In recent years, the quality of preschool teachers in the world is mixed, and there are some phenomena such as low teaching efficiency, unreasonable activity arrangement and child abuse, which seriously affect the quality of preschool education.

In order to improve the quality of preschool education and even promote the progress of preschool education, it is an unshirkable responsibility to train high-quality preschool teachers. Among them, the United States has attached great importance to preschool education since World War II. Although the time is not long, with the development of preschool teachers' professional standards and even the promotion of preschool education reform in the whole country, American preschool teachers gradually tend to be institutionalized, standardized and specialized. Based on China's national conditions, we can learn from the valuable experience of American kindergarten teacher appointment standard system, which can provide reference for the reform of kindergarten teacher appointment standard system in China, thus improving the quality of kindergarten teachers and preschool education.

First, the development of employment standards for preschool teachers in the United States

In recent years, the American government has gradually raised the appointment standards of preschool teachers in the educational reform, and made a series of adjustments and developments in the pre-service teacher qualification standards, on-the-job training standards and on-the-job professional standards of preschool teachers.

1. Pre-service qualification standards: improve the teacher qualification certification standards and academic requirements.

200 1 In the educational blueprint of No Child Left Behind, President Bush requires teachers to have bachelor's degrees and academic qualifications, and teachers should pass the national teacher qualification certification and obtain the corresponding teacher license. In addition, the concept of "high-quality teachers" in preschool education is put forward. In 2002, the blueprint became law and the No Child Left Behind Law was promulgated. The bill recommends that preschool teachers in each state reach the bachelor's degree level by 2006. In 2007, the promulgation of the federal government's initiative plan bill raised the minimum qualification certification standard for preschool teachers.

As of 20 13, about 50% preschool teachers in the United States are required to hold a bachelor's degree in preschool education or equivalent preschool education experience.

2. Induction training standards: formulate strict induction standards and appointment procedures.

Since 2 1 century, in order to meet the needs of education quality and improve the retention rate of new teachers, the United States has focused on strengthening the induction training for novice kindergarten teachers. In 200 1 year, the American Teachers' Union issued the policy document "For Beginners: A Critical Bridge". In 2005, the National Committee on Teaching and Future reported that the United States would conduct comprehensive induction training for novice teachers.

It is not difficult to find that the United States attaches great importance to teacher induction training, and has defined training plans and standards. Among them, the training content requires teachers to understand the personal background and characteristics of students and adopt corresponding professional and diversified teaching methods. In addition, the United States strictly controls the appointment process. Because American law protects personal privacy, it is forbidden to ask about the candidate's marriage, property, religion and so on during the appointment process, which also ensures the fairness and justice of the appointment process to a certain extent.

3. On-the-job professional standards: establish financial subsidies and career development process.

In 2008, President Obama launched the "0-5 Education Plan". The government allocates hundreds of millions of yuan every year to subsidize the popularization of preschool education, and part of the funds are used for the professional training of preschool teachers. In order to ensure that children get high-quality early education, the American government employs qualified teachers who have passed the entry standards, and also puts forward the "Excellent Teacher Program". In the same year, the Law on Higher Education Opportunities, which was re-promulgated and came into effect, emphasized the necessity of strengthening the training of preschool teachers at all levels. In addition, in order to improve the quality of in-service teacher training, the National Association for Early Childhood Education established the National Professional Development System for Early Childhood Educators in the same year, and launched the "Action Plan for Early Childhood Educators System".

In addition, the federal government subsidized the federal technical assistance centers in 20 14, and in 20 14, it promulgated the Child Care and Development Plan Appropriation Act, requiring all states to formulate the professional development process of teachers, so as to provide a strong guarantee for the professional development of preschool teachers.

Second, the specific content of American kindergarten teachers' employment standards

According to the teacher's entry stage, the appointment standard of American preschool teachers includes three stages: pre-service qualification standard, entry training standard and in-service professional standard, and its specific contents include pre-service qualification certification, entry standard training and in-service professional audit.

1. Pre-service qualification certification

In the United States, obtaining a kindergarten teacher qualification certificate is the first prerequisite for becoming a kindergarten teacher. Among them, in order to improve the entry threshold of preschool teachers, a certain pre-service preschool teacher qualification recognition standard has been set, and its application conditions for teacher qualification certificate have two outstanding characteristics.

