Previously on Smalltalk blog, we discussed and defined the achievement gap. We also stated that early childhood education can play a significant role in reducing the achievement gap. Let’s look a little closer at what we as early childhood professionals can do to reduce the achievement gap. According to National Association for the Education of Young Children Position Statement (2009), here is what has been shown to help shrink the achievement gap:
• ECE programs need to start early with proactive vocabulary development (describing children’s actions and narrating their experiences—calling attention to print and language)
• Familiarize young children with alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness (literacy foundations)
• Emphasize mathematics education in the ECE years (numbers and their sequence—make math a part of the everyday routine and environment)
• Support children in gaining social and emotional competencies (independence, responsibility, self-regulation, and cooperation)
• Emphasize self-regulation in the early years is a key indicator in later functioning (problem-solving, planning, focused attention and metacognition)
• Provide ALL children with high quality programs through your own interactions, decisions and actions (research indicates that the most powerful influence is the teacher’s interactions)
In summary, creating a developmentally and culturally appropriate classroom along with supportive teacher interactions, decisions and actions can make a BIG difference in reducing the achievement gap.