Creating a Qualified Preschool Teaching Workforce Part I

Getting Qualified: A Report on the Efforts of Preschool Teachers in New Jersey's Abbott Districts to Improve their Qualifications

Sharon Ryan
Research Fellow, NIEER, Rutgers University

Debra J. Ackerman
Rutgers University Graduate School of Education

Abstract

Research shows the most effective preschool teachers – those with at least a four-year college degree and specialized training in early childhood – are consistent indicators of quality in preschool programs. However, as policymakers work to increase children's access to high-quality preschool, they also face the challenge of meeting the growing demand for the qualified teachers necessary for quality programs.

Focused on teachers' efforts to get qualified by an externally imposed time frame, this report documents the findings of a study of New Jersey's efforts to develop qualified preschool teachers in newly created Preschool- Grade 3 (P-3) teacher preparation programs, and offers policy recommendations for the state as it works to ensure that every child in an Abbott classroom is taught by a qualified teacher.

View the full paper