First, pay attention to academic qualifications. The United States requires a bachelor's degree and a bachelor's degree to apply for a kindergarten teacher qualification certificate. Among them, the requirements of public kindergartens are more stringent, requiring a bachelor's degree from the National Teachers College. At the same time, the United States has set up a special training college to train kindergarten teachers with master's and doctoral degrees. Today, there has been a trend that masters and doctors become kindergarten teachers in the United States.

The second is to attach importance to practice. Different teams have different requirements for the practice of preschool teachers' qualifications. At present, the National Preschool Education Association requires preschool teachers to have 300 hours of teaching experience in different preschool education institutions, and emphasizes the design and implementation ability of preschool teachers' activities. In addition, the National Professional Teaching Standards Committee of the United States requires preschool teachers to have three or more years of kindergarten teaching experience.

As for the teacher qualification examination, as of 2006, 47 states in the United States have applied the Prixis series of educational testing service to select teachers. This series is a standard written test, which is divided into three items.

The first test is a pre-service skill test, which evaluates reading, writing and mathematics. The second test is subject knowledge evaluation, which evaluates subject knowledge and teaching skills in detail. The third test is classroom teaching evaluation, which evaluates the actual classroom teaching skills. In addition, there are two sets of national and state certification standards for teacher qualification certification in the United States. Among them, the certification system of each state is necessary, and whether to accept the national certification is decided by each state voluntarily. At present, the national certification undertaken by NCATE is gradually becoming a unified standard for teacher certification in the United States.

2. Entry standard training

Making novice kindergarten teachers become professionals is the fundamental purpose of induction training. Therefore, in the United States, before entering the pre-school education post, preschool teachers need to undergo certain training on entry standards and pass the examination on entry standards before they can enter the front-line practice post and become a preschool teacher for children and parents. At present, there are two standards for new teachers' induction training in the United States. 1. According to different levels of teachers, the National Association for Early Childhood Education has designed three pre-service standards, namely, associate degree standard (specialist standard), junior certificate standard (undergraduate standard) and advanced certificate standard (master degree and doctoral degree standard).

These three sets of standards all contain five contents, namely: children's learning activities, family and community relations, curriculum design and implementation, health, safety and nutrition, internship experience and personal professionalism. On this basis, preschool teachers will add different levels of additional standards, that is, final standards. In addition, the actual performance of teachers is divided into four levels: basic, proficient, skilled and excellent. At the end of pre-service training, future kindergarten teachers should at least reach the proficiency level. Secondly, the 10 standard put forward by the American Association for Evaluation and Support of New Teachers strictly distinguishes the difference between new teachers and mature teachers. On the basis of this standard, many countries and local education departments have formulated the entry standards for local preschool teachers in combination with the actual situation.

At present, the content of preschool teachers' induction training will be set according to the induction training institutions of American States or school districts. Through the orientation course, help novice teachers understand the policy arrangements of the government, localities and schools, and help new teachers quickly become competent in early childhood education.

In addition, since the 1980s, the United States has set up a teacher development school to provide regular training for teachers at the entry and in-service stages. Three types of schools have been formed: "Holmes Professional Development School. The training targets are novices and in-service teachers. Professional teaching services are provided by teaching instructors and university researchers. Carnegie Clinical College trains master students, who begin teaching practice in their second year of study. Leween's professional practice school trains college graduates and novice teachers who gain educational experience and teaching skills through part-time observation and practice. "

In addition, the training of preschool teachers in the United States will rely on external help, that is, tutor guidance, peer support, college support and external support.

3. In-service professional audit

There are two main ways to audit in-service teachers in the United States: one is personal teaching file evaluation, that is, schools or school districts record teachers' teaching situation every year and form files. Educational authorities in this area should consult and evaluate personal files. The second is the practical evaluation of the teaching evaluation center, that is, the teaching evaluation center is established in the school district, which is responsible for arranging teaching simulation drills and testing teachers through teaching and subject knowledge.

Among them, the center emphasizes that all indicators cannot be applied to novice teachers, and focuses on their teaching skills. The United States advocates lifelong learning for teachers, and regularly checks and audits teachers' qualifications. At present, there are 17 states in the United States that regularly check and evaluate the teacher qualifications of preschool teachers every three to five years. From the aspects of theory, skills and practice, the qualification of each kindergarten teacher is investigated and evaluated, which provides effective guarantee for ensuring the overall quality level of kindergarten teachers at present.

