Month: January 2024

Education support workers help to keep schools running smoothly. These employees perform various administrative and clerical duties such as answering phones, filing and sorting mail.

Students learn best when school expectations match those of their homes and they know adults in both settings work together to provide support. This is especially true for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Education Supporters

Education support professionals keep students healthy, safe, supported and engaged so they can learn. It’s hard to imagine schools operating for one day without these critical workers, who make up a third of the preK-12 public school workforce.

They deserve respect and fair wages for the important work they do. And they should be included in whole-child policies and practices that aim to improve schools.

For example, you can support students and educators by donating to local organizations that encourage advocacy. Organizations like NewSchools, for instance, fund teams of educators and innovators reimagining public education to give all kids a chance to reach their full potential.

You can also help by supporting your local school district or library. For example, if you shop at certain stores, you can support your child’s school by contributing to the Box Tops for Education program by clipping pink labels from products. You can even download a mobile app to scan receipts and automatically earn money for your school.

Tutors

Tutors provide additional individualized learning, which helps students excel in their classes and work on academic skills. In addition, they give teachers time to focus on classroom instruction and keep parents updated on student progress.

The best tutors have content knowledge combined with empathy and trust. They know that students can be reluctant to open up about their struggles and need to build a relationship of trust with them to get the information they need.

Tutors should be well prepared for each session and ensure they have the resources they need to succeed. They should also make sure they know the expectations and curriculum for their assigned students. This way, they can help them stay on track with their assignments and homework. They can also offer guidance when a student is struggling to understand concepts and provide them with ways to improve their study habits. This helps build confidence and can lead to better grades and a more positive attitude towards school as a whole.

ESL Specialists

English language specialists are often the bridge between a student’s native culture and their new one in the United States. They are also in charge of establishing coaching relationships with mainstream teachers to promote effective classroom instruction and student assessment for students who speak little or no English.

Initiating and sustaining quality collaboration was reported by ESL administrators as a key, yet challenging, responsibility. The responses indicate a need for greater attention in mainstream teacher preparation programs and school-based professional development to enhance collaboration between teachers and ESL specialists.

The University of Louisiana Monroe’s online ESL Program Specialist PK-12 Certification is an ideal route to an impactful career in teaching for educators who desire to serve ELLs with the support they need. Learn more.

Library and Media Staff

School library media specialists (also known as school librarians or library educators) are instructional partners with teachers and administrators. They collaborate to design learning experiences that promote inquiry, critical thinking and life-long learning skills. They also provide access to a variety of print and nonprint information resources.

Librarians teach students how to use their library and its resources, a practice called user education. This instruction is not the same as teaching research and information literacy skills, which are taught by teachers in their classrooms.

Media specialists curate physical and digital collections of print and electronic resources to meet students’ needs. They also work with instructors to support subject knowledge acquisition, authentic learning opportunities and the development of student media production skills. In addition, they serve as the liaison between the school media program and a wide range of external organizations and agencies. They are the spokesperson for their district’s library media program, interpreting educational studies, standards and legislation.

A school is a place where students learn under the guidance of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, and attendance is often compulsory.

Schools can be public or private. They can teach a broad range of subjects or be focused on one subject. Some schools are also social institutions.

History

Historically, schools were an important part of economics, providing a workforce that could carry out the work required for society. Education became increasingly secular over time, but the primary function remained that of conveying quintessential knowledge to students.

Schools support community development by teaching students the value of civic engagement. They also help students develop leadership abilities by empowering them to organize initiatives that benefit their community.

Throughout history, schools have reflected the prevailing social values of their time. In the era of the Enlightenment, which shook Europe in the 18th century, philosophies such as “liberty, equality and fraternity” drove educational reforms. In the early 19th century, Horace Mann advocated a comprehensive public school system. He established a network of normal schools, which trained teachers to establish and expand elementary school systems. These schools later evolved into teacher-training colleges, or universities.

Purpose

Schools serve multiple purposes, from promoting intellectual growth to training students for their careers. However, these purposes can conflict with each other. One issue is that pursuing one goal may mean giving up another.

School can also help kids become socially adept, building up friendships with kids from different backgrounds and helping them to build a sense of community within the school. Kids may even form close ties with teachers, which can be important in their lives outside of school.

