Throughout your academic journey at Walden University, you have been encouraged to make a difference in your field and in the world around you by engaging in positive social change. Consider for a moment the vision and impact of Walden’s Global Days of Service. This movement encourages all members of Walden’s global community to volunteer in their local communities and serve neighbors in need. How will you take the specialization knowledge you have gained throughout your program to serve your community?
For Part 5 of your Course Project, you will develop a proposal for a community service project related to the goals and needs of the program you selected for your Course Project.
COURSE PROJECT PART 5: PROGRAM-RELATED SOCIAL CHANGE ACTIVITIES
Throughout your academic journey at Walden University, you have been encouraged to make a difference in your field and in the world around you by engaging in positive social change. Consider for a moment the vision and impact of Walden’s Global Days of Service. This movement encourages all members of Walden’s global community to volunteer in their local communities and serve neighbors in need. How will you take the specialization knowledge you have gained throughout your program to serve your community?
For Part 5 of your Course Project, you will develop a proposal for a community service project related to the goals and needs of the program you selected for your Course Project.
Important Note: You will share your ideas for this Assignment in the Module 5 Discussion 2 Forum. Be sure to read through the instructions for this Assignment and Discussion 2 prior to beginning work this week.
To prepare:
· Review the Walden University sites regarding social change and Walden’s Global Days of Service. Consider the many meaningful opportunities found in early childhood programs, K–12 schools, and communities for enacting social change.
· Think about the program you selected for your Course Project and how one or more of the program’s goals lend itself to enacting social change. What might you do to integrate the goals and needs of the program into a community service project for one of Walden’s Global Days of Service?
· Review the Callahan et al. (2012) paper and complete the interactive media activity, Web Map for Analyzing Social Change Position, for your proposed community service project. This activity asks you to consider the extent to which your project incorporates each feature outlined by Callahan et al. What features are more prominent than others on the web for your proposed project? What, if anything, might you do to incorporate more of the features that are less incorporated?
Assignment Task
Add the following to your Course Project paper:
Part 5: Program-Related Social Change Activities
Write a 2-page proposal for a Walden Global Days of Service project related to the goals and needs of the program you selected for your Course Project. In your proposal, be sure to explain:
· The specific activities you would do to influence social change in your selected program and its community. Be sure to align your activities with Walden’s mission and vision for social change, and explain how they work to support the goals and needs of the program.
· Which of the eight features of social change described by Callahan et al. (2012) are most prominent in your proposed project. Be sure to explain why those features are more prominent than others.
· The steps you would need to take in your educational setting or community to implement your activity.
· How your activities would demonstrate insights with regard to educational, community, and social change you have gained as a result of the Learning Resources and learning experiences in this course.
· How, as a Walden graduate, you will continue to be an agent of social change in the future.
Submit Parts 1–5 of your Course Project as one cohesive APA-formatted paper. Include the PDF of the social change features map you created for Part 5 of your course project with your submission.
For this Assignment, and all scholarly writing in this course and throughout your program, you will be required to use APA style and provide reference citations.
MODULE 5: LEARNING RESOURCES
Required Readings
· Fullan, M. (2016).
The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
· Chapter 13, “The Future of Educational Change” (pp. 258–265)
· Callahan, D., Wilson, E., Birdsall, I., Estabrook-Fishinghawk, B., Carson, G., Ford, S., . . . Yob, I. (2012).
Expanding our understanding of social change: A report from the definition task force of the HLC Special Emphasis Project
Download Expanding our understanding of social change: A report from the definition task force of the HLC Special Emphasis Project
[White paper]. Minneapolis, MN: Walden University.
Social Change Web Maps [Diagrams]. Adapted from Expanding our understanding of social change, by Callahan, D., Wilson, E., Birdsall, I., Estabrook-Fishinghawk, B., Carson, G., Ford, S., Ouzts, K., & Yob, I., 2008. Baltimore, MD: Walden University. Adapted with permission of Walden University.
· Cooper, K. S., Stanulis, R. N., Brondyk, S. K. Hamilton, E. R., Macaluso, M., & Meier, J. A. (2016).
The teacher leadership process: Attempting change within embedded systems.
Links to an external site.
Journal of Educational Change, 17(1), 85–113. doi:10.1007/s10833-015-9262-4
· Walden University. (2016).
Global days of service
Links to an external site.
