BEGINNING DRAFT OF



George Mason University

College of Education and Human Development

Early Childhood Program

EDUT 782-EDSE 633

Policy Perspectives Affecting Diverse Learners (3:3:0)

Spring 2009

Thursdays 7:20 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

Robinson B102

Annice van der Sluis

703-862-9894

Office hours: by appointment

ahirt@

Course Description

Prerequisite: Admission to UTEEM program, Early Childhood Special Education program, or permission of instructor. Advanced seminar explores historical and current trends and issues involving legislation and policy in early childhood education, bilingual education, early childhood special education, and multicultural education. Focuses on historical role of social advocacy, development of advocacy skills, and collaboration and consultation with other professionals and staff in early childhood education. Provides understanding of continuum of services and context of service delivery.

Nature of Course Delivery

The class will have lecture, discussion, group work formats and will require active participation of all students. Guest lecturers from the community may be utilized to support content from readings.

Learner Outcomes

This course is designed to enable students to

1. Describe the historical role of social advocacy and the role of educators in advocating for young children to ensure equity and access in service delivery;

2. Demonstrate the ability to implement actions through collaboration and consultation with professional peers and staff;

3. Describe the legislation and policy-making process related to culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse young children and their families;

4. Describe the continuum of services and the fiscal and regulatory context of service delivery at the local, state, and national levels;

5. Describe the administrative aspects and legal mandates for early childhood programs;

6. Identify characteristics of leaders and analyze own leadership skills;

7. Analyze a current policy issue related to the lives of culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse young children and their families and plan and implement an appropriate awareness/advocacy/leadership response.

Professional Standards

This concentration is approved for licensure in the Commonwealth of Virginia and it complies with the standards for teacher licensure established by the Council for Exceptional Children. The course content has been designed to address the following standards and competencies.

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

• Standard 10 Collaboration

Virginia Professional Endorsement Competencies

• Foundations of education

Virginia Early Childhood Special Education Endorsement Competencies

• Understanding the standards of professionalism

Required Texts

Beatty, Alexandra, Rapporteur, Committee on State Standards in Education (2008). Common Standards for K-12 Education? Considering the Evidence: Summary of a Workshop Series. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Kozol, J. (2005). The shame of the nation: The restoration of apartheid schooling in America. New York: Crown

Walling, D. R. (2004). Phi Delta Kappa International advocacy handbook. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa International.

Zigler, E., & Hall, N. (2000). Child development & social policy. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Additional Required Readings

Since current policy readings are often found on the websites associated with advocacy and policy organizations, several readings that can be obtained from the web will be identified. These will be listed with the appropriate class week on the syllabus and may form the basis of class discussions. In addition, students are encouraged to access these sites as they proceed with their group and independent research projects. Students are also encouraged to collect and share policy related articles in the weekly class sessions.

Professional organizations, school boards, school administrators, state departments, and local school systems all have websites on which they post their policy statements. Some examples of sites include the following:

(a publication of Teacher’s College, Columbia University)

(United States Department of Education Site)

(National Association for the Education of Young Children)

(Children’s Defense Fund)

(Education Week)

(on-line versions of Kappan, a publication of Phi Delta Kappa)

(National Institute for Early Education Research)

(Zero to Three, National Center for Infants and Families)

(website for DCPS)

(Parents United for DC Public Schools)

(Advocates for Justice in Education, DC Parent Training and Information Center for Children with Disabilities)

(National Black Child Development Institute)

(National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center)

(Early Care and Education policy issues in DC)

Additional Resource Readings

Robinson, A., & Stark D.R. (2002). Advocates in education: Making a difference for young children. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Feeney, S., & Freeman, N.K. (1999). Ethics and the early childhood educator: Using the NEAYC code. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Course Requirements

General Requirements

1. The completion of all readings assigned for the course is assumed. Because the class will be structured around discussion and small group activities, it is imperative that students keep up with the readings and participate in class.

2. Class attendance is important. If, due to an emergency, students will not be in class, they must call the instructor and leave a message.

3. The university requires that all pagers and cell phones be turned off before class begins.

4. It is expected that assignments will be turned in on time (the beginning of the class in which they are due). However, it is recognized that graduate students occasionally have serious problems that prevent work completion. If such a dilemma arises, students should speak to the instructor in a timely fashion.

Written Assignments

All written assignments prepared outside of class will be evaluated for content and presentation as graduate-level writing. The American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition (APA) style will be followed for all written work. All written work unless otherwise noted must be completed on a word processor and should be proofread carefully. (Use spell check!) If students are not confident of their own ability to catch errors, they should have another person proofread their work. When in doubt, they should check the APA manual. Portions of the APA manual appear at the Style Manuals link on the GMU library web guide at .

Students will

1. Present ideas in a clear, concise, and organized manner. (Avoid wordiness and redundancy.)

2. Develop points coherently, definitively, and thoroughly.

3. Refer to appropriate authorities, studies, and examples to document where appropriate. (Avoid meaningless generalizations, unwarranted assumptions, and unsupported opinions.)

