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Challenges using IPEDS for examining the Early Childhood teacher preparation pipeline

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the higher education pipeline of Early Childhood teachers in Chicago in order to make recommendations for strategies to increase the number of qualified Early Childhood teachers. Previous research by the Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) examining the supply of and demand for Early Childhood teachers in Illinois (Presley, Klostermann, & White, 2006) found that the city of Chicago will need to rely more heavily on the new certificant pipeline because the reserve pool of already qualified Early Childhood teachers is much less robust in the Chicago region. Further analysis using IPEDS data revealed that there are large leakages in this higher education pipeline.

This study focused on these leakage issues using a two-pronged approach:1)A detailed analysis of enrollment and one-year persistence data of Early Childhood Education students from ten Chicago institutions; and,2)A survey with Early Childhood Education students from the ten participating institutions, examining barriers preventing them from progressing in their program.

Results show the pipeline is slow moving due to the large percentage of “interested” students, many of whom are enrolled part-time. Barriers cited most often are related to under-preparedness (including passing the Illinois Basic Skills test) and financial issues.

Methods

Results

• Overall, students are predominantly female (97%) and represent a mix of racial/ethnic groups, white (32%), black (33%), and Hispanic (21%) students. On average, undergraduate students are older (mean=27.7) than “traditional” age students. Individual institutions vary considerably on these race and age demographic characteristics (see report).

• Overall, the majority (65%) of undergraduate students are Pre-Candidates (i.e., interested in the program). Only three institutions have more than 50% of their students officially enrolled in the ECE program.

Results

• One-year persistence data show that Candidates are more likely than Pre-Candidates to progress to their next academic step. 33% of 2006 Candidates graduated in Fall 2007. Only 10% of 2006 Pre-Candidates progressed to Candidate status in Fall 2007.

Conclusions

References

Contact information

Many university data systems cannot distinguish between “interested” versus “enrolled” students when reporting to IPEDS. A more detailed analysis of institutions’ enrollment for undergraduate programs which examines the progress of Pre-Candidates and Candidates separately would provide a more precise account of the higher education pipeline of Early Childhood teachers. Including both groups in enrollment counts paints a broad picture of potential ECE graduates; however, the data are not consistent across institutions due to differing proportions of Pre-Candidates at institutions and differing persistence outcomes. Tremendous differences in policies and definitions among universities also contribute to the blurred picture of the higher education pipeline of Early Childhood teachers.

No two institutions (in our study) are alike in terms of the students they serve in their Early Childhood Education programs. While it is advantageous for students to have many options to meet their needs, it creates challenges for developing statewide policies which impact all programs. The Chicago area Early Childhood Education pipeline examined in this study is slow-moving due in part to a large percentage of part-time students (with many enrolled less than eight semester hours) and a large percentage of students not officially enrolled in the ECE program. Pre-Candidates face financial challenges and difficulty completing prerequisites, including the Illinois Basic Skills test. Many have other responsibilities (i.e., work and childcare) that do not allow them to attend full-time. Policies directed at reducing the financial burden (e.g., scholarships, subsidies for books and internet access) and decreasing the work/class time conflict (e.g., free childcare, flexible schedules) would likely increase the number of full-time students, thus accelerating the production of ECE graduates eligible for certification.

Presley, J. B., Klostermann, B. K., & White, B. R. (2006). Pipelines and pools: Meeting the demand for early childhood teachers in Illinois (IERC 2006-3). Edwardsville, IL: Illinois Education Research Council.

A copy of the full report and executive summary for the current study can be found at ierc.siue.edu in the Publications listing.

Brenda Klostermann, PhDIllinois Education Research CouncilSIU EdwardsvilleEdwardsville, IL618-650-2239breklos@siue.eduWebsite: ierc.siue.edu

Gerald McLaughlin, PhDDePaul UniversityChicago, IL312-362-8403gmclaugh@depaul.edu

Overall, nearly one-third (30%) of undergraduate students are enrolled less than eight semester hours for Fall 2006 (quarter hours were converted to semester hours). Only 12% of students are enrolled in 15 or more semester credit hours, putting them on track to graduate in four years. Institutions vary considerably on students’ enrollment level.

IR offices and Early Childhood Education (ECE) departments from ten Chicago universities identified students interested (Pre-Candidates) or officially enrolled (Candidates) in their ECE program in Fall 2006 991 undergraduate students were identified across all

institutions IR offices provided demographic and enrollment data for the

students for Fall 2006 and Fall 2007 Students were grouped by five Fall 2007 outcomes *

Candidates – officially enrolled in ECE program Graduates – graduated between Fall 2006 and Fall 2007 Pre-Candidates – interested, not but officially enrolled in ECE

program Enrolled, but not in ECE – switched to another teacher

preparation program or to another major at the University Not Enrolled – not enrolled in the University in Fall 2007

Survey Methodology Stratified sample based on Fall 2007 outcome• PreC, Not in ECE, Not in Univ 560• Cand & Graduates (1/2 of group) +179

739 Web- and paper-version survey 40 $25 Borders gift cards for incentive 161 Undergraduate students completed (22% response rate)

* Some differences occurred between university records and student perceptions of their 2007 outcome, especially for Pre-Candidates.

• Institutions are similar in terms of Candidates’ progress from 2006 to 2007; however, institutions vary considerably regarding Pre-Candidates’ progress and leakage from the ECE program . Only two institutions have a moderate proportion (38%) of students moving to Candidate status in Fall 2007. Five out of eight institutions experience one-third to one-half (32%-50%) of their Pre-Candidates not enrolled in Fall 2007.

• Pre-Candidates cited not completing all prerequisites (76%) as their primary reason for not being enrolled in ECE in Fall 2007. Students who leaked from the ECE program reported inability to pass the Basic Skills test (32%) as their top reason.

Brenda Klostermann, IERCSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville

Gerald McLaughlin DePaul University