. Retrieved from https://www.waldenu.edu/about/social-change/global-day-of-service
· Walden University. (2017b).
About: Our history.
Links to an external site.
Retrieved from https://www.waldenu.edu/about/who-we-are
Review this site for information on Walden University’s mission and vision and its focus on social change.
Required Media
· Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2017b).
Mapping social change
Links to an external site.
[Interactive media]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
4
“Proposal for a Walden Global Days of Service Project”
Angel Winslow
EDSD 7900
Module 5 Assignment
COURSE PROJECT PART 5
Date Due: February 5, 2023
Part 1: The Program
Early childhood education is one of the specialization areas that had its issues presented in Mayo Keller’s taskforce. As a member of the taskforce specializing in early childhood education, I will present to the taskforce programs that need improvement for the ultimate goal of advancing the sector. One program that need to be evaluated and improved for change is the enrollment program into early childhood education. The goal of the program is to increase enrollment and improve participation of young learners in early childhood education. The enrollment of children aged 3 to 5 years into early childhood education has significantly been declining in the Grand City area. The situation therefore calls for the stakeholders to look into the causes and solutions (Walden University, 2016). Parents, district education officers, mayor’s office, and early childhood educators are some of the stakeholders concerned with the program.
Data
Within a span of 5 years the number of children aged 3 to 5 years who were admitted into early childhood education declined. The percentage of children in this particular age bracket who enrolled into preschool program reduced from 49% to 43% within a period of 5 years. Kindergarten enrolment in Grand City area has declined over a period of 5 years compared to the neighboring states. Over the last 5 years the enrollment of young learners into the early childhood education from the various communities such as Whites, Asians, American natives, Pacific islanders, and African American declined in Grand City area as compared to its neighboring states (Walden University, 2016). The reduction in enrollment continues to take place despite the increase in population in Grand City Area. There has been an increase in population in the area due to migration of refuges from Riza. While enrollment of young leaners into early childhood education continues to decline, the number of families in need of subsidized preschool programs continue to increase. Grand City area recorded an increase from 34% to 48% in the number of families in need of subsidized preschool programs. The decline in enrollment and the increase in the number of families in need of subsidized preschool programs could give possible indications of financial difficulties faced by the parents and families in Grand City area. A majority of the learners in Grand City are come from low-income families. About 80% of the student population in schools comprise of learners from minority groups and African American communities (Walden University, 2016).
Making the Program Effective through Strategies, Initiatives, and Activities
The current enrollment of young learners into early childhood education in Grand City area has not been effective. There are strategies that can help improving its effectiveness. Magnuson and Waldfogel (2016) propose the use of accommodative approaches to early childhood education. The authors through their article looked into how economic disparities between low-income and high-income families affected their achievements and enrollment into early childhood program. The article proposes the use of reasonably priced early childhood programs as a strategy to increase enrollment in situations where family income affects enrollment. This strategy can effectively apply to Grand City area since a big percentage of learners come from low-income families. The initiatives involved in the strategy would entail helping families identify early childhood education centers that provide affordable programs for enrollment. The other initiative would entail working with the department of education and district education officers to cap the pricing for early childhood education programs. The activities would include identifying listing early childhood education centers that offer affordable programs, encouraging parents from low-income families to enroll their children into the programs, create awareness about the availability of such programs. Magnuson and Duncan (2016) propose for an increased public funding for publicly funded preschool that entail a mix of part- and whole-day programs for leaners from the low-income families. It is indeed practical that low-income families mainly depend on publicly funded early childhood programs. The initiative would entail the department of education and mayor’s office increasing the funding for public early childhood education programs and encouraging parents to enroll their children into public programs. The activities would include creating awareness of the existence for public programs, and lobby for funding for public programs.
Part 2: Evaluation Tool Planning
Indicators of Effectiveness
Indicators in a program show the changes and improvements made. Attainment of a desired change is an indication of effectiveness. Progress that can be measured in comparison between the days before the program improvement and the days after the program improvement can be used as indication of effectiveness. The indicators of progress that will be used to show the effectiveness of this particular program will include an increase in enrollment into early childhood education that will be ascertained every enrollment year. Enrollment data will be recorded annually during every enrollment period and analyzed. The other indicator that will be used to assess the effectiveness of the enrollment program will be determining the increase in funding for public early childhood education programs. Public funding data will be collected and analyzed against public enrolment every year. Other than public funding, data will be collected on the availability of affordable early childhood programs in Grand City area. An increase in the number of such programs will be a positive indication that learners from low income families can certainly enroll into early childhood education.