In addition, schooling often involves a process of cultural transmission, teaching children the values and beliefs of their culture. Whether this occurs in the classroom or in extracurricular activities, it can shape the way that kids think about themselves and others. It can even influence their future career goals and aspirations.

Structure

Schools have a formal structure which encompasses all policies, practices and procedures. They also have physical structures including classrooms specialized for different subjects and all-purpose playgrounds, cafeterias and janitorial services.

A school’s administrative team handles supervision and making decisions for the entire school, while teachers are organized into departments based on subjects they teach. Students are also separated into age groups to make it easier to manage them.

The organization of a school often follows a standard hierarchy with administrators reporting to the district level, which in turn reports to the state. The overall effect of the structure of a school is to maintain a balance of power between various social and economic classes at local, regional and national levels. In this way, schools can operate as sorting and selection devices for certain types of students.

Teachers

Teachers are the backbone of education and offer guidance to young people. They encourage students to follow their dreams and achieve great things. They also teach them moral values and ethics. Teachers are regarded as the builders of human civilization and have played an important role in enabling countries to further develop socially and economically.

Teachers possess excellent communication skills and are able to explain complex concepts in simple ways. They understand their students’ learning needs and can design individual educational plans for each child. Teachers are also able to resolve conflicts and deal with disagreements among students.

Some teachers like to take on extracurricular activities such as coaching softball or advising student council. However, they must be careful not to overload themselves with work or risk jeopardizing their job security.

Students

Students play a critical role in school life. They help keep the school environment clean, participate in classroom & school activities & do their assigned work on time. They should also show respect to their teachers & classmates.

Some schools promote mastery over performance through assessments that provide feedback and opportunities to revise. They also cultivate student inquiry through capstone projects, where students learn deeply about a subject they care about and often work to create change in their community.

Research shows that strong teacher-student relationships are associated with a sense of school belonging. However, creating these relationships within highly complex educational systems can be challenging. Nevertheless, there is growing evidence that students with strong, supportive relationships have better academic outcomes. In addition, they have healthier mental and emotional well-being.

Children need a variety of skills to prepare for kindergarten, from social-emotional skills like cooperation and self-control to early academics, such as counting or knowing some letters. Kids can develop these skills before enrolling in kindergarten through everyday activities.

Kindergarteners learn to identify the first twenty-one letters of the alphabet (both uppercase and lowercase) and to read high-frequency words, like “and.” They also explore two-dimensional shapes and basic skip counting.

Social and Emotional Development

The social and emotional development of children is an important factor in kindergarten readiness. Children need to be able to interact cooperatively with others and manage their emotions in a classroom environment. Research shows that these skills are linked to students’ academic success in the first grade.

During the participant observation, teachers created environments and engaged in relationships that supported kindergarten children’s social and emotional development. This allowed for a greater likelihood of guided participation, where children learn to express themselves in productive ways.

Educators believe that social and emotional maturity is more predictive of children’s success in school than their age or cognitive abilities. Parents should evaluate their child’s social-emotional readiness before enrolling them in a program. Even everyday experiences, such as trips to the grocery store, can be major learning opportunities for kindergarten-age children. For example, they learn about money, colors and sizes. In the Netherlands, kindergarten (kleuterschool) is a noncompulsory form of education for four to six year olds, and is followed by primary school (lagere school). The term kindergarten is derived from Friedrich Froebel’s Kindergarten, which was based on the principles of play.

Language and Literacy Development

In kindergarten, children learn about letters and numbers, develop their ability to recognize both upper and lower case letters, start reading and writing and expand their vocabulary. They also practice their fine and gross motor skills and learn to think and solve problems.

Froebel’s kindergarten was filled with toys and occupations, based on the belief that children should play to cultivate their physical, intellectual and social growth. These activities help them to recognize and understand patterns in nature and the world around them.

Although there is a rich literature on the language and literacy development of monolingual children, very few studies have examined this area in young dual language learners (DLLs), who represent one of the fastest growing populations in the educational system. The limited research available suggests that young DLLs perform below monolinguals in emergent literacy and may lose their early reading abilities in their L1 when they begin school in their L2. This needs to be explored further.