In 2002, the National Teaching Professional Standards Committee put forward the professional standards for in-service teachers. Its core idea is: "Teachers must make a commitment to students and their learning; Teachers should fully understand the subject and adopt appropriate teaching methods according to the teaching content; Teachers should bear the responsibility of managing and supervising students and their learning; Teachers should systematically think about their own teaching practice and learn from it; Teachers should become an indispensable part of the learning community. "

Among them, according to the different levels of teachers, the professional standards of in-service preschool teachers are divided into three grades. College graduates, mainly technical kindergarten teachers, mainly professional skills; Undergraduate graduates highlight the mastery of the core experience of preschool education and curriculum development; Graduates at master's and doctor's level need to have more critical ability, and provide valuable opinions for the scientific and systematic investigation and research of preschool teachers' career.

The above three levels all contain six core standards: promoting children's development and learning, establishing contact with families and communities, observing, recording and evaluating, using effective methods to communicate with children and their families, using curriculum knowledge to build meaningful courses, and becoming professionals.

In addition, in order to promote the enthusiasm of in-service teachers' professional development and improve their professional quality. The National Professional Teaching Standards Committee has formulated the Standards for Excellent Preschool Teachers. Its standard is based on what teachers should know and know, as follows: teachers are committed to students and their learning, teachers know what subjects they teach and how to teach them, teachers are responsible for managing and supervising students' learning, teachers systematically think about their own practice and experience learning, and teachers are a member of the learning community.

In short, the selection and employment standards of preschool teachers in the United States are formulated from three aspects: pre-service qualifications, induction training and in-service majors. Strict and different training contents, entry standards and evaluation processes run through the career of preschool teachers. The growth of preschool teachers is mainly divided into three stages: training according to qualification standards and passing professional evaluation, obtaining preschool education licenses and becoming preschool educators; Participate in the induction training program, reach the teaching guarantee period, and obtain the formal kindergarten teacher qualification certificate; During the on-the-job period, through further training and study, I will become an excellent preschool teacher after reaching the standard and gradually update my qualification certificate.

Thirdly, the enlightenment of the development of the appointment system of preschool teachers in the United States to China.

It is undeniable that the quality level of preschool teachers in China has improved in recent years. However, there are still some problems in the employment standards and evaluation of preschool teachers in China: uneven academic qualifications, "undocumented employment" and teachers' job burnout in the establishment. How to construct the professional standards of preschool teachers in China and build a team of high-quality preschool teachers has become a top priority. A wise man corrects his own mistakes through the mistakes of others. The United States guarantees the quality of teachers by standards in the training of kindergarten teachers, which provides reference for cultivating high-quality kindergarten teachers in China.

1. Pre-service qualification certification: improving the qualification standards of preschool teachers.

In China, the Teacher Law clearly stipulates that China implements the teacher appointment system. Applicants for kindergarten teacher qualification must have graduated from kindergarten teacher or above. Among them, the examination content is divided into written test and interview, and you can only sign up for the interview after passing the written test.

First of all, practice assessment is added to the teacher qualification assessment. At present, China's teacher qualification certificate needs to pass written examination and interview. On a certain level, the selection and review of knowledge and skills have been strengthened. The outstanding feature of American teacher qualification certification is that it attaches importance to practice, requiring applicants to reach 300 class hours or have three or more years of teaching experience. Therefore, combined with China's national conditions, practical standards can be added to the assessment of teacher qualification certificate, requiring applicants to provide proof of teaching years after passing the written test, and only after passing the national standards can they be interviewed. To some extent, this has improved the quality of pre-school education students' internship in school, and also helped kindergartens to reduce the pressure of staffing.

This plan needs the effective supervision of the education administrative department and the full support of local kindergartens. Secondly, pre-school education institutions improve the entry threshold of their own units. Under the teacher appointment system in China, most preschool education institutions need the qualification of kindergarten teachers to be recognized before they can be selected. However, there are still a few local kindergartens that have no qualification requirements and only rely on the experience of "taking children" to educate their children, and there are even phenomena such as child abuse and lack of teachers' morality. This requires kindergartens and pre-school education institutions to raise standards when hiring preschool teachers, pay attention to their professional skills and professional ethics, and not completely replace professional education with empiricism. At the same time, before employment, we should strictly check according to the Code of Conduct for Preschool Teachers and the Development Guide for Children Aged 3-6. Strictly standardize the employment procedures of preschool teachers, so as to be fair and just.

2. Entry standard training: increase the contact between the outside world and preschool institutions.

The induction training stage is the "first lesson" for kindergarten teachers after entering the park, and it is the integration of theory and practice, which is of great value to the professional development of every kindergarten teacher. At present, employment units are generally responsible for unified training in China. First, increase external resources to help preschool institutions. In 20 10, the Outline of the National Medium-and Long-Term Education Reform and Development Plan (20 10-2020) mentioned "making overall plans to develop social education resources and actively developing community education".

