I'm Not the Only One Who's Annoyed

I have been waiting and waiting to share this letter on the EEAL blog. At first, we waited 30, then 60 days to allow the NAEYC Governing Board time to respond. Shortly before the annual NAEYC conference, a brief response stating that NAEYC "still supports play" was issued. Shortly after that a statement was released that NAEYC Executive Director, Dr. Jerlean Daniel was retiring. http://www.naeyc.org/newsroom/pressreleases/special_announcement

My hope is that the next Executive Director will be open to hearing the concerns of colleagues and will reverse it's position on the new NAEYC Technology statement that ignores the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics that clearly state, "Television and other entertainment media should be avoided for infants and children under age 2." http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx.

Without further adieu, the letter:

Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin 

Defending the Early Years 

119 Meadow Hill Road 

Newburgh, NY 12550 

617.850.5471 

deyproject.org 

geralynbywater@gmail.com 

July 31, 2012 

Governing Board 

National Association for the Education of Young Children 

Gera Jacobs, President 

1313 L Street, NW, Suite 500 

Washington, DC 20005 

Dear NAEYC Board Members: 

We are writing because of our deep concern that proposals for sessions expressing certain viewpoints, which seem to diverge from the mainstream NAEYC views, were rejected for the November 2012 Conference. Some of the rejected sessions were offered by well-known leaders in the field. They include published NAEYC authors, past keynote speakers at NAEYC and state AEYC conferences, and respected researchers. The only reason we can imagine for the rejection of these sessions is that the topics do not align well with NAEYC's current thinking. We are especially concerned about rejected sessions that offered a critical analysis of the role of the Common Core Standards in early education today and/or the role of digital technology in early childhood programs. 

One example that illustrates our concern is that 2 proposals, “Fostering Kindergartners' Logico-Mathematical Thinking: A Better Approach to Mathematics Than That of the Common Core State Standards” and “Hearing Voices: What Teachers Say About the Current State of Early Childhood Education in America” were rejected. On the other hand, “Developmentally Appropriate Practice and Early Learning Standards: Creating Co-existence, Not Resistance” was accepted. 

Another example is the fact that at the conference there will be twenty sessions on the topic of technology and young children, including titles such as “Developmentally Appropriate Technology with Infants and Toddlers.” We wonder why this particular session was accepted when there is no evidence that the use of digital technology with infants and toddlers is beneficial or developmentally appropriate and there is some evidence that screen time may be harmful. Meanwhile, a session looking at the rise of technology and the demise of play—grounded in extensive research—was rejected. Furthermore, a vital concern about screen technologies is that they are often a vehicle for commercial marketing, yet a session exploring the impact of commercialism on children’s creativity was also rejected. 

Over the years, NAEYC has played a valuable role fostering serious conversation and debate on issues in our field. This has allowed a deepening of viewpoints within an atmosphere of respect and intellectual vigor. This approach is also in keeping with NAEYC's Statement of Philosophy and Values, which asserts that its mission is dependent on “valuing and respecting individuals with diverse viewpoints and perspectives who share a commitment to the education and development of young children.” 

We realize that there are many pressures in today's world—financial and political—that can come in conflict with this vital role. Nonetheless, we think it is of great importance for the early childhood movement and for NAEYC's own future that this statement of philosophy and values be in the forefront of all your actions. We would like to support NAEYC's efforts to stay focused on its mission by discussing with members of the Governing Board the need for greater diversity of views and perspectives on issues such as how NAEYC addresses the impact of the Common Core Standards in early education and the role of digital technology in early education. We would like to send a small delegation to the next NAEYC Board meeting to discuss these matters, and we would also welcome a conversation with Executive Director Jerlean Daniel and other senior staff. 

We look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Sincerely, 

Defending the Early Years 

Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin, Director 

Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Senior Advisor 

Diane Levin, Senior Advisor 

Alliance for Childhood 

Joan Almon, Director of Programs 

Linda L. Rhoads, Executive Director 

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood 

Susan Linn, Director 

Josh Golin, Associate Director 

Beach Cities AEYC 

Stacey Smith-Clark, President 

cc: Jerlean Daniel, NAEYC Executive Director