Cognitive Development

Cognitive development is important to school readiness because it involves the understanding of the world around children and their ability to learn. It also supports language and reading skills.

The pace of cognitive development varies from child to child. Parents should be aware of the rate of their child’s cognitive development and encourage it when possible.

In kindergarten, children begin to recognize letters and numbers. They will start to understand basic math concepts, like more and less and number relationships (e.g., five is more than four).

Children also begin to sequence objects and events – for example, arranging picture cards to tell a story. They begin to understand that different people have different characteristics and are able to show empathy towards others. Children also develop the ability to concentrate for longer periods of time during play.

Physical Development

Throughout their early years children establish patterns of activity which may affect them for the rest of their lives. Physical development encompasses both gross (large muscle movement) and fine motor skills (use of fingers, hands and eyes). It is also referred to as body growth and a child’s ability to develop their coordination and balance.

Kindergarten offers a valuable opportunity for children to cultivate their large and small motor skills, while building on their social and cognitive development. It serves as a bridge from the less structured environment of preschool and the more formal classroom setting of primary school.

Kindergarten teachers help kids become accustomed to following a schedule, adhering to classroom rules and comprehending fundamental learning concepts. Kids learn the alphabet and its corresponding sounds and gain an understanding of basic math principles. They will also become familiar with 30 high-frequency words, known as sight words. This will set them up for success as they move on to elementary school.

Reading intervention provides students with supplemental instruction in decoding, comprehension, writing, study skills and test taking strategies in small groups on their instructional reading level. Students also read self-selected books that dovetail with their class curriculum and units of study.

Comprehension is much more than a student’s grade level or fluency score. It is about purpose, engagement and learning.

Comprehension

Comprehension is the ability to understand and interpret what has been read. It is more than decoding words; it requires making connections, building knowledge from the text and relating new information to previous experiences. It is essential for students to build comprehension skills before moving on to more challenging texts.

It is important for teachers to provide explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies to help struggling readers. This can be accomplished through both a text-driven instructional approach and a strategy approach. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages.

Providing students with graphic organizers (Venn diagrams, storyboards, mind maps, cause and effect charts, etc.) is another great way to promote comprehension. These organizers allow students to see what they have understood and what they need to focus on in their next reading. They also promote metacognition, the ability to reflect on one’s own thinking. This is especially important for children who struggle with reading.

Phonics

Children need to become automatic at recognizing words in order to free up cognitive energy that they could otherwise use to gain meaning from text. For this reason, many Reading intervention programs focus on teaching pupils word level skills using phonics instructional approaches.

Stahl, Duffy-Hester and Stahl (1998) found that the majority of low performing children on the screening check (both word recognition and spelling) did not have adequate phonics skills. Their study involved a sample of grade 1 students who scored below the 25th percentile on both word recognition and spelling on the screening assessment.

In the experimental group, children received systematic explicit phonics instruction. Specifically, the program taught them to blend and segment orally presented consonant-vowel-consonant words with short vowels (cat, cut, cot, sit). The intervention was delivered in small groups three times per week over 15 sessions. Lessons were teacher guided and used a scope & sequence with clear, consistent lesson plans.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is the “stock of words employed by a language” (Merriam-Webster) and a critical component to reading. Having a strong vocabulary can improve comprehension, as it is more likely that students will have background knowledge on the topic of the text, which makes understanding complex words easier.

To support vocabulary development, teachers are encouraged to teach high utility words and academic vocabulary using explicit instructional routines and judicious review with multiple exposures of previously taught vocabulary words. Teachers are also encouraged to focus on Tier 2 words, as these are familiar but not yet fully understood by students and will be encountered regularly in classroom reading.

Provide students with vocabulary word cards displaying a student-friendly definition for each word. Pair students and have them take turns saying the vocabulary word and the definition. This routine will help build students’ vocabularies by increasing the number of times they hear and see the new words. Also, by incorporating questioning techniques, students can deepen their understanding of the meanings of these words and use them appropriately in their reading and writing.

Fluency

Reading fluency is the ability to read words accurately and quickly. Fluent readers group words rapidly to gain meaning, sound out only a few at a time, and read with proper prosody (intonation, rhythm and phrasing).

