The first organization I looked into was the National PTA (www.pta.org) . This organization appeals to me because it works to unite schools and families through educator development programs, community outreach and policy reform. They are advocates for the educational system as a whole. Within the PTA, there is a job opportunity that interested me. The job is that of Leadership Development Manager. The duties of this job include, but are not limited to: developing an e-learning plan for the National PTA, developing online course work, evaluating course feedback, conducting staff training and leadership meetings. The requirements of this job include exceptional management and organizational skills, understanding of adult learning and its methodology, knowledge of key issues in education, being able to travel and at least a bachelor’s degree in adult education and at least 5-7 years minimum of experience in the planning and implementation of adult education. I think this job sounds interesting and challenging. I have most of the requirement, especially in the area of adult education as that is my specialization. However, I would have to have several years of experience in order to qualify for this position.
Next, I chose the NAEYC (www.naeyc.org). This organization is the largest in the world of its type, working on behalf and for the welfare of young people.
A position I found interesting is a board member seat. While this is not considered a career, there would be much involved and a large time commitment to this job. The governing board acts and makes decision in the best interest of the NAEYC. The qualifications to become a sitting member of the board include, but are not limited to candidates who have demonstrated leadership and advocacy in the early childhood education field. They will also need to have expertise in whatever field has been left vacant on the board. One must be nominated for the board. While this position sounds quite interesting to me, I have many years to go before I feel that I will have made the necessary contributions to early childhood education that are required to be in this position.
Finally, I looked into the Division of Early Childhood or DEC for short (http://www.dec-sped.org/). This organization is an international membership organization that cares for the well-being of children with special needs and disabilities. The DEC is currently hiring an executive director. The responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to planning. Developing and administering the goals of the DEC. The executive director will also have fiscal responsibilities for the organization and will work to support the board of directors. The requirements of this position are that candidates have experience running a non-profit organization, the ability to handle the finances of a non-profit organization and a demonstrated ability to achieve the desired outcomes of an organization. No where is it listed that a certain degree or form of education are required. While I think this could be a very interesting job, I do not have any experience with running a non-profit organization. I hope in my future to add this to qualification to my list of abilities.
References:
Division of Early Childhood (n.d.). Retrieved on March 28, 2013 from: http://www.dec-sped.org/About_DEC/Career_Center.
NAEYC (n.d.). Retrieved on March 27, 2013 from: http://www.naeyc.org
National PTA (n.d.). Retrieved on March 27, 2013 from: http://www.pta.org/index.cfm.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that the National PTA was involved in professional devlopment for educators. My specialization is adult education as well, so the job you mentioned interests me. I applaud the efforts of this organization because family involvement is crucial to a young child's success in school.
Thank you for sharing,
Krista
I hope that you will seriously consider becoming involved in your local AEYC affilaite. I spent many years on local Boards and found that it was a wonderful community of practice. There are a variety of roles, chair positions, committees to participate in. They need new leaders, as the membership has dropped from over 100,000 to the 80,000s. You can use your interest in adult education to present workshops to teachers.
ReplyDeleteHave you attended the AEYC Conferences? State or National? These conferences are truly amazing and inspiring. That is where I first learned of Louise Derman-Sparks many, many years ago. I have benefited from the truly amazing community of practice that AEYC provides.
I started out going to Board meetings of a local affiliate to represent my boss and our center on a committee. Within a short time, I was a Board member and presenting workshops at conferences! It is rewarding. And you can truly make a difference.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information about the National PTA organization. My mother was involved with the PTA for many years when I was in school. The schools I have worked in unfortunately do not have PTAs. I will be checking the National PTA site for information on starting a PTA in my school.
Dear Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThe national PTA sounds like an interesting place to work. I think we can use what we’ve learned about partnering with families for this organization. I think uniting schools and families is very important when we try to make situations better for children.
Aya