childhood education. Then take particular note of the six specific policy recommendations meant to lead toward a more equitable, high-quality early childhood system.
• Choose one of the inequities in which you are most interested.
• Then, analyze each of the six policy recommendations, and determine in what way(s) any or all might help alleviate or eradicate the inequity you chose.
For this assignment submit:
• A brief description of the inequity on which you decided to focus
• A summary of each of the six policy recommendations
• An evaluation, based on what you have learned so far, of the ways in which any of the six recommendation does/does not help reduce/eradicate the selected inequity
• A summarizing paragraph reflecting on any insight(s) you gained about the inequity on which you chose to focus
• An assessment of ways your current understanding of issues related to equity in early childhood education has broadened and deepened and how this new knowledge and awareness might influence your work with young children and families
Resource for this assignment:
Article: Kagan, S. L. (2009). American early childhood education: Preventing or perpetuating inequity?(Equity Matters: Research Review No. 3). Retrieved from Campaign for Educational Equity website:http://www.equitycampaign.org/i/a/document/9833_EquityMatters_Kagan_Final.pdf
"American Early Childhood Education: Preventing or Perpetuating Inequity?" by S.L. Kagan. Copyright 2009 by Campaign for Educational Equity. Equity Matters: Research Review No.3, Victoria University of Technology, Equity and Social Justice Branch. Reprinted by permission of CAL, COPYRIGHT AGENCY LIMITED via the Copyright Clearance Center.