Improving preschool teaching Teachers changed to make the grade by Debra Williams At Jackson Elementary School in Auburn-Gresham, state prekindergarten teacher Evelyn Green learned to respond softly rather than sternly to youngsters who misbehave. Both teachers made the changes after conducting thorough self-appraisals as part of their schools' bids for accreditation from the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, an arm of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The self-study is the hardest part of the accreditation process, teachers say, because it forces them to look closely at how they do their jobs.
Accreditation means a program meets nationally recognized criteria for quality care and education.
In Chicago, private preschools took the lead in seeking accreditation, while the public school system figured it didn't need outside validation. In 1991, however, the system's Department of Early Childhood Education decided that accreditation could be a route to program improvement. The first step is the self-study. Teachers examine their programs, identifying what they teach, how they teach and whether what they do measures up to the National Academy's standards. Then, teachers identify what they need to do to shore up any weaknesses.