Evaluation Criteria and Tool Design
Evaluation of a program is a critical process that gives program initiators the opportunity to ascertain the progress made and identify possible challenges (Giancola, 2014). The criteria for evaluating the progress of the program will be based on both short-term and long-term impacts. The short-term effects of an enrollment will be recognized within a period of one year while the long term effects will be recognized within a period of 5 to 10 years. Nonetheless, it will be essential to track progresses regularly. While enrollment mainly takes place after every year, it will be critical look into biannual data to determine any enrollments made within mid-year. Enrollment data is mainly quantitative in nature derived by counting actual student enrollment within a specific time period. Comparison group design would be necessary when comparing the enrollment rates in Grand City area against its neighboring states. The comparison group design would also be appropriate in determining the enrollment rates per county. Existing data will serve as a basis for the comparison. Data plays a critical role in tracking the progress of a program (Fullan, 2016). The rationale guiding the choice of the evaluation tool and design is based on the fact that the program will mainly utilize, past, present and future changes in data as a guide in evaluating performance. Enrollment of young learners into early childhood education has declined in Grand City area for the last 5 years. With the implementation of the program there will be anticipated changes in future.
Buy-in and Collaboration Strategies
Collaboration with the stakeholders such as the department of education, district education officers, mayors’ office, and parents will be very critical for the success of the program. Nonetheless, to ensure that the stakeholders accept and support the program there will be need for their involvement. Communication and solicitation of feedback is one strategy for strengthening collaboration and encouraging buy-in. It will be necessary to communicate the program to the department of education so as to secure funding for public early childhood education programs. It will also be necessary to communicate to the parents and get their feedback on the declining enrollment. Apart from communication and solicitation of feedback, establishing shared vision, shared values, and goals is essential in getting the support of all stakeholders (Giancola, 2014). The goals of the program will be unifying to all the stakeholders. Parents, education department, early childhood educators, and district education officers all have one goal of ensuring increased enrollment in early childhood education.
Part 3: Evaluation Tool
Rationale for Quality Indicators
The quality indicators selected for the evaluation tool are based on the program information, goals, data, and research. The program is designed to increase enrollment and improve participation of young learners in early childhood education. To assess the program’s effectiveness, the tool must include quality indicators related to enrollment and participation. The enrollment indicator is used to measure the number of young learners aged 3 to 5 years who have enrolled in early childhood education. The participation indicator is used to measure the number of young learners aged 3 to 5 years who are actively participating in early childhood education. Data from the last five years shows that enrollment and participation have both declined in the Grand City area. Thus, these two indicators are essential to measure the success of the program.
Validity and Reliability of Measurable Criteria
The validity and reliability of the identified, measurable criteria will be determined by the accuracy of the data collected and the method used to collect the data. The data collected will include enrollment and participation rates of young learners aged 3 to 5 years in early childhood education and the number of families in need of subsidized preschool programs. To ensure validity and reliability, data should be collected from a representative sample of the population and collected with standardized methods. Additionally, the data should be collected with a consistent frequency (e.g., annually or biannually).
Program Evaluation Research
The program evaluation research that supports the way the evaluation tool was created is based on the ideas of Magnuson and Waldfogel (2016) and Magnuson and Duncan (2016). These authors proposed the use of accommodative approaches to early childhood education and increased public funding for publicly funded preschools, respectively. These strategies are applicable to the Grand City area, as it has a large population of low-income families. The evaluation tool is also based on the data collected from the last five years, which shows a decline in enrollment and participation in early childhood education. This data serves as a baseline for comparison and helps to measure the effectiveness of the program.
Part 4: Action Plan
The action plan will support the program evaluation by providing a roadmap for the implementation of the program. The action plan will ensure that the necessary funding, resources, skills, and training are available to increase enrollment and participation in early childhood education in the Grand City area. Additionally, the action plan will identify the key actions and persons responsible for each action. This will allow the program to be monitored more closely and ensure that all actions are completed promptly (Magnuson and Waldfogel, 2016).
