2016-17 Leadership Academy Cohort 3

Erin Kissling joined the Indiana Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning and Intervention in January 2015. She earned a master’s degree from Ball State University in Elementary Education with a specialization in Early Childhood Education and a certificate in Early Childhood Leadership and Program Administration. Erin’s primary focus at the Department of Education is building sustainable, quality early childhood systems for Indiana. Before joining the Indiana Department of Education, Erin taught in an early childhood classroom and was the director of a birth to third grade program for seven years.

• MA – Ball State University – Elementary Education
• BGS – Indiana University – General Studies

Job Embedded Project Summary – Principals are the instructional leaders of their building, but without training in early childhood education, they are often unable to recognize and cultivate high quality early learning environments within their buildings. Over the 2017-2018 school year, I will foster a community of practice for elementary school principals with early learning programs. The community of practice will involve a series of supports including in-person and virtual meetings, and program tools that will assist principals leading quality early education programs in Indiana. The cohort will focus on accessing the early childhood system in Indiana and the ability of leaders to develop the capacity of their early childhood teachers through our teacher evaluation system of continuous feedback and support. Leaders will be able to monitor developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood classrooms.

Final presentation on the job embedded project.

Kim H. Guieb works as a P-3 project manager for Hawai’i P-20 Partnerships for Education. Her responsibilities includes strategic planning and coordination of statewide P-3 initiatives and policies that support young children’s development and learning through cross-sector collaboration.  Specifically, her current projects include convening Early Childhood Data Collaborative of public and private partners and providing training and technical assistance in the use of formative assessment in the early learning programs.  Her past positions consisted of P-3 Project Coordinator with a P-3 demonstration project, and Assistant Director and Program Manager of a Head Start program in Hawaii.

• MS., Tufts University, Social Science in Food and Applied Nutrition with minor in Maternal and Child Health
• BA., Clark University, Biology

Job Embedded Project Summary – Similar to most states, Hawai’i does not have a centralized coordinating structure that guides data sharing and analysis in the early childhood sector, which would involve multiple State agencies that oversee State and federal programs, along with many private childcare and PreK providers of varying sizes. A comprehensive early childhood data-sharing system will require significant coordination among and commitment from a large and diverse group of organizations. By leveraging the internal resources of Hawai’i P-20 and seeking the knowledge and expertise of a data governance consultant, key committed members will meeting regularly, finalize charter documents to solidify their commitment and begin to deliver at least one or two integrated early childhood reports, to better understand the effects of preschool participation, specifically in the State funded PreK and Head Start programs, have on school readiness, as measured by third grade reading and math proficiency assessments.

Laura Reid is a Professional Learning Community Specialist with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL). She manages professional learning initiatives for the state of Georgia, with a specific focus on relationship-based professional learning projects including coaching and professional learning communities which are part of Georgia’s Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge grant. Prior to joining DECAL, Laura worked for Quality Assist, Inc. for more than 15 years and managed a number of training and technical assistance initiatives. Her experiences in those roles include developing and facilitating face-to-face professional learning events, managing staff and training classroom data collectors, as well as developing online courses.

• MEd, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Elementary Education
• BA, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Early Childhood Education

Job Embedded Project Summary – Traditional approaches to professional development (i.e., “sit and get” trainings) do not result in sustained, meaningful changes in providers’ daily practice. Relationship-based approaches, such as coaching and professional learning communities, offer a promising alternative. Our goal is that every birth-five teacher in Georgia has access to a skilled early learning coach. In order to do that, we must increase our state’s capacity to provide high quality coaching. The creation of a coach designation system is an initial step toward accomplishing that goal. A set of coach competencies will form the core of the designation system. Other elements will include a career pathway for coaches and ongoing professional learning opportunities to support individuals just starting out as coaches as well as those who are more experienced.

Sondra Ranum is the Co-Director of the Early Childhood Professional Development System within the Office of Early Learning and School Readiness at the Colorado Department of Education.  For the last 3 years, the Early Childhood Professional Development team has focused on implementing the Workforce area of Colorado’s Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Fund.  Sondra leads projects focused on Colorado’s credentialing systems, a statewide Coaching Network, Trainer Approval and other aspects of a coordinated professional development system. Sondra was previously the Assistant Program Director for the Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care Initiative at the Colorado Department of Education and a Professional Development Coach with Clayton Early Learning. Additionally, Sondra has served as Adjunct Faculty for the Colorado Community College System and the University of Colorado.

• MA University of Colorado Denver, Educational Psychology Human Development
• BA University of Colorado Boulder, Psychology

Job Embedded Project Summary – The competencies early childhood teachers utilize with young children are critical to improving outcomes for at-risk and vulnerable children.  Unfortunately, current approaches to develop and recognize these professionals’ competencies are often ineffective. In 2014, Colorado revised the Early Childhood Professional Credential to align with the Colorado Early Childhood Competencies for Educators and Administrators and current research on effective strategies to develop skills.   Since the launch of the revised credential, over 8,000 professionals have been recognized in this system.  However, is the credential a valid measure of their skills?  This question will be explored through a preliminary validation study of Colorado’s Early Childhood Professional Credential 2.0.   Results of the study will determine next steps to continue to validate and strengthen the credentialing system.