Leadership and Communication Skills

When leading policy change there are many important communication skills to consider.  These include but are not limited to: clarity in communication, leading in a collaborative manner, and actively listening to others (Bambacas & Patrickson, 2008).  

Of these, I feel the two most important are clarity and active listening.  In a leadership role, one must be able to send clear messages in order to avoid confusion in the group.  Moreover, being misunderstood can result in wasted time resources due to mismanagement of priorities.  Clarity ensures that everyone involved is on the right track.
Active listening is also critically important as a leader, just as active listening is important in any role.  Active listening models to others that one cares about the other and one is making effort in not just hearing but understanding what the other party is trying to convey.  In addition, it can prevent miscommunication which is important when trying to maintain efficiency and reaching objectives.  Active listening means one is physically focused on the speaker, uses body language to convey one is listening, and ends with the listener repeating back what was heard to ensure understanding (Conflict Research Consortium, 1998).
Upon reflection, I feel that my strongest strength is in modeling active listening through body language.  When listening, my body faces the speaker, and I am often nodding while doing so.  Additionally, I make much eye contact and use facial expression to share my feelings while one is speaking.  Having conference speakers approach me following their presentations and thanking me for showing interest throughout has confirmed for me that I do well in this area, as well as demonstrates that these behaviors are appreciated by speakers, even when one is part of a very large crowd!
An area in which I would like to improve is in clarity.  In my quest to be fully understood, I yield that I may excessively talk out a scenario rather than being both clear, as well as concise.  In a world, and especially a profession in which time is a critical commodity, it is useful to be able to be both clear and concise.  Moreover, one can lose the audience’s attention if over explaining a topic.

References

Bambacas, M., & Patrickson, M. (2008). Interpersonal communication skills that enhance organisational commitment. Journal of Communication Management, 12(1), 51-72. doi:10.1108/13632540810854235

Conflict Research Consortium - University of Colorado. (1998). Active listening. Retrieved from http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/activel.htm

Social Media in Promoting an Issue

Research indicates that 15 to 17 percent of children should qualify for Early Intervention (Boyle et al., 2011).  However, in 2009 only 2.67 percent of children received services (Macy, Marks, & Towle, 2014).  Rosenberg, Zhang, and Robinson (2008) uncovered racial disparities in which eligible African American children were found to be five times less likely to receive services.  In Addition, they found that children from homeless families are also underserved in Birth to Three programs. Current programs are short of qualified staff, as well as funds, leading to policies in which all children with delays or disabilities are not provided with services (Hebbeler et al., 2007).  Hebbeler et al. (2007) reported that local staff inconsistently utilized the eligibility categories thus resulting in unequal entry into services.  

The Early Intervention program has an important purpose.  Proper execution, can significantly stem and/or reduce the cycle of poverty.  Moreover, it also provides children an equal opportunity to develop the brain architecture needed in order to become an independent and a productive member of society.  Without this service, the cycle of poverty, achievement gap, and limited access to upward mobility will remain stagnant and/or continue to grow. 

In order to provide the funding required to provide mandated services to all families who qualify, the budget for Early Intervention needs to be increased.  Thus, this issue should be sent forth to the appropriate Congressional Budgetary Committee for resolution.  Secondly, as the states have mismanaged the program resulting in not all families gaining access, nor all families qualifying for services, state execution should be revoked with the federal government taking over in supplying services.  Alternatively, state execution of the program could remain in place however program execution should be clearly defined (written by a subcommittee) in order that all families receive equal services despite the state in which they reside. 

Failure to comply with mandated policy should be met with restrictions/forfeitures on state funds in other areas such as highway infrastructure and other state projects fueled with federal dollars.  Those funds will be utilized to bring in a federal task force to implement the state program which adheres to the federal policy.  The federal task force will remain active until personnel in the state program have been properly trained to carry out the requirements of the program at which time the program will then be turned back over to state control.

In order to accomplish these proposals, a committee of early childhood professionals and allies would need to be assembled.  Useful allies would include politicians, accountants, lawyers, and board members or officers of early childhood organizations.  Working together, this partnership can advocate for change to Early Intervention legislation.