The most important skill for developing reading fluency is automaticity, which is developed through repeated readings of text. This includes reading passages aloud, or with a tutor who provides feedback and guidance to the student. In addition, the student should practice reading the same passage over and over again.

Studies have shown that oral reading fluency correlates very highly with comprehension. The higher the reading fluency, the greater the student’s understanding of the text.

Some interventions that are effective at improving fluency include having children choral read, reading while listening to a recording of a passage, and practicing sight word recognition. Timed writing activities, such as one-minute timings for each sentence, are also helpful in promoting fluency and increasing writing speed.

Education gives children the skills they need to thrive and prepares them for the future. It builds a strong foundation for cognitive development, nurtures personal growth, and promotes empathy.

Kids learn how to adapt to new routines at school, and they develop the ability to handle stress, such as studying for a test.

Socialization

Socialization affects many different areas of a child’s development. For instance, infants who are socialized with their peers are more likely to reach important cognitive milestones like crawling and babbling, while toddlers who are socialized will develop better motor skills, especially when they’re encouraged to play in groups with other children.

In addition, studies show that parents’ discussion of emotions with their toddlers is associated with early-emerging prosocial behavior. In particular, parent-child discourse on the nature and causes of others’ emotions promotes empathic concern.

A lack of socialization will inhibit a child’s ability to learn and understand cultural norms, for example, gender-specific behaviors. Feral children, or children who were deprived of all human contact from an early age, are often unable to grasp gender norms and may exhibit male stereotyped behaviors as adults.

Emotional Development

A child’s emotional development is a vital part of their education. It enables them to identify and express emotions in healthy ways, empathise with others, and take responsibility for their actions. It also allows them to develop close, satisfying relationships with other children and adults.

During middle and late childhood, children start to understand that the same situation can cause them to experience mixed emotions. For example, a goodbye party for a sibling going off to college might be both happy and sad.

Social and emotional competence relates directly to academic achievement. Children who have well-developed social and emotional skills can manage their stress, display resilience in the face of challenge, and make responsible decisions about their schoolwork. They have the ability to engage in positive relationships with their teachers and peers, which helps them feel a sense of belonging and support.

Physical Development

Physical development is tied to other developmental areas, such as cognitive and social. For example, when an infant crawls or walks (gross motor skills), he or she gains the ability to explore their physical environment, which affects cognitive development.

Fine motor development is also important, allowing children to use their hands for activities such as threading beads, drawing and painting, mark-making, and building with Lego or small blocks. Children with impaired fine motor skills may need adaptive writing utensils.

Research shows that healthy levels of physical activity promote growth and help build self-confidence, while also boosting cognition and lowering the risk for psychosocial problems. However, insufficient levels of activity contribute to sedentary lifestyles, which carries the risk for obesity and other chronic diseases.

Language & Literacy

Literacy is a complex process that includes both verbal and written communication. It is an essential part of cognitive development and has profound ramifications for children’s scholastic achievement.

Educators can support children’s literacy journey by ensuring their language skills are strong and healthy. Reading aloud, engaging children in conversations, and encouraging creative expression are great ways to promote language development and nurture the symbiotic relationship between literacy and language.

Research shows that it is best to support literacy development by starting in the children’s home language, or ‘first language’ (ELF). It is important not to push children to read and write too soon, as this can have a negative impact on their literacy journey1. Early language and literacy learning is key for a child’s future success!

Thinking Skills

Children’s thinking skills are impacted by the social contexts in which they learn. When they encounter information, they must evaluate it to determine if it is credible or not. This process requires them to consider the source, motives and biases of the information they are evaluating.

They also must be taught how to use logic and reasoning skills to understand what they read or hear, so they can assess the validity of arguments presented by others. When teaching children these skills, it’s important to encourage their natural curiosity and nurture their creativity to allow them to think outside the box.

Thinking is not a natural function like walking or talking, it is a skill that must be learned and nurtured through interaction with adults who take them seriously, engage them in meaningful conversations and inspire their imaginations.

Education support is the range of auxiliary services that keep a school operating and students healthy, safe and ready to learn. It includes a wide variety of professional, administrative and technical staff.

