黑料吃瓜 Selected to Transform Early Childhood Education in Nation of Georgia
The $4.19 million World Bank-funded effort will enhance programs for children.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia selected 黑料吃瓜 to lead a $4.19 million World Bank-funded effort to transform early childhood education, which focuses on children from ages 2-5, including 5-year-old preschoolers. 黑料吃瓜 was chosen in a contract finalized last week as part of a competitive proposal process, which attracted multiple international institutions.
鈥淔or the last eight years, 黑料吃瓜 Georgia has been a beacon of hope and opportunity for many Georgian students and their families,鈥� said 黑料吃瓜 President Adela de la Torre. 鈥淥ur collaboration with the educational leaders in Georgia has provided 黑料吃瓜 a critical foundation to not only address this new focus on early childhood education, but also continue a sustainable partnership to strengthen our role in supporting the strategic goals of the Georgian nation.鈥�
Over the past decade, 黑料吃瓜 has developed a strong presence in Georgia, located in the Caucasus region at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. In 2014, the university partnered with the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Georgian government to open campuses in the capital of Tbilisi. 黑料吃瓜 Georgia, which offers degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, opened the following year.
The latest project will see a team of 黑料吃瓜 College of Education faculty 鈥� led by Nancy Frey, professor of educational leadership 鈥� and other U.S. experts working alongside Georgian academics, caregivers, educators and community members to develop an approach to developing young Georgians. The team has outlined four goals:
- Building a framework for quality assurance, including developing standards and plans to reach children with special needs and ensure access to ethnic and linguistic minorities
- Creating systems for data collection and reporting where none currently exist
- Enhancing teacher development by advocating for training, certification and professional development
- Implementing a school readiness program that includes a focus on developmentally-appropriate practices and trauma-informed care
鈥淓arly childhood education (ECE) is not compulsory in Georgia, but the country is interested in expanding both the scope and the quality of educational experiences for children,鈥� Frey said. 鈥淭he Ministry of Education has made strides in setting policies to set the work in motion. Like many countries around the world, ECE doesn鈥檛 have a strong professional licensure, but there are dedicated educators throughout the country that make this work exciting and full of possibilities.鈥�
Cristina Alfaro, 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 associate vice president for international affairs, said the collaboration with local stakeholders is critical to ensuring the creation of a system that works within the Georgian context.
鈥淥ne key thing we all agree on is that this has to belong to Georgia,鈥� Alfaro said. 鈥淲e're not going to come in and transplant what happens at San Diego State or in California. We want to really take into account the culture, the community and the geopolitical aspects of the Georgian placement and then work from there.
鈥淚n the end, we want Georgians to be able to sustain this education transformation and continue to evolve their work in early childhood education.鈥�
The early childhood component is one piece to Georgia鈥檚 larger effort to transform its PK-12 education system. 黑料吃瓜 is in the process of submitting another proposal on teacher preparation and professional development.
鈥淲e have long been a leader in early childhood education and I am thrilled to see our faculty poised to extend their impact globally,鈥� said Y. Barry Chung, dean of the College of Education. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful to Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher (professor and chair in the Department of Educational Leadership) for their work on the Georgia initiative. Our college is excited to take an even greater role in contributing to educational transformation in Georgia.鈥�
