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Educational PolicyAn AuthenticLearning CommunityAsking the RightQuestionsby Adam Robson & Carrie HernandezDr. Margaret Beale Spencer isfrustrated. Very frustrated.“I am so tired of readingabout yet another gap,” she says.“Every week there’s a new gap.”The racial gap. The gender gap. Thesocioeconomic gap. The foster caregap.the list continues to grow.Dr. Beale Spencer, the MarshallField IV Professor of Urban Educationand Professor of Life Course Development at the University of Chicago, hasspent her career researching resiliency,identity, and competence formation inyouth from preschool to young adulthood; and although she understandsthat all of us — no matter one’s race,ethnicity, gender, or class — representsome status of human vulnerability, sheis also certain that the sources of thesevulnerabilities cannot be isolated in alab, but occur in contexts that are essential to understanding the nature of thevulnerability itself.Reducing a given demographic toits “deficits” and attempting to remedythose deficits through one program oranother is a common practice of educa-highscope.org Dr. Margaret Beale Spencer of the University ofChicago speaks to a group of HighScope educatorson November 11, 2015.tional reformers. This trend has perhapsbeen exacerbated by the No Child LeftBehind Act (2001), which not only raisedawareness of the disparity between theeducational outcomes of white studentsand minorities — it raised awarenessof other achievement gaps as well. ForBeale Spencer, this focus on gap outcomes is a problem. In part, that’sbecause that attention has been ineffective, having “led to more targeted interventions for different groups of students,but not [narrowing] most achievementgaps to an appreciable degree a decadeafter the law passed” (Editorial Projectsin Education Research Center).More to the point, says Beale Spencer, by focusing on the gaps, we’rescrambling for answers to the wrongquestions. “The real issue is not justcounting the outcomes — the what.You can count the what. That’s easyarithmetic,” she says. But it’s not simplya matter of determining the educationaloutcomes of various demographics andapplying a one-size-fits-all solution.“The calculus,” she says, “is the howand the why. If we understand the howand the why, then we’re able to designapropos programming wedges to intervene with those outcomes.”A call for collaborationIt was this focus on the how and thewhy that brought Dr. Beale Spencer toYpsilanti, Michigan to collaborate withHighScope staff, teachers, field consultants, and others in building a foundationfor a professional learning community(PLC) dedicated to ensuring children’slong-term competence and general resiliency, and concerned with the directionof mainstream initiatives to addresseducational inequities. Funded by theW.K. Kellogg Foundation, the HighScope pilot PLC aims to answer “theright questions” — questions that remainReSource Winter 20165

Educational Policyunasked because all too often, saysBeale Spencer, mainstream efforts atreform have focused not on how an education gap came to be, but on the easymath required to demonstrate anassumption about the fact.“A bias for those of us who are producers of science — one that is neveracknowledged, never spoken of — is thebias about ‘the Other’,” she explains.“And when we place people in the position of ‘Other’, then the questions thatare posed are questionable or inauthentic. The interpretations made of the dataare questionable. And the strategies thatare used are questionable; in fact, theremedies are inadequate for producingthe desired outcomes.”Building authentic learning communitiesmeans acknowledging that everyone hasvulnerabilities to some extent or another,and everyone needs support.If, for example, the gap betweenblack and white students is measuredby standardized testing, the answerisn’t to throw more money at tutoringfor students whose test scores neatlymatch researchers’ assumptions. Thatmay be the most readily measurableapproach, but it doesn’t address theunderlying cause, or remedy the “gap,”because it assumes a deficit on the partof the student, and removes the allimportant context from the calculus.Failing to acknowledge and accountfor the significance of context is theequivalent of assuming a toy is defective, without asking “In what way arethere connection issues?” and “Whowas playing with it last?”A revolution of conscienceDr. Beale Spencer advocates a different kind of science, a “science with aconscience” that recognizes our connectedness, our shared humanity. And so ittranspired that the kickoff event held atthe Ypsilanti Marriott on November 11thto “start the conversation” involved adialogue largely about how to start theconversation.“We’re going to figure it out together. In this movement to maximize ourchildren’s development, we’re all in thistogether,” said HighScope President,Dr. Cheryl Polk. “This is a lifelongcommitment.”This commitment asks us to thinkdifferently about our children and ourresponsibilities to one another; it’s achange in “the way we do things aroundhere” — what Beale Spencer calls a“revolution of conscience” — and it’snot just a personal change, or a structuralThe kickoff event heldat the Ypsilanti Marriotton November 11th to“start the conversation”involved a dialoguelargely about how tostart the conversation.change, but a cultural and collective one.This kind of profound collective change,according to Richard DuFour andMichael Fullan (2013), two recognizedauthorities on professional learningcommunities, “requires altering longheld assumptions, beliefs, expectations,and habits that represent the norm”(DuFour & Fullan, p. 2).So this commitment to building anauthentic learning community — onefocused on asking the right questions —concerns not just for whom we aredoing this, but also with whom.“If we don’t partner, thenwe don’t maximizebest fit, and we are6ReSource Winter 2016 highscope.org