Academic advisers offer support to students in achieving their educational goals and aspirations. Guidance counselors help them decide on college admissions or vocational choices.

Academic Support

Academic support encompasses a wide range of instructional methods and school resources. These include tutoring sessions, supplemental courses, summer learning experiences, after-school programs, teacher advisors and volunteer mentors. Academic support may be provided to specific student populations as part of a mandated program, or it may be provided in a purely voluntary manner.

Students who seek academic support typically do so through peers, family members or their teachers. However, these sources are not always accessible or able to meet the students’ needs. This is particularly true for minority or low-income students.

Academic support systems should be designed to help students overcome the obstacles that prevent them from seeking the help they need. For example, a heuristic approach can be useful in encouraging students to seek assistance from teachers or peers, while addressing the barriers that inhibit their willingness to do so. Academic support should be an integral component of the school curriculum and daily classroom instruction.

Guidance

Guidance is a broad term that refers to a range of services to support students’ social and emotional well-being. These services can include counseling, career development, and personal and family support. They can also help students navigate the challenges that may come up in school. Guidance can be incredibly helpful for both students and teachers.

For students, guidance can help them deal with issues like stress and anxiety. It can also help them find their passions and explore their talents. For teachers, guidance can provide them with resources to help manage their classrooms and support student mental health.

Education supporters are a vital part of the education system, working to keep schools running and students safe and healthy. They often receive little on-the-job training, but are given a brief orientation or grace period so they can observe classes and become acquainted with the student body. ESPs are involved in a wide variety of education support components, including health and student services, transportation, food services, custodial services, and skilled trades.

ESL (English as a Second Language)

Students whose native language is not English often take ESL classes to improve their ability to speak, listen, read, and write in this language. These classes are typically offered at community colleges or universities and can be taken full time or part time. Students who enroll in these classes may also have other issues such as learning disabilities that make it challenging for them to master the English language on their own.

Teachers can find a variety of education support resources that help them instruct ELLs. These educational resources include professional development platforms, teaching strategies, and a host of other resources that can help educators create inclusive classrooms for students who are working toward English proficiency. The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition offers teachers access to webinars and workshops, research-based publications, and guidelines on policies and laws pertaining to ELL instruction. The Colorin Colorado website features a number of resources for educating ELLs, including lesson plans, instructional materials, and teacher-to-teacher networking.

Library and Media Services

The library media specialists at each school work with students, parents and teachers to foster a love of reading and support curriculum goals. They also teach students information literacy skills to help them become informed and responsible consumers of information in both print and electronic formats.

The district’s library media services program promotes high achievement in academics and fosters the development of lifelong learning. Its purpose is to positively influence student learning by providing students with access to a wide variety of educational resources, teaching information literacy skills and actively participating in collaborative lesson planning and implementation with classroom teachers.

Library collections are based on reader interest, support of state academic standards and aligned curriculum, and the academic needs of staff and students. Educators and library media specialists are sensitive to the varying cultural, language, religious beliefs and interests of students when selecting reading materials for individual students. They also take care when selecting books that may be considered offensive or mature for some readers.

Kindergarten is the time when kids begin to understand their individuality in relation to other children. They also learn how to cooperate and resolve differences.

Moreover, they will learn to be independent and gain confidence in taking charge of daily tasks such as brushing their teeth or washing hands. This will help them to prepare for the next steps of their life.

Social and Emotional Development

The first year of elementary school is a time when children learn to interact with others in a new social setting. While parents can help to support their children’s academic growth, the development of social skills is also critical.

These skills include forming close relationships, managing and expressing emotions, learning how to play and work with others, and exploring their environment. A growing body of research shows that these early social and emotional foundations contribute to a child’s future academic success and life-long well-being.

For example, if your child cannot communicate their needs to a teacher or their classmates (such as when they need to use the bathroom or when they feel hungry) it will be difficult for them to thrive in kindergarten. Fortunately, there are many resources available to teach preschool and kindergarten children the importance of communicating their needs in a respectful and age-appropriate way. Check out these children’s books that teach the importance of self-awareness and compassion.