4. Use correct capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.

5. The Performance-Based Assessment MUST be posted to Task Stream when the assignment is due. NO final grades will be posted until all materials are on Task Stream.

Grading Criteria

A = 95 – 100 A- = 90 – 94 B+ = 87 – 89 B = 83 – 86 B- = 80 – 82

C = 70 – 79 F = < 70

Assignments

Participation (10 points)

Because active participation and engagement are imperative for optimal learning, preparation for and participation in in-class activities will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Readings and outside preparation for in-class activities are completed prior to class as is evidenced by the ability to discuss and write about the concepts presented and examined in the texts as well as participate fully in related activities.

• Active involvement in in-class learning experiences is apparent as is evidenced by (1) participating in all activities, (2) engaging in small and large group discussions, (3) completing written work related to the activities, and (4) supporting the participation and learning of classmates.

• Critical reflective thinking is apparent through in-class written reflections and activities.

Leadership Book (15 points)

Students will select a book of their choice that is an autobiography or biography of someone they consider to be a leader. They will come to class prepared to discuss what they have learned about leadership. In addition, they will prepare a two-part posting for Blackboard: 1) a summary of the text; and 2) a reflection about implications for leadership and advocacy on behalf of culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse young children and their families.

The Leadership book assignment will be graded according to the following criteria:

a) Text is appropriate to the assignment

b) Summary captures key themes of the text and the leader it describes

c) Reflection shows thoughtfulness, depth, and breadth in the discussion of leadership attributes issues of equity and diversity, links to own leadership

d) Participation in the book club session is active and helps classmates see the leadership implications of this text.

Current Issues Project (25 points)

With the help of faculty, students will develop ideas for a project addressing current trends and issues in educational policy in Early Childhood Special Education, Bilingual Education, Early Childhood Education, and Multicultural Education. For each project, as a small group, students will be responsible for facilitating the class’s understanding of the issue and creating an advocacy opportunity. Based on their research of the issue, one week prior to their presentation, students will select one brief reading that the class must read in preparation for class. Everyone will also read the chapter in Zigler that is most related. Student will come to class the week prior with the assigned reading. During the week of their presentation, students will need to provide a brief handout and overview of their topic, a policy brief. These projects are completed in groups of various sizes (2 or 3 people), depending on the project. The second element of the project is an advocacy action. This may include attending a public hearing, preparing a letter, and others as appropriate. The nature of each current issues project will depend upon the group’s topic and will be discussed in depth in class.

Elements of the CIP Process

Students will

1. Decide Broad Issues

2. Do Research on the Topic

3. Decide Narrow Advocacy Issue and Target Audience

Elements of Policy Brief

Students will

1. Make it short, no more than one page front and back.

2. Identify clearly what the issue is and what needs to be “fixed.”

3. Explain who is hurt by current policy/needs to be helped by new policy and implications for things not changing.

4. Provide evidence – what’s the research. Make it clear and simple for the reader who is unfamiliar with early childhood special education.

5. Link to the right person/target audience.

6. Provide a clear, workable solution and an identifiable action.

Deciding on an Action

Students will

1. Refer to the Walling book.

2. Consider feasibility and do ability.

3. Match their action to the issue and the target audience (refer to 5 and 6 above).

The assignment will be graded according to the following criteria:

a) The policy brief is short, provides a brief overview of the topic, key findings, and recommended actions and shows evidence of obtaining appropriate information from relevant professional and community organizations (e.g., DEC, NAEYC, Zero to Three) (refer to list of websites above).

b) The in-class presentation gave accurate and appropriate information, involved class members, showed evidence of equal participation and contribution of all group members, showed flair that reflected the groups thought and effort and engaged the class.

c) The selected reading provided an adequate background for class members.

d) The action was appropriate for the topic. Group members provided evidence of completing the action.

Group Advocacy Project (GAP) (35 points) This is the NCATE 6 Collaboration Performance-Based Assessment that shows evidence of meeting CEC Standard 10 Collaboration.

As a class, students will need to do some research on some ways organizations have called attention to the needs of young children. They will plan one or more activities to highlight the issues they’ve selected. These might include giving out information, developing one or more prominent displays, sponsoring an event, etc. What they present should be relevant to this class and the issues being discussed and serve to heighten awareness about key policy issues affecting children and families.

After students have completed this activity, each of them is to write a reflection about the experience in which they discuss what happened, their role in the process, and, in particular, and analysis of their leadership from the perspective of class discussions and readings.

Their grade for this assignment will come from three sources:

1. Their work as sub-committees, as evidenced by their weekly work together and their postings on Blackboard (graded as individuals).

• Their postings show continuous planning activity – e.g., records of phone contacts, information gathered, sub-committee activity on a weekly basis. These postings should also be attached to your individual reflection paper and will be considered in your grade for the reflection paper.

2. The actual activities that occur as a result of your planning (graded as a whole group).

• Activities were visible and had potential for heightened awareness. 25 points

• Activities involved appropriate venues in the community.