What is a PLC?undermining our own selves and ourown efforts,” says Beale Spencer.Given the responsibility that HighScope and other early childhood education organizations have to make goodon their potential to effect positiveBy investing in thedevelopment ofpractitioners, this pilotwill break new groundin deeply understandinghow diversity affects ourchildren’s educationalcontext.change for those without a “seat at thetable,” Beale Spencer advocates for an“intellectual assertiveness,” a demandon the part of agents of change to dowhatever it takes to build authenticlearning communities. Together, as theearly childhood education community,we make decisions about “what we do,how we do it, and the questions that areasked.” By collaborating, we maximizethe impact we have with others whoserve as the context of developmentand learning for our children. To doanything less, she insists, “should beconsidered a human rights violation.”Building an authentic learningcommunitySo it begins with a mission. The purpose of HighScope’s pilot professionallearning community is to advance equity and excellence in education for theyoungest learners of all cultural, linguistic, racial, and economic backgrounds.Field consultants in Seattle and Michigan will begin by looking at the kindsof supports their respective communitiesneed. These supports will follow fromasking the right questions: How canteachers harness their collective sense ofresponsibility to form a strong collaboration focused on student learning acrossthe birth-to-grade-three continuum? Howdo issues of diversity implicitly andexplicitly, inadvertently and intentionally,highscope.org shape and affect the educational contextand teachers’ mindsets, relationships,practices, and effectiveness?Accomplishing the shared goals ofthe organization requires a leadershipthat empowers agents within the systemto engage with others and use evidencestrategically “to better meet the needsof individual students, to inform andimprove individual and collective practice, and to strengthen the ability of theteam to achieve its goals” (DuFour &Fullan, 2013, p. 57). To do this, HighScope’s pilot PLC relies on a bottom-upapproach that will enable ongoing, fieldembedded professional developmentfor HighScope’s field consultants whowork directly with preschool and childcare practitioners across the country asthey learn to implement the HighScopeearly learning curriculum and assessment system.By investing in the developmentof practitioners and coordinating withfamilies, this pilot will break newground in deeply understanding howdiversity affects our children’s educational context. Through participationin a professional learning community,field consultants can engage in “iterative cycles of inquiry” and reflectivepractices, or what Dr. Beale Spencercalls “a reanalysis and recritique of whowe are and how we do what we claimwe wish to do in support of kids.” Onlythrough this “state of self-critique” andreflection can we then apply the insightsto bring about individual and institutional changes in professional practicethat accord with principles of equityand excellence.One trait common to the process of startinga PLC is confusion about what exactly a PLC is,and is not. Many teachers in the current educational climate have found themselves part of anominal PLC, without any direction or indicationof its purpose. Those loose affiliations tend tofizzle out fast. So too do top-down managementProfessional learning communities (PLCs) create aprocess for system reform with the goal of achievingbetter results through quality implementation.systems that lack the buy-in of the changeagents within the system. It’s important, then,at the beginning of the process, to establishjust what a PLC is. DuFour and Fullan, authorsof Cultures Built to Last: Systemic PLCs atWork, offer six characteristics of a professionallearning community:1. Shared mission (purpose), vision (cleardirection), values (collective commitment),and goals (indicators, timelines, and targets),which are all focused on student learning2. Collaborative culture with a focus onlearning3. Collective inquiry into best practice andcurrent reality4. Action orientation or “learning by doing”5. Commitment to continuous improvement6. Results orientation(Cultures Built to Last: Systemic PLCs atWork, 2013, p. 14)An authentic learning community maximizes theefforts and impact of those who create the contextof our children’s development.ReSource Winter 20167