Physical Development

Children grow up and develop physically at an incredible rate during kindergarten. Their physical development focuses on the growth and refinement of their muscles. This is a time when their gross motor skills – large muscles in their legs and arms – flourish as they run, jump and climb – while their fine motor skills improve with activities such as threading, cutting, pressing, grasping and pinching.

In the early years, children establish patterns of activity and healthy eating that can impact their entire life. If good habits are established at this age they tend to stick, even if children move up to primary school.

During this year, children gain a sense of independence from their families as they spend more of their day at school. This can be especially difficult for some children who have never spent a full day away from their parents before. Kindergarten helps them to develop independence while learning to deal with separation in a safe and caring environment.

Language and Literacy Development

In kindergarten, children begin learning about the alphabet and the sounds of letters. They also learn about the order of the letters in the alphabet and how they work together to form words and sentences.

They also learn the names of upper and lowercase letters, and they start to write simple letters. Children also learn about high-frequency words (also known as sight words) that are used often in reading and writing.

Literacy development is critical for preparing children to succeed at school and in life. Parents can support literacy development by reading books to their children, encouraging them to talk about the stories and sharing everyday activities that encourage phonological awareness and letter knowledge.

Families should continue nightly shared reading and library visits and ensure that children’s literacy experiences are fun, motivating, and meaningful for them. For more literacy tips, see this NYCU resource.

Cognitive Development

At this age, children are active explorers of their environment. They are curious about everything and their desire to learn is limitless. They begin to organize and analyze their experiences, and they use their imaginations to develop and share ideas.

They can follow one-step directions and know what objects are for (such as a brush or spoon). They recognize some letters of the alphabet, and they begin to read some high-frequency words (like in, of and the) that appear frequently in books.

Research on cognitive development tends to focus on specific aspects of behavior, rather than general increments in memory capacity. The primary concerns in both the structuralist and functionalist traditions are how behavior is organized and how it changes over time. In the structuralist tradition, this typically involves determining whether or not certain behaviors are part of an orderly sequence of logical reorganizations in relatively homogeneous populations. This is in contrast to the functionalist approach, which focuses on information processing and explains behavior through processes that are internal to the individual.

Reading intervention is intensive instruction that aims to help students read below grade level. It can include phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension instruction.

Boards need clear decision rules on who gets an intervention program, including standardized scores or percentiles on reading assessments and not vague criteria such as being significantly below grade level. They also need to understand how to assess programs for their effectiveness.

Targeted Instruction

Rather than treating everyone the same, students receive targeted instruction based on the specific skills they need. This is done by assessing the performance of individual students using various assessments, then catering their reading intervention program to fit those needs.

Classroom teachers are trained to implement the evidence-based tier 2 reading intervention called Targeted Reading Instruction (TRI). Initially one-on-one and then moving to small groups, daily 15-minute TRI lessons focus on developing phonemic awareness, phonics knowledge, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and early reading comprehension. TRI has been endorsed by The Annie E. Casey Foundation Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development, The Rand Corporation Promising Practices Network and is included in the What Works Clearinghouse.

Schools seeking to implement and sustain individualized and group reading interventions should explore funding sources like state administered Race to the Top grants, rural supplements, special education and RTI. Discretionary grants from local and national foundations such as the Crane and the Kellogg Foundation may also be available.

Supporting Individuals

Educators need thorough training and ongoing coaching on how to use the program, and on the research that supports it. Many inquiry schools reported that educators are not always provided with this support.

The survey found that school boards need clear decision rules for selecting and prioritizing students to enter reading intervention programs. These should include standardized scores (e.g., one standard deviation or more below the mean on a word recognition or decoding test) and percentiles on reading measures.

Educators need to have access to a full range of interventions that are effective for all students in Grades 2 and up. These include programs that teach sound-letter mapping, decoding skills, and phonics knowledge, including the ability to recognize frequent morphemes and syllable patterns. These programs also teach reading fluency and comprehension. Computer-based interventions such as Lexia Core 5(r) Reading work best in a tiered framework, beginning with whole classroom implementation in Kindergarten to Grade 1 and then providing additional intensive interventions for those who continue to struggle in tier 2. These programs provide evidence-based foundational skills instruction that prevents students from developing reading difficulties/disabilities.

