g, as a group and individually, is impossible.
But it must be said that many teachers
themselves lack the current knowledge and skills
needed to provide high-quality care and education
to young children, at least in some components of
the curriculum. Many factors contribute, including
the lack of a standard entry-level credential,
wide variation in program settings and auspices,
low compensation, and high turnover.37 With workforce
parameters such as these, is it reasonable to
expect that every teacher in a classroom today is
capable of fully meeting the challenges of providing
high-quality early care and education?
Expert decision making lies at the heart of
effective teaching. The acts of teaching and learning
are too complex and individual to prescribe a
teacher’s every move in advance. Children benefit
most from teachers who have the skills, knowledge,
and judgment to make good decisions and are given
the opportunity to use them.
Recognizing that effective teachers are good
decision makers, however, does not mean that
they should be expected to make all decisions in
isolation. Teachers are not well served when they
are stranded without the resources, tools, and
supports necessary to make sound instructional
decisions, and of course children’s learning suffers
as well