To advocate for change, public support would be needed.  For an issue to be seriously considered and taken on by politicians, they need to see that their constituents are aware of and demand action on the issue.  Therefore, a useful social media tool to project this message to the general public would be Facebook.  Facebook has many benefits.  It would be free to use thereby saving important funds for other uses.  Additionally, Facebook messages can spread quickly, with the audience choosing to share posts and spreading the message further and faster.  Another benefit is that Facebook is also interactive in that the audience can comment and ask questions on posts and about the advocacy group.  Ironically, this can also be considered as a challenge as it may be time consuming responding to questions and posts.  Moreover, persons may make inappropriate comments and/or challenge the message.  Lastly, Facebook has an advantage in that it can also have audience with politicians.  Indeed, they are just as likely to see our message as the general public as they benefit in keeping abreast of issue trends.  Moreover, the statistics generated through the Facebook page can be used as evidence of public support to get politicians on board with the cause.

Another useful social media tool would be Twitter.  This tool would also reach the general public and politicians alike.  One downside with Twitter is that to grow in followers, you do need to spend time following others.  This will up the activity level of the account and make one more relevant.  Patel, (2015) warns that if one follows too many people, but only has a few followers, it appears desperate.  Therefore, Patel (2015) recommends having a close number between followers and followed. 

References

Boyle, C. A., Boulet, S., Schieve, L. A., Cohen, R. A., Blumberg, S. J., Yeargin-Allsopp, M., … Kogan, M. D. (2011). Trends in the prevalence of developmental disabilities in US children, 1997-2008. PEDIATRICS, 127(6), 1034-1042. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-2989

Hebbeler, K., Spiker, D., Bailey, D., Scarborough, A., Mallik, S., Simeonsson, R., … Singer, M. (2007). Early intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families: participants, services, and outcomes. Retrieved from https://www.sri.com/sites/default/files/publications/neils_finalreport_200702.pdf

Macy, M., Marks, K., & Towle, A. (2014). Missed, misused, or mismanaged: Improving early detection systems to optimize child outcomes. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 34(2), 94-105. doi:10.1177/0271121414525997

Patel, N. (n.d.). How to grow your personal brand on twitter in only 10 minutes a day. Retrieved from http://marketingland.com/how-to-grow-your-personal-brand-on-twitter-in-only-10-minutes-a-day-121514

Rosenberg, S. A., Zhang, D., & Robinson, C. C. (2008). Prevalence of developmental delays and participation in early intervention services for young children. PEDIATRICS,121(6), e1503-e1509. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-1680

Personal Goals for Dynamics of Early Childhood Policies and Systems Course

I have to confess that it was certainly a challenge to chose just three goals for this class.  As a second grade teacher in a public school, the emphasis of my role is facilitating student learning.  This is where all my efforts are channeled.  I am fortunate in that I work for a district with a highly competent principal.  She takes care of all policy needs and even writes grants for us in order to fulfill our wishes for classroom teaching aids such as Chromebooks, Smartboards, and an aquarium.  Yes, even an aquarium!  As a result, this class is all new information for me and is shaping a whole new way of looking at education and how it is intertwined with other disciplines, as well as public policy.

In narrowing my goals down to three, I would begin with developing a stronger sense of political structures and how to utilize those structures to procure more services for families.  I have a strong sense of advocacy for children and their families, and other than discussing issues with my local state representatives, I have not participated in the process of fighting for policy changes.  For example, due to recent research development on the developing brain, I understand that the most critical period in every person's life is from pre-birth to three.  It is certainly a reflection of our values as a nation that we do not provide childcare or parenting development classes universally free of cost to this segment of the population.  I believe we are failing the potential progress of our society as a whole through lack of action in this arena.  When children from birth to three thrive, we will all benefit.  It is these generations who will take care of us when we retire.  By investing in them, we are investing in ourselves, our descendants, and the health of our future society.  Thus, I indeed would like to learn more about political structures in order that I can advocate for these beliefs.

Secondly, I would like to explore public policy more in depth.  For the same reasons as described above.  With a deeper understanding of the inner workings of public policy, I can more effectively advocate for policy change.

Lastly, in pursuit of these goals, it would be advantageous for me to expand my understanding of the latest medical research into birth to three development.  Without public support, my advocacy will be in vain.  I can use what I will learn about political structures and public policy to direct the research backing my assertions through the proper channels to affect change.

While these goals may not affect the current learners in my classroom now, they have the potential to enable all my future students to come to me in second grade primed to learn.  In that scenario, all of society eventually benefits.  If we all step up and advocate, change is possible.  But we need to learn how to become effective in advocacy.  I am hopeful that this class will set me upon a path in which I can begin to become a competent advocate in time.