3. Your individual reflection (graded as individuals) 10 points

• Describes group planning and implementation process.

• Critically analyzes own role as a group member.

• Critically analyzes own role as a group leader, linking to elements identified in reading and in class.

• Critically analyzes the project outcome and its impact.

• Incorporates Blackboard postings and discusses their contribution to the process.

Weekly Policy Watch Response Log and Question (15 points)

Prior to each of the class sessions for which a response log is required (1/29, 2/5, 2/19, 3/5, and 3/26), prepare yourself for class by completing the required reading and/or the reading distributed by the presenters, as well as at least one outside resource from the newspaper or one of the websites listed on the syllabus. These will be graded according to the following criteria:

a) Response logs are completed and turned in prior to the appropriate class session. I will not accept logs after the beginning of class, as these will be used for discussion.

b) Response logs show evidence of having done background preparation for class sessions and synthesize what has been learned (1/29, 2/5, 2/19, 3/5, and 3/26).

c) Response logs show thoughtfulness in formulating questions for guest speakers or class presenters.

These can be hand written. They do not have to be word processed. (3 points each for five course sessions

Course Grading:

1. Participation and preparation

10 points

2. Leadership Book Group

15 points

3. Current Issues Project

25 points

4. Policy Watch Response Log

15 points

5. Week of the Young Child (Group Advocacy Project)

35 points

CEHD Syllabus Statements of Expectations

All students must abide by the following:

• Students are expected to exhibit professional behavior and dispositions. See for a listing of these dispositions.

• Students must follow the guidelines of the University Honor Code. See for the full honor code.

• Students must agree to abide by the university policy for Responsible Use of Computing. See . Click on responsible Use of Computing Policy at the bottom of the screen.

• Students with disabilities who seek accommodations in a course must be registered with the GMU Disability Resource Center (DRC) and inform the instructor, in writing, at the beginning of the semester. See or call 703-993-2474 to access the DRC.

Note: To determine whether the campus is closed due to inclement weather, call 703-993-1000 or go to gmu.edu.

Course Topics

Note: Reading assignments will be updated

|Week 1 |Poverty, Disability, Diversity and Educational Equity |

|January 22 |In-class readings: Horace Mann |

| |Scope of Education |

|Week 2 |Historical Perspective of Early Childhood Special Education Policy |

|January 29 |Readings due: Zigler, 1, 11 |

| |And Exceptional Children, v58 n2 p104-12 Oct-Nov 1991 |

| |Brainstorm CIP project ideas |

| |Assignment due: Response Log 1 |

|Week 3 |Current Situation in Educational Policy Regarding Children of Color (e.g., digital divide, resegregation) |

|February 5 |Readings due: Kozol (entire book) |

| |Assignment due: Response Log 2 |

| |Select groups for CIP project |

|Week 4 |State Policy |

|February 12 |Assignment due: Leadership Book |

| |Readings due: Beatty, pp. 1-26 (first 2 chapters) |

|Week 5 |Why Study Policy |

|February 19 |Assignment due: CIP project presentations; Response Log 3 |

| |Readings due: TBD |

|Week 6 |The Policy Process |

|February 26 |Assignment due: CIP project presentations |

| |Readings due: Beatty, pp. 53-55, Zigler, Ch. 2 and TBD |

|Week 6 |Local Level Experience |

|March 5 |Assignment due: Response Log 4 |

| |Readings due: Walling, D. R. (2004), entire book, and TBD |

|**March 9-12: Spring Break, no class** | |

|Week 8 |Making Policy Work at the Local Level |

|March 19 |Readings due: Zigler, Ch. 3 |

|Week 9 |Being an Advocate for Young Children with Disabilities and their Families |

|March 26 |Readings due: Zigler, Ch. 5 |

| |Assignment due: Response Log 5 |

|Week 10 |Being an Advocate for Young Children and Families Who Speak Languages Other Than or in Addition to English|

|April 2 |Readings due: TBD |

|Week 11 |Advocating for School Change on Behalf of Second Language Learners |

|April 9 |Readings due: TBD |

|Week 12 |Policy Issues for Young Children with Disabilities |

|April 16 |Readings due: TBD |

|Week 13 |Exploring Attributes of Effective Leadership |

|April 23 |Assignment due: Week of the Young Child: Class will not meet, but groups will participate in planned |

| |advocacy project (GAP) |

|Week 14 |The Meaning of Leadership and Advocacy in Diverse Community Settings— Class will not meet—Students will |

|April 30 |submit individual reflections on topic |

|Week 15 |Final |

|May 7--TBA |Small group meetings with professor |

|(Exam week) | |

Weekly Policy Watch Response and Question

Name:______________________________________________ Date_______________

References and Websites reviewed:

What is important about these resources for understanding policy concerning diverse young learners and their families?

What implications do you see for your role/practice as a leader/teacher/advocate?

What questions come up for you that you would like to see discussed related to these resources?

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