Sharing Web Resources

• http://www.preknow.org 
• What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development? Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?
• This site has information for educators on:
•   Pre-K Teachers Resource Center
  
  Virtual Classroom Tour
  
  Community-Based Pre-K Providers
  
  Teacher Profiles
• I also found information on program assessments interesting & useful:
Pre-K Assessment

Controversy and conflict have surrounded the assessment debate in education since the 2000 passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which brought a renewed emphasis on accountability in education. Also since that time, state spending on pre-k has increased by over $3 billion to $5.2 billion (FY09). As of 2008, one million children were enrolled in state pre-k programs nationwide. The incredible momentum for both pre-k and accountability in education has prompted critical questions: Should pre-k programs be held accountable? If so, how should program effectiveness be evaluated, and how should progress be measured for each individual child?
Pre-K Now believes assessments and evaluations of both children and programs are vital for the success of any state pre-k system. Different assessments provide different data: on the needs of individual children, the effectiveness of a program's practices, or the success of state pre-k policies. Above all, assessments must be adequately funded and developmentally appropriate. This paper outlines our recommendations for successful assessment policies, drawing on decades of important research, particularly the excellent work done on early assessment by the National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force (PDF) (largely funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts) and a 2008 National Research Council (NRC) study.

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• What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?
•  There is a section in the website labeled: Pre-K Advocates.
• Pre-K Advocates Pre-K Now recognizes that pre-k advocates share a common cause but often don't have access to common resources. From state to state, pre-k challenges and solutions vary, yet the insight gained from each campaign is valuable to us all.
  Gathered here are facts, research, presentations, and honest dialogues about pre-k. Advocates developed these resources, and every usage of them creates new knowledge and experience that increases the effectiveness of advocates across the nation.
  
  What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?
• I discovered ways to advocate for children with my local business and community leaders:
• Business & Community Leaders At Pre-K Now, we understand the importance of business and community leaders' involvement in the movement for high-quality pre-kindergarten. In many instances, business and community leaders are the most effective advocates for young children, and in that spirit, we offer examples of and resources for leaders who are helping advance high-quality pre-k for all in their states.
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