Monitoring Progress

For example, some boards use in-house intervention approaches that bring students into a program working with a teacher or speech-language pathologist for a specified time. These programs focus on phonological awareness, letter-sound teaching, and building sentences. They may also address oral language skills such as grammatical correctness and the use of capital letters.

These programs are important and can provide significant gains for some students. However, they don’t allow for comparison with a control group to judge whether the students have been brought into the average range on measures of reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension.

Progress monitoring measures help educators make these comparisons and determine if an intervention is effective. Progress monitoring tools can measure a student’s performance on a set of passages, and provide the number of words correctly read per minute (WCPM). For example, the MAP Reading Fluency tool provides efficient automatically scored progress monitoring in oral reading fluency. It is often used in conjunction with a CBM-R to evaluate whether a reading intervention is producing desired results.

Adapting Instruction

Adaptation in reading includes changing how a student will learn or demonstrate knowledge, not changing the subject matter or curriculum. For example, an adaptation might involve allowing a student with dysgraphia to present a written assignment verbally instead of on paper.

The inquiry found that students have varying access to evidence-based tier 3 programs (programs focusing on grapheme-phoneme correspondences, blending and segmenting phonemes, and decoding words). Currently, many boards limit the availability of these programs to Grade 2 or higher, when they will be most effective.

The Ministry needs to ensure that teachers have training on the use of effective interventions and how to best implement them. Also, school boards should not use standardized test scores or a certain number of years below grade level as a threshold for intervention eligibility; these thresholds are often based on measurement errors and are inconsistently applied across schools. This creates a “wait to fail” system for some students.

Education transforms lives, breaks the cycle of poverty and improves a child’s health and wellbeing. But for too many children, the opportunity to learn – their fundamental right – is out of reach.

Kids develop a broad understanding of the world through their experiences at school, including scientific concepts like reversibility and water turning to ice. They also practice self-control and logical thinking.

Language and Literacy

Language and literacy are essential for children to communicate, learn, and express themselves. They are also the basis for academic success, and poor literacy can lead to low self-esteem, behavioral problems and isolation.

Infants and toddlers explore their environment through language: listening to stories read aloud, singing songs and rhymes, and playing games that involve rhyming or phonemic awareness (the ability to identify and manipulate the sounds of a language).

When a child learns to read well, they expand their general knowledge, become more independent, and are able to keep up with classmates. But children who struggle to read can often develop negative attitudes about reading and school, leading them to dislike learning in general. Children who have poor literacy skills throughout their lives are more likely to have low self-esteem, behavioral issues, and drop out of high school.

Thinking Skills

Children are naturally curious and ask questions about the world around them. Getting them to question and think critically about their experiences is crucial to their future success as adults, particularly in a society full of misinformation and fake news.

Children who can think independently will be able to resist peer pressure, form their own opinions and trust their own judgement when asked to do something they don’t want to do. They will also be able to solve problems more effectively and apply their knowledge to new situations.

Help your child develop critical thinking skills by asking open-ended questions and encouraging them to play games that require trial and error, such as building with blocks or tangrams. You can also discuss philosophical topics with them or provide opportunities for discussion on a deeper level through family discussions, such as playing board games together.

Social Development

In order for children to learn well and develop their potential, they need good relationships with parents and other adults. They also need to be able to express and regulate emotions and interact with the world around them.

Interaction is the key to social development, according to Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development. This includes both active and passive forms of socialization. During the pre-school years, social skills are developed through active interaction with peers. This includes developing interpersonal sensitivity, empathy and thinking of others’ needs when solving problems.

Kids should be encouraged to develop their interpersonal capabilities through group activities and games, such as role playing or storytelling. This enables them to take on other perspectives and become better equipped to handle various social scenarios in the future.

Emotional Development

A child’s ability to understand and express emotions is a key aspect of social-emotional development. Children who lack strong emotional skills have a more difficult time paying attention, working with others and overcoming challenges.

Emotional self-regulation begins at birth. Infants and toddlers learn how to calm down, read their caregivers’ facial expressions and understand the consequences of their actions.

School-age children are able to articulate how they feel and have a stronger understanding of how their feelings affect other people. They also learn to recognize other people’s emotions and develop empathy and prosocial behaviors.