References

Http://medsin.org/. [Image]. Retrieved from http://medsin.org/advocate/what-is-advocacy

Reflections on Coursework

I garnered a great deal of pertinent and valuable information and insights from my Doctorate course: Influences of Family, Culture, and Society in Early Childhood.  I enjoyed exploring children’s identity formation, roles of relationships in healthy development, effects of biases, and complexities of family; culture; community; and society on development.

The themes with which I connected most were research on the brain in regards to trauma, stress, and resilience; and creating family-professional alliances.  I find information on the brain to be fascinating.  It was unfortunate to discover that severe trauma fro

m pre-birth to three years old can and often have effects that last a lifetime (The Center on the Developing Child, 2010).  It was beneficial to find that coping strategies can be taught to children which will enable them to deal with future trauma in ways which will mitigate the detrimental effects of toxic stress and increase their resiliency.  This data on the brain helps to put context into children’s behavior in the classroom.  When dealing with children who have anger, compulsivity, and impulse control issues, it is helpful to remember why they are behaving in such a manner and can enable one to react without personal emotion.

It is well known that building relationships with families is an important part of education, especially so for children with challenges.  However, in the reality of the time crunch of the profession, it can sometimes be relegated to the back burner. Hanson and Lynch (2013) yielded that partnerships are easier to describe than to create and maintain.  However, the information shared in this class ignited me to make this aspect of being a teacher a bigger priority.  A little bit of effort can go a long way and having quality, meaningful conversations will reap rewards for a child’s development.  

References

Hanson, M., & Lynch, E. (2013). Understanding Families: Supportive Approaches to Diversity, Disability, and Risk, Second Edition (2nd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.

Center on the Developing Child Harvard University. (2010, May). Early experiences can alter gene expression and affect long-term development: Working paper no. 10.pdf. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/early-experiences-can-alter-gene-expression-and-affect-long-term-development/

[Image]. Retrieved from http://whatssogoodaboutpubliceducation.blogspot.com/2014/03/teachers-and-parents-working-together.html

The Interview Process and Course Project Update

I feel very fortunate regarding my interviewees.  My first candidate is a former colleague of mine.  She was a school counselor at my district and did a remarkable job.  She had the skill set and natural rapport to form a connection with any child within five minutes.  Fortunately, although she left the district, she continues to be a source of information and advice when needed.  Currently, she is on vacation with her family in Florida.  Thus, we will be having the interview next week when they return home and are settled.  I look forward to her insights regarding working with children who have experienced trauma.

My second candidate I do not know personally but she came highly recommended.  She is considered the "go to" person for young children who have experienced trauma.  She is a counselor at a local office her in Wausau.  Like Debbie, she happens to be on vacation, though in Canada, so we will be getting together this Tuesday to discuss strategies in working with young children who have experienced trauma. The only real challenge thus far in the interview process has been in finding time to meet with very busy professionals.

My course major project has been coming along very well.  I only have five more journal articles to disseminate.  The 15 I have so far include research in effects of parental drug or alcohol abuse on children, effects of toxic stress on children, and how to treat children who have suffered from stress and post traumatic stress disorder.  It has been very challenging finding research within the last five years.  Moreover, the majority of my database searches come back with research on children who use drugs or alcohol despite my search terms.  None-the-less, I have thus far managed to meet the criteria.

I can't say that very much of the data was unexpected.  So far, my research has turned illustrated what I would have thought the results to be.  It is disheartening how difficult it can be for kids to overcome the severe circumstances with which they must survive in these circumstances.  As one may expect, some of these children grow up to find themselves abusing drugs or alcohol.  Especially those who suffered violence.  Kilpatrick, Acierno, Saunders, Resnick, and Best (2000) explained, "...substance use represents a strategy to cope with the stress produced by interpersonal aggression (Bean, 1992; Brown, 1989; Dembo et al., 1987; Ireland & Widom, 1994; Lindberg & Distad, 1985)" (p. 19).

References

Center on the Developing Child - Harvard University. [Image]. Retrieved from http://wellcommons.com/groups/aces/tags/toxic-stress/://

Kilpatrick, D. G., Acierno, R., Saunders, B., Resnick, H. S., Best, C. L., & Schnurr, P. P. (2000). Risk factors for adolescent substance abuse and dependence: Data from a national sample. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(1), 19-30. doi:10.1037/0022-006x.68.1.19

Course Project: Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Fortunately, growing up, I did not have to contend with a parent or loved one suffering from drug or alcohol abuse. Many are not so lucky! The National Institute on Drug Abuse (2015) reported that 10.3 million people over the age of 11 used illicit drugs (excluding marijuana) within the last month 2013 survey. Thus, it is a widespread problem which affects many families.

