Remarks by Dr. Charles B. Reed
Chancellor, California State University
Early Childhood Workforce Conference
Sacramento, CA
March 3, 2006

Welcome and Introductions

Thank you, Gary (Reichard), and thank you all for joining us here today.

I'd like to begin by introducing some of our special guests:

• Roberta Achtenberg, vice chair of the California State University's Board of Trustees. Because of her commitment to this project, she is probably the person most responsible for us being here.

• Jack O'Connell, California Superintendent of Public Instruction. There is no finer supporter of education than Jack. He has been a partner with us in our EAP program and in teacher education; and he was a leader in the effort to establish CSU Channel Islands.

• Joyce Justus, interim vice provost for student affairs at the University of California, representing the UC system.

• Steven Bruckman, executive vice chancellor of the California Community Colleges

• Glen Thomas, executive director of the California County Superintendents Education Services Association

• Kris Perry, executive director of the Children and Families First Commission

• Leslie Schwarze, chair of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing

• Sam Swofford, executive director of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing

…and Gary Reichard, executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer for the CSU system. Gary will be today's meeting facilitator .

We are honored to have such a diverse crowd here today. We have faculty and administrators from CSU, UC, and community college campuses. We also have representatives from county offices of education, the California Department of Education, Preschool California, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the business community, and legislative staff. We are pleased to have so many thoughtful and experienced partners in this effort. Thank you all for joining us today.

And special thanks to Mary Sandy from the Chancellor's Office staff for her work in organizing today's event.

Importance of Quality in Early Education

We are here today because a high-quality early education is important to all segments of our educational system. We know that a strong early education is a significant predictor of future educational success.

Plus, I have an especially strong personal interest in this issue - I have five young grandsons who are in their preschool and early school years: Mattox, Sam, John, Marc, and Charlie.

The CSU's role begins with California's Master Plan for Higher Education. The master plan gave the CSU a very focused mission in the preparation of the education workforce.

Currently we produce 55% of the teachers that are credentialed for work in K-12 classrooms. We also prepare 72% of the people who work in the schools, including principals, counselors, and curriculum experts.

As the largest four-year system of public higher education in the world, being responsive to the educational and economic needs of our larger community is fundamental to our mission.

When the state needed to increase the supply of elementary school teachers as a result of class size reduction, we stepped up our efforts. Over a period of 6 years, we increased our production of K-12 teachers by 54%. We've recently launched an effort to double the number of math and science teachers we prepare each year.

Now is time for us to re-focus our attention, collectively and collaboratively, on the preparation of teachers for early learners.

As the K-12 curriculum reforms have come into full play in California's schools, it has become increasingly clear that students who have had the benefit of a high quality preschool experience are better prepared as they transition into school.

One of the key elements of a high quality preschool experience is the quality and preparation of the teacher. For instance, we know that with a high-performing teacher, students make measurable progress. But when they have a poorly prepared teacher, they may even regress.

Our purpose here today is to take stock of our efforts in the preparation of those teachers who serve our youngest students.

We hope this meeting will be the beginning of a long-term effort to work across segments to meet California's need for well-qualified early childhood educators.

Structure for the Day

We will begin today with a keynote address on the status of early childhood teacher preparation in California's institutions of higher education.

Following the keynote, a distinguished panel of education leaders will provide a response and share their insights about the issues.

Our luncheon speaker will give us a briefing on universal preschool in California.

After lunch, we will break into groups to discuss issues related to postsecondary curriculum, access, faculty recruitment and articulation with the community colleges. Each of these topics is defined more fully on the agenda in each participant packet.

The group facilitators will form a panel after a short break, and report on the issues that emerge during the small group sessions.

Gary Reichard will provide concluding remarks, and we will adjourn by 3:45.

Once again, this issue is very important to us at the CSU, because we are fully committed to the best possible preparation of the teachers who help children enter kindergarten ready to learn, to achieve, and to be successful in their later years. We want to raise the expectations for success in the schools.

We have an extraordinary group convened here today, and I hope everyone is able to make the most of our time together.

Introduction of Dan Bellm

Our scheduled keynote speaker, Dr. Marcy Whitebook, was unable to join us today. She was in an auto accident, and although she was not seriously injured, she is home recuperating. We wish her all the best in her recovery.

Today we are pleased to welcome Dan Bellm, senior policy analyst at the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at U.C. Berkeley's Institute of Industrial Relations. Dan and Marcy have both have spent a great deal of time thinking and strategizing on these issues.

With Dr. Whitebook, Dan co-authored Taking On Turnover: An Action Guide for Child Care Center Teachers and Directors and The Early Childhood Mentoring Curriculum.

He has written many other training and policy resources for the child care profession over the past 20 years. We look forward to having him share his expertise with us. Please join me in welcoming Dan Bellm.

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