The ongoing program evaluation will include data collection, results interpretation, action steps modification, and information dissemination to other stakeholders. The data collection will include enrollment and participation rates of young learners aged 3 to 5 years in early childhood education and the number of families needing subsidized preschool programs. This data will be collected annually or biannually from a representative population sample with standardized methods(Walden University, 2016).
Additionally, the data should be collected consistently (e.g., annually or biannually). The data will be analyzed and interpreted to measure the program’s success and identify areas for improvement. The analysis results will be used to modify the action steps as needed. Once the action steps are limited, the information will be disseminated to other stakeholders, such as the Department of Education, the Mayor’s Office, and parents.
The data collection, analysis, and dissemination of information can create meaningful change that will increase the effectiveness of the identified program. Through the data collection and analysis, the program can identify gaps in the enrollment and participation of young learners aged 3 to 5 years in early childhood education. This will allow the program to develop strategies to address these gaps and improve enrollment and participation in early childhood education. Additionally, through disseminating information, the program will increase awareness of the availability of early childhood education programs and encourage parents from low-income families to enroll their children in the programs. The program will also be able to lobby for increased funding for public early childhood education programs (Walden University, 2016).
Action Plan Template
PART ONE:
Goal Statement: The goal of the program is to increase enrollment and improve participation of young learners in early childhood education in the Grand City area.
Specific
: The is clear as it is to increase the enrollment of young learners aged 3 to 5 years in early childhood education in the Grand City area by the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Additionally, the goal is to increase the participation of young learners in early childhood education by the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
Measurable
: The success of the program will be measured by the increase in enrollment and participation of young learners aged 3 to 5 years in early childhood education in the Grand City area. The increase in enrollment and participation will be measured annually and biannually. Additionally, the success of the program will be measured by the increase in the number of families in need of subsidized preschool programs.
Attainable
: The goal is attainable this year as the necessary resources, skills, and understandings are available. The department of education, district education officers, and the mayor’s office have the resources and skills to increase funding for public early childhood education programs, identify listing early childhood education centers that offer affordable programs, and create awareness about the availability of such programs. Additionally, parents have the understanding and conditions to enroll their children into early childhood education programs.
Relevant
: The goal is important and aligned to other school and district goals. The goal is aligned with the needs of the Grand City area, which is to increase enrollment and participation of young learners aged 3 to 5 years in early childhood education. The data collected from the last five years shows a decline in enrollment and participation in early childhood education in the Grand City area. Additionally, the goal is aligned with the values and norms of the Grand City community, which is to ensure that all young learners have access to quality early childhood education.
Time-Bound
: The program will begin in January 2023 and end in June 2023. There will be biannual progress checks to measure the success of the program
.
PART TWO: Determine Evidence of Success.
Direct Evidence: The direct evidence of success will be determined by measuring the improvement in enrollment and participation rates of young learners aged 3 to 5 years in early childhood education. This data will be collected annually or biannually and compared to the baseline data from the last five years. Improvement will be measured by comparing the current enrollment and participation rates to the baseline data. An improvement in enrollment and participation rates of at least 5% from the baseline data will be considered a success.
Indirect Evidence: The indirect evidence of success will be determined by measuring the improvement in the number of families in need of subsidized preschool programs. This data will be collected annually or biannually and compared to the baseline data from the last five years. Improvement will be measured by comparing the current number of families in need of subsidized preschool programs to the baseline data. An improvement in the number of families in need of subsidized preschool programs of at least 5% from the baseline data will be considered a success. Additionally, the availability of affordable early childhood programs in Grand City area will be monitored to measure the success of the program.
PART THREE: Develop an Action Plan.
Key Action (for whom, what grade levels)
Resources, skills, training, support, and funding needed
Person or group responsible
Start/end dates of activities
Increase funding for public early childhood education programs
Funding from Department of Education and Mayor’s Office
Department of Education, Mayor’s Office
January 2023- Feb 2023
Identify listing early childhood education centers that offer affordable programs
Database of early childhood education programs
Department of Education, Mayor’s Office
Feb 2023-March 2023
Encourage parents from low-income families to enroll their children into the programs
Database of early childhood education programs
Department of Education, Mayor’s Office
March 2023- April 2023
Create awareness of the availability of public programs
Database of early childhood education programs, educational materials
Department of Education, Mayor’s Office
April 2023- May 2023
Lobby for funding for public
Database of early childhood
Department of Education, Mayor’s
May 2023-June 2023
Part 5: Program-Related Social Change Activities
My proposed Walden Global Days of Service project is focused on helping to improve the lives of disadvantaged children in my local community. The project will involve working with local organizations to provide meals and other necessities to needy children. It will also involve coordinating with local businesses to provide educational opportunities and mentorship programs for children in the community. Additionally, volunteers involved in the project will engage in activities such as painting murals and landscaping to improve the appearance of the local community. These activities align with Walden’s commitment to social change and will bring about meaningful change in the lives of disadvantaged children in my local community.