Educational PolicyOne of the primary goals of the HighScope professional learning community is to use the insights of currentresearch systematically to better meet the needs of individual students.In essence, HighScope, through thispilot PLC, is establishing a culture of“many leaders who work on the systemas well as within it” (DuFour & Fullan,p. 64). And that is “the right work” ofthe PLC process, as educators strategically “use evidence of student learningand not merely gather it.”As the dialogue proceeds, as we findout what works and what does not, theculture that we establish in the processbecomes organic, inseparable from theprocess itself. This cohesion of purposeand identification with the organizationis what DuFour and Fullan call “systemness” — an essential component of allauthentic learning communities (p. 18).It is this collective responsibility andidentification that HighScope and theW.K. Kellogg Foundation aim to achieve— by asking the right questions, andstrategically applying what is learnedfrom those questions.This strategic application of data isat the heart of Beale Spencer’s messagetoo. “One of the critiques that peoplehave leveled over the years in termsAs the dialogueproceeds, as we findout what works andwhat does not, theculture that we establishin the process becomesorganic, inseparablefrom the process itself.of the success of the Perry PreschoolProject has been the expense,” sheexplains. “What happened here is thatyou demonstrated that you can make adifference — you can make a long-termAnnouncingthe 2016 Schedule!Professional Learning CoursesFor more than 40 years, HighScope has helped great teachers attain excellencethrough professional development courses and trainings. Grow your skills andyour career this summer with HighScope’s help. One-day to multi-week optionsfor preschool or infant-toddler teachers and trainers.Turn to page 22 for details or visit highscope.org/training.8ReSource Winter 2016 difference.” But, she argues, the debatethat continues over whether the expenseis worth the outcome proceeds from thewrong question.Instead, Beale Spencer assumes variability within vulnerability in a givenpopulation — that is, though vulnerability may be typical of a group, not allmembers experience that same level ofvulnerability, or experience it in thesame way. Viewed from this perspective, could it be, she asks, that a morestrategic application of the supportsrecommended by the Perry data wouldproduce the same outcomes?In other words, if we can providequite significant supports for those whohave a level of need and will use them,rather than generalizing across a population based on assumptions, the workwe do will go that much further. Ourefforts “could have even more impacton even more families and even morekids,” she reasons, “if we were morestrategic — looking within the population, with the same amount of money.The suggested strategy acknowledgesvariations of available protective factorsand supports evident even within thesame family and most certainly withinthe same community.”Honest assessment is the result ofhonest dialogue and asking the right— and often tough — questions. “Honest self-assessment is not easy. Indeed,it is often uncomfortable,” says Dr.Polk. “But with the support of a PLC,together with other dedicated earlychildhood professionals and families,we can continue to do the work HighScope has always done — improvinglives through education.”ReferenceDuFour, R., & Fullan, M. (2013). Cultures built to last: Systemic PLCs atwork. Bloomington, IN: SolutionTree Press.Editorial Projects in Education ResearchCenter. (2011, July 7). Issues A-Z:Achievement Gap. Education Week.Retrieved November 23, 2015 p/highscope.org

HighScope’s Teaching PracticesFrom Toddler toPreschoolerContinuityof Practiceby Christine SnyderAny change we experience —big or small — causes stressrelative to the degree ofchange and the impact it has onour lives. Change can be excitingor terrifying; it can happen in aninstant or occur over time.We can ease the process of adjustingto change for children, parents, andteachers by preparing for the changes thatchildren will experience in our educationsetting and by implementing specificstrategies to ensure continuity betweenclassrooms. Though stress always accompanies change, continuity of practice canhelp to reduce the stress experienced bychildren and their families as it softensthe transition to preschool.Continuity for the childrenFirst and foremost, our obligation isto the children — to have high regardfor their perspectives and individualneeds. This impacts our daily decisionsand implementation of the curriculum,but it is equally important to considerthe child’s perspective when planningfor the move to a new program. Toddlershighscope.org Establishing continuity of practice eases the transition from toddler programs to preschool.moving to a preschool classroom may beexcited, cautious, curious, nervous, oreven unaware of what the change mightmean. Toddlers are concrete thinkersand they are focused on the here andnow, so it can be hard for them to understand that “going to preschool” is a longterm plan rather than something theyare doing just for today. The strategiesbelow can help maintain familiarityand continuity between the toddlerclassroom and preschool program.Encourage visits to the preschoolclassroom. Plan trips to have toddlers spend time in the preschoolclassroom during various parts ofthe day. These visits should occurwith a familiar caregiver, ideallythe primary caregiver from the toddler classroom. Children may enjoyvisiting during work time when theyhave an opportunity to freely explorethe materials, observe the other children in play, and interact with thepreschool teachers and children.Visiting at this time of day allowsthem to become familiar with thenew space and the new people without the expectation of following aroutine they are not yet familiar with.During this time, help children locatematerials that are similar to the typesof things they enjoyed using in thetoddler classroom. Helping them findthings they enjoy will create a positive connection to the preschoolclassroom and encourage a sense ofbelonging. Other times to visit wouldbe mealtimes or outside time. Visitingduring these times will help childrento understand how preschool andtheir own program share many partsof the daily routine.Invite preschool teachers to visitthe toddler classroom. In additionto visiting the preschool classroom, itmay be helpful to invite the preschoolteachers into the toddlers’ space. ThisReSource Winter 20169

HighScope’s Teaching Practicestive and confident about a change, theyare more capable of passing on thosefeelings to their children and focusing onwhat their child needs during this timeof change. It is important to considerwhat kind of information families willneed and in what form. The followingideas will help families feel informedabout the upcoming change so that theycan maintain the same connection tothe preschool program that they experienced in the toddler classroom.Using visuals to introduce the new space or unfamiliar sequences in the daily routine accommodates toddlers’concrete thinking.will allow the toddlers to interactwith the new teachers in their comfort zone. In addition, the preschoolteachers will be able to witness howthe toddlers engage, observe theircurrent level of independence, andsee the types of materials that interest them. This will inform the preschool teachers as they stock theFirst and foremost,our obligation is to thechildren — to havehigh regard for theirperspectives andindividual needs.preschool classroom with materialsthat are both interesting and safe

March 31–April 2 california association for the ducation e of Young children (caeYc), Pasadena, ca March 31–April 2 michigan association for the ducation e of Young children (miaeYc), grand rapids, mi April 13–15 Young child expo, new York city, nY May 10–12 highscope interna-tional conference, detroit, mi May 16–20 national head start,