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Early childhood education has proven to be a significant return on investment for society. Research studies have reported greater academic achievement levels, increased probability to graduate, hold a job, and earn higher wages, and be less likely to be involved in the criminal justice system. These results are predicated on one important factor: the early childhood program must be high quality. Unfortunately, there are no clear criteria to identify the measures of high quality. While there are a number of areas that may be considered indicators of high quality early childhood education, i.e., curriculum, class size, and teacher-parent relationships, the one area that has garnered significant attention, through research, is the teacher. The teacher is, perhaps, the most important factor in the success of students. But what characteristics of the early childhood teacher impact student achievement? The purpose of this study was to investigate training differences in early childhood teachers. The study sample was comprised of students in a 3- and 4-year-old federally and state funded program in Mercer County in Pennsylvania. The data were gathered over two school years and represented 55 classrooms in the county, 33 unique teachers, and 749 students in the assessment averages in order to answer the following question: To what degree do teacher variables of college degree, certification, years of experience in the county early childhood programs, higher education institution issuance of degrees, or state issuance of certification affect child outcomes? A correlational analysis was conducted in order to assess the association between the teacher variables and child outcomes. Based on the findings of this study there is a relationship between the teacher’s degree, certification, and years of experience in the county early childhood program, with years of experience revealing the greatest impact. This information can inform hiring practices, certification programs, and policy-makers. |
