Before we begin we need to visit the No Child Left Behind Act and review what it is and why it is important for us to know this information as Early Childhood Educators. This act was passed in January of 2002 and it requires federally funded educational programs and practices to be based on scientifically based research.

The intent of these requirements is for teachers and administrators to improve their schools based on knowledge as well as professional wisdom and to guide teachers and administrators toward understanding, locating, and applying scientifically based research to improve student learning.

This act has impacted our local schools to reorganize with one primary result. Because of greater demands for student achievement, educators will need to care about Scientifically Based Research and how it impacts success in their schools. Educators will have to make critical decisions about curriculum, instruction and strategies. They will need to learn and understand Scientifically Based research in order to improve learning in the classroom and integrate it into their educational modus operandi.

So What is Scientifically Based Research? The No Child Left Behind Act defines it as;  Research that involves the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs.

The No Child Left Behind legislation, along with guidelines from the U.S. Department of Education, defines scientific research for the goal of determining what works in educational programs and practices. For example, scientific evidence for a literacy program would need to demonstrate convincingly that the program causes an improvement in reading. To be able to do this they have come up with 6 criteria for research to meet this standard.

Six Criteria for Scientific Based Research

Importance of Play

How do we make sense of all this in the Child Development world and maintain a developmental approach to learning?

Play Policy

According to the March 2005 issue of Young Children’s Magazine, developing a play policy can help in validating the play philosophy.

Research

We need to insist that play is a critical component to a child’s learning.  We need to become familiar with the research that proves it. 

According to the article, current research on play focuses in three areas:

1. Health – the increase in childhood obesity and weigh related health problems are exacerbated by physical inactivity and sedentary routines. 
2. Cognitive and physical – brain research shows observable differences in the quality and quantity of brain cell development between young children with stimulating and non-stimulating  early learning experiences during the first 36 months.
3. Social and language – social skills grow through play experiences as the child moves from enjoying simple contact with another person to learning to cooperate, take turns, and play by the rules.  Research also shows a relationship between active, socially engaging play and early language and literacy development.

Definition of Play

The article also defined play according to three areas;

1. Exploratory meaning the open-ended nature of play …. Exploring the world around them and developing practice skills
2. Intrinsic meaning the evolutionary, synergistic nature of play … this is the creative aspects of play that are unpredictable, unique and imbedded with surprise
3. Developmental aspects of play include the more predictable structures of play associated with social, physical and creative development

Articulation

And lastly we need to articulate the importance of play to parents, educators, and policy makers.

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