The eight features of social change identified by Callahan et al. (2012) that are integrated the most into my proposed Global Day of Service project are collective action, shared vision, collaboration, inclusiveness, social equity, social justice, leadership, and positive relationships. The most integrated features of social change in my proposed project are collective action, shared vision, and collaboration. These features are most prominent in my project as they all involve volunteers coming together to bring about meaningful change in the lives of disadvantaged children in my local area. Collective action is essential to the project’s success, as it will involve working together to provide necessities and educational opportunities to needy children Callahan et al. (2012). The shared vision of the project will ensure that all team members are working towards the same goal. Finally, collaboration is also necessary for the project’s success, as volunteers will need to work together to improve the appearance of the local community through painting murals and landscaping.
In order to implement my proposed Global Day of Service project in my local community, I would need to take several steps. Firstly, I need to reach out to local organizations and businesses to coordinate our efforts and resources for the project. I also need to identify needy children in the local area and determine their needs. Once this is done, I need to coordinate with local businesses and organizations to provide these children with meals, educational opportunities, and mentorship programs. Finally, I need to coordinate volunteers to engage in activities such as painting murals and landscaping to improve the appearance of the local community. I could implement my proposed project and bring about meaningful social change in my local community by taking these steps.
The activities proposed in my Global Day of Service project demonstrate the insights I have gained from the Learning Resources and learning experiences in this course. Through this project, I could put into practice the knowledge I have gained about social change, educational systems, and community engagement (Veine et al., 2020). I could use this knowledge to coordinate activities that would bring about meaningful social change in my local community. Furthermore, this project would also allow me to demonstrate leadership and collaboration skills and understand the needs of disadvantaged children in my local area. My project would also demonstrate my understanding of the importance of working together to improve the lives of those in need.
As a Walden graduate, I plan to continue to be an agent of social change. I plan to continue using my skills and knowledge to bring positive change to my local community. I plan to continue volunteering my time and resources to help those in need. For example, I plan to continue participating in community service projects like the one I proposed in this Course Project. Additionally, I plan to work with local organizations to provide meals and other necessities to needy children and coordinate with businesses to provide educational opportunities and mentorship programs for children in the community. By doing so, I will continue to be an agent of social change in the future.
References
Callahan, D., Wilson, E., Birdsall, I., Estabrook-Fishinghawk, B., Carson, G., Ford,S., . . . Yob, I. (2012). Expanding Callahan, D., Wilson, E., Birdsall, I., Estabrook-Fishinghawk, B., Carson, G., Ford,S., . . . Yob, I. (2012). Expanding our understanding of social change: A report from the definition task force of the HLC Special Emphasis Project
Fullan, M. (2016). The elusive nature of whole system improvement in education.
Journal of Educational Change,
17(4), 539-544.
Giancola, S. P. (2014). Evaluation matters: Getting the information you need from your evaluation.
Giancola Research Associates, Inc.
Magnuson, K., & Duncan, G. J. (2016). Can early childhood interventions decrease inequality of economic opportunity?.
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences,
2(2), 123-141.
Magnuson, K., & Waldfogel, J. (2016). Trends in income-related gaps in enrollment in early childhood education: 1968 to 2013.
AERA open,
2(2), 2332858416648933.
Veine, S., Anderson, M. K., Andersen, N. H., Espenes, T. C., Søyland, T. B., Wallin, P., & Reams, J. (2020). Reflection as a core student learning activity in higher education-Insights from nearly two decades of academic development. International Journal for Academic Development, 25(2), 147-161.
Walden University. (2016). Grand City education and demographic data files. Retrieved from
https://cdn
media.waldenu.edu/2dett4d/Walden/EDDD/2015/CH/mm/grand_city/index.html
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