Caregivers can help children with emotional development by recognizing and responding to their needs, fostering relationships and providing consistent routines. They can also encourage healthy emotional development by promoting the eco-biological model of development, which highlights how a child’s environment and biology impact their social and emotional growth.

Physical Development

Children need healthy, active bodies to be ready for learning. Physical development includes gross motor skills like walking, running, jumping and climbing as well as fine motor skills such as using a pencil, picking up small objects and cutting with scissors.

Children learn best when they can move their fingers and toes on their own, but every child develops at their own pace. They reach developmental milestones, such as crawling, walking and sitting up on their own.

UNESCO works to promote early childhood care and education (ECCE) as a crucial foundation for learning and development and as a way out of poverty. During times of crisis, children’s opportunities to learn are disrupted as school and other services that provide education, health and social protection for young children are closed.

Education support is an area of study and research that focuses on ensuring students get the best possible education. This includes creating education and lesson plans, providing educational counseling and suggesting teaching techniques to improve educational effectiveness.

These employees are the backbone of every school. Whether they are paraeducators, secretaries or custodians, their job is to make sure students can learn.

Education Supporters

Education support workers provide assistance and guidance to students and teachers in a variety of ways. They work full-time during school hours and receive several weeks off from work throughout the year for school and federal holidays. Education support professionals typically report to their schools’ principals or deans of students.

They may also assist with student placement or public school choice applications. Additionally, they may help parents obtain education assistance from the government.

Education Support (formerly Teacher Support Network and Recourse) is a charity that champions the mental health and wellbeing of teachers, lecturers and other staff in further and higher education. It provides a range of services including telephone counselling for stress and burnout. The charity also supports teaching assistants and all education support staff. It was originally founded as a benevolent fund for teachers in 1877.

Education Support Specialists

The education world’s backbone: secretaries, paraeducators, custodial staff, food service workers, bus drivers and security and transportation professionals. Without them, kids wouldn’t get extra help when they need it, the bells wouldn’t ring on time, classrooms wouldn’t be clean and students wouldn’t have a safe place to learn.

Education support specialists collaborate with teachers and administrators to design curricular development, lesson plans, teaching methods and classroom organization strategies. They can also specialize in a specific curriculum area, such as educational technology or gifted education.

ESPs are critical to every student’s success, yet they often go overlooked. We fight to make sure ESPs have decent wages, working conditions and respect for the important contributions they make. NJEA has a long, proud history of advancing the interests of ESP members from local to national levels. We’ve been at the forefront of organizing ESPs, winning wage increases, negotiating contracts and promoting legislation to improve their terms and conditions of employment.

Teaching Assistants

Many teaching assistants, often referred to as TAs, are former teachers who decide they want to spend more time with their students. Other teaching aides may be college undergraduates or graduates who are working on a degree in education or a related field on the side.

During the course of their work, TAs take attendance, record grades, prepare and hang bulletin boards and other classroom materials, make copies, and provide clerical support to teachers and students. Some TAs also tutor students, especially those who are not doing well in the classroom or need help with math, language arts or reading skills.

Some clerical and administrative staff also serve as substitute teachers, escort students to and from classes, and supervise students during lunch, recess and other non-instructional times. They also perform other miscellaneous duties as needed. The British charity Education Support (formerly Teacher Support Network, Recourse and Worklife Support Partnership) is dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of teachers, lecturers and school support staff in education.

Paraprofessionals

Sometimes called teacher’s assistants or aides, paraprofessionals provide classroom support for teachers. Their duties include helping students understand academic content and skills, assisting with classwork and grading assignments, interpreting for parents who speak limited English, and monitoring student behavior. Some paraprofessionals also help with classroom management and may lead small-group instruction.

These professionals often work with the same students throughout their shift, so they’re able to become familiar with their needs and strengths. In some cases, a paraprofessional acts as a student’s “special advocate” to ensure his or her individual education plan (IEP) or 504 plan is followed closely.

In addition to classroom duties, paraprofessionals frequently perform other responsibilities like processing homework and taking attendance. They often need to be observant and pick up on cues from students’ body language that they need more help with a subject. Some paraprofessionals are bilingual and may help ELL students with their lessons by speaking in their native language.