For kindergartens, community resources are additional resources to promote and help kindergarten operation and education development. However, in real life, the cooperation between community and kindergarten is not effective, especially in some counties, towns and villages, people do not know enough about community education or how to promote the integration of community resources and preschool education. Drawing lessons from the external support measures provided by the United States in the induction training stage, China can send professionals to make targeted planning and suggestions, so that local community resources can effectively promote the development of early childhood education. Secondly, colleges and universities can provide different levels of knowledge training.

Because teachers at different levels have different basic emphases, they also need different knowledge. There are various types of professional teachers in pre-school education colleges, who can provide them with theoretical framework and skill counseling. In the United States, teacher development schools are established on the basis of high-quality public colleges.

According to China's national conditions, we can choose different types of specialized colleges to carry out training camps regularly and invite preschool education experts to teach and train prospective preschool teachers. Experts can comment and guide preschool teachers in their practice, and teachers can reflect on themselves and communicate with each other. Finally, kindergartens organize "one-on-one" groups. Drawing lessons from the teaching tutorial system in the United States, through the targeted guidance of key teachers, we can help novice teachers solve the problems encountered in the initial stage of employment in time and improve learning efficiency. This is very important for the planned and phased growth of novice teachers' professional development.

Kindergartens can also hire experts to give in-depth guidance to kindergartens. In China, primary preschool education institutions lack expert teachers and certain professional ideas. Excellent teachers can be selected from colleges and front-line teachers as needed, and they can go to kindergartens for professional research and guidance.

3. In-service professional audit: improve the audit and revision of kindergarten teacher qualification certificate.

When obtaining the teacher qualification certificate in China, the teacher qualification certificate can be obtained within 3 years after passing the written interview, and its qualification certificate is valid for a long time. At present, some pilot areas are conducting a five-year cycle of audit and registration of certified personnel who have entered the post of teacher. For two consecutive years, the teacher qualification certificate shall be revoked.

First of all, China should conduct different regular audits and evaluations of preschool teachers at different levels. Due to the long validity period of teacher qualification certificate in China, although there are regular registration pilots, the effect is not good and comprehensive. Some teachers get tired of their jobs after getting the teacher qualification certificate, do not continue their studies, and only rely on "empiricism" to protect and educate their children. The United States has organized three five-year regular inspections and audits of teachers, which has played an important role in improving the overall quality of the current teachers. China should improve the teacher qualification examination system, advocate teachers' lifelong learning, and conduct regular examinations and evaluations on all in-service teachers.

In addition, at present, the qualification certificate of preschool teachers in China belongs to the same selection standard and examination and registration standard, which has certain restrictions on the development of different types of teachers. According to the different levels of preschool teachers, we can divide them into different levels of examination and evaluation, such as clearly stipulating the qualification conditions of certificates of skilled teachers, research teachers and expert teachers at all levels, so as to locate preschool education posts more accurately and purposefully.

Among them, the unqualified teachers need to participate in the corresponding professional training for teachers, and the unqualified teachers will be suspended. If the teacher fails for the third time, he will be ordered to cancel his teacher qualification and be forbidden to engage in preschool education for five years, which is of practical significance to the professional development of preschool teachers.

Secondly, referring to the evaluation of personal teaching files in the United States and combining with China's national conditions, a special personal teaching evaluation system for preschool teachers is established. Kindergartens regularly consider preschool teachers and input the data into the system to provide reference for future job exchanges. Among them, kindergartens set up phased teaching evaluation mechanism for in-service teachers, and set up weekly consideration, monthly evaluation and annual assessment systems. For example, the classification of living environment, the random selection of professional skills, the mastery of pre-school knowledge and ideas, and the random evaluation of class activities. On the one hand, it is the evaluation and feedback of the work, and the problems are corrected in time; On the other hand, teachers should be urged not to stand still, but to be good at absorbing the strengths of others and achieve lifelong learning. Local education administrative departments should conduct regular implementation audits.

Generally speaking, the employment standard of preschool teachers affects the professional quality of teachers and the quality of preschool education. Due to the late start and short implementation time of the teacher qualification system in China, the employment standards of preschool teachers are not perfect. Combined with China's national conditions, in the process of standard certification and teacher qualification examination, the government and various preschool education institutions should work together to ensure the quality of preschool teachers.

Source: Modern primary and secondary education.

Author, Shao, Zhao Yang,