Due to my lack of firsthand experience in this area, I chose it as my project. I would be interested in learning specifically, the effects on children whose parent/s is/are abusing drugs or alcohol. Becoming more knowledgeable in this area would allow me to better understand what my future students are experiencing, thus enabling me to better meet their needs and mitigate their circumstances as best I can. Moreover, it will provide me with knowledge in how to relate to, deal with, and hopefully provide resources to their families. I fully believe that addiction is truly a disease. Learning more about this topic will allow me to better help families cope, as well as hopefully having some influence which could end a potential cycle in which the children grow up to become addicted.

One of the many questions I hope to find an answer to, is what strategies we can teach children in order to help them cope with the family circumstances they experience due to drug or alcohol abuse. The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2014) states that exposure to toxic stress can lead a child to a damaged brain architecture. Therefore, it is important that children learn coping strategies in order that long term or permanent brain damage does not ensue.



References

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2015, June). DrugFacts: Nationwide trends | National institute on drug abuse (NIDA). Retrieved May 25, 2016, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/nationwide-trends

Scientific Council, N. (2014). Excessive stress disrupts the development of brain architecture.Journal of Children's Services, 9(2), 143-153. doi:10.1108/jcs-01-2014-0006

Skolkovo. (2011). [Image]. Retrieved from http://image.slidesharecdn.com/zelmanvladimirexploringnewfrontiersofbrainpreservationandprotection-110204112407-phpapp01/95/zelman-vladimir-exploring-new-frontiers-of-brain-preservation-and-protection-22-728.jpg?cb=1296818725

Children's Needs

  

There are a plethora of needs that children need met. I would like to focus on play, fitness, and growth mindset. Young children need plenty of play to develop important neural pathways and connections. Sensory information taken in through the experiences in play are the foundation of the creation of the neural networks.






These developments will be necessary for children to be able to succeed academically when they begin elementary school. Ginsburg (2007) shared, "Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth" (para. 7).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (n. d.), stated, "Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years" (para. 1). While society has acknowledged that there is a childhood obesity epidemic, nationally, obesity in children is still on the rise.

Skinner and Skelton (2014) shared that although it has stabilized to a certain degree, it is still increasing. Specifically, 17.3 percent of children aged two to 19 years were obese between 2011 to 2012 and over the last 14 years obesity has increased. I invite you to watch my piece for dissemination video on childhood obesity.



Dr. Carol Dweck's growth versus fixed mindset has strong implications for teachers and students. Dr. Dweck is a world leading researcher in motivation and is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University (Mindset, 2010). Her research focused on why people succeed and how to foster success. This led her to fixed versus growth mindset. In a fixed mindset intelligence is static. Persons with a fixed mindset avoid challenges, give up easily, sees effort as fruitless, ignores feedback, and is threatened by the success of others. In contrast, growth mindset is the perspective that intelligence can be developed. Persons with a growth mindset embrace challenges, see effort as a path to mastery, learn from criticism, and are inspired by others' successes. Her work is the basis of the book Mindsets in the Classroom: Building a Culture of Success and Student Achievement in Schools by Mary Cay Ricci.

It is important for teachers and parents to foster a growth mindset within children. For instance, a Columbia University survey shows that 85 percent of American parents think it's important to tell their kids that they are smart, when in fact it may actually be harming them (Bronson, 2007). Dweck's research on mindset illustrates the need to praise effort, rather than intelligence. Planting the seeds of effort and growth into children from a young age would prepare them for the academic and growth opportunities to come. Moreover, it could be the foundation for developing a love of learning. I invite you to watch the videos to learn more about how the brain works and what this means for growth versus fixed mindset. Neuroplasticity  Mindset and Success

Resources

Ginsburg, K. R. (2007, January). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds | From the American Academy of Pediatrics | Pediatrics. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/1/182

Skinner, A. C., & Skelton, J. A. (2014). Prevalence and trends in obesity and severe obesity among children in the United States, 1999-2012. JAMA Pediatrics,168(6), 561-566. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.21

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Obesity prevention | Healthy schools | The centers for disease control and prevention. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm