Course | Foundations of Early Childhood Education

Price

The price listed reflects the course price of $79 plus a monthly membership fee of $99, as access to the course requires an active membership.

For further information, please visit StraighterLine website.

Description

Want to decide if a career in education is right for you? StraighterLine's Foundations of Early Childhood Education online course explores what it really means to be an educator today. You’ll get a comprehensive approach to educational approaches and learn how schools function. You’ll also examine the broader context of education, including the roles that different stakeholders play and how resources impact school success.

What You’ll Learn

During StraighterLine's Foundations of Early Childhood Education online course, you will consider what it means to be an educator in the 21st century. Engage in activities that will help you understand the U.S. educational system by reflecting, comparing, and analyzing how our schools currently function and what areas need improvement. You'll also learn about the varying contexts of how community members, administrators, teachers, and students function within the educational system and how resources can impact how successful or unsuccessful schools can be. Foundations of Early Childhood Education will help you determine if education is the right career path for you.

• Understand what it means to be in the teaching profession and how teacher preparation has changed over the years.
• Engage in a reflective discussion about how teachers can foster students’ growth mindsets and help students develop their EQ while meeting the needs of learners with exceptionalities.
• Apply how unconscious bias influences life in the classroom and how deficit, expectation, and cultural difference theories explain dissimilar academic performance among various racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.
• Critically consider how the history of education (including the Colonial period, Common School movement, and the education of underrepresented groups) contextualized the way education in America was formed and then how the educational system evolved as a result of reform efforts, federal programs, and influential educators.
• Engage in information discovery and analysis regarding some of the major philosophies of education in the United States today and identify some of the psychological and cultural factors influencing education.
• Compare the parameters of educational equity and educational adequacy and understand how school boards and superintendents manage schools within the confines of budgets and broader community constraints.
• Create an outline for how school reform options have impacted public schools and for the role of teachers, community members, and students within those efforts.
• Identify the formal and hidden curriculum taught in schools today and the cultural and political implications resulting from current reform efforts like the Common Core State standards, and how technology is being integrated.
• Demonstrate how teachers navigate their classrooms, set a stage for learning, and support effective instruction in a multitude of ways using different models of instruction.

Course Details

ECE101

Foundations of Early Childhood Education encourages learners to consider what it means to be an educator in the 21st century, empowering them to analyze current issues that they may encounter in a modern teaching career. This course introduces learners to important foundational frameworks, such as emotional and multiple intelligences and the growth mindset. In addition, learners will gain an understanding of the history and evolution of the American Educational system—including its roots and current context.

• ACE-Recommended
ACE Code: OOSL-0118

• Flexible Schedule
28-day average course completion

• Transferred 162,000 Times
165,200,000 USD saved on tuition

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites to take Foundations of Early Childhood Education.

Course Text

The required eTextbook for this course is included with your course purchase at no additional cost.

Sadker, D. M., Zittleman, K. R., & Koch, M. (2022). Teachers, schools, and society (6th ed). McGraw-Hill

Course Checkpoints

• Checkpoint 1: Teaching as a Career
Watch and Learn: Teaching and Learning
Read: Textbook Chapter 1: pp. 1–12
Instructional Video: Teachers Discuss the Pros and Cons of Teaching

• Checkpoint 2: The Teaching Profession and You
Read: Textbook Chapter 1: pp. 12–19
Read: Textbook Chapter 1: pp. 19–23
Instructional Video: The Crusade to Educate Teachers

• Checkpoint 3: Mindsets and Multiple Intelligences
Read: Textbook Chapter 2: pp. 28–34
Instructional Video: Multiple Intelligences in Action

• Checkpoint 4: Different Ways of Learning
Read: Textbook Chapter 2: pp. 34–44
Read: Textbook Chapter 2: pp. 44–54
Instructional Video: Including Students with Special Needs

• Checkpoint 5: Teaching Your Diverse Students
Read: Textbook Chapter 3: pp. 59–67
Instructional Video: Dr. David Sadker Identifies Classroom Bias through a Role Play
Read: Textbook Chapter 3: pp. 68–78
Instructional Video: High School Students Discuss Issues They Face as Immigrants

• Checkpoint 6: The Colonial Period
Watch and Learn: Foundations of Schools 1
Read: Textbook Chapter 5: pp. 132–135

• Checkpoint 7: Educational Reform
Read: Textbook Chapter 5: pp. 135–144
Instructional Video: The Common School and the Teaching Profession
Read: Textbook Chapter 5: pp. 145–163
Instructional Video: Social Change: Desegregating Schools

• Checkpoint 8: Philosophy of Education
Watch and Learn: Foundations of Schools 2
Read: Textbook Chapter 6: pp. 167–185

• Checkpoint 9: Psychological Influences on Education
Read: Textbook Chapter 6: pp. 186–187
Read: Textbook Chapter 6: pp. 188–193
Instructional Video: Essentialism in Action: A Classroom Lesson

• Checkpoint 10: Funding, Equity, and Action
Read: Textbook Chapter 7: pp. 197–211

• Checkpoint 11: Financing and Governing America's Schools
Read: Textbook Chapter 7: pp. 212–214
Read: Textbook Chapter 7: pp. 215–227
Instructional Video: School Board Meeting to Discuss Application for Jamie Escalante Charter School

• Checkpoint 12: School Goals
Watch and Learn: Schools and Classrooms
Read: Textbook Chapter 9: pp. 269–275

• Checkpoint 13: Purposes of America's Schools and the Current Reform Movement
Read: Textbook Chapter 9: pp. 276–291
Instructional Video: Tour of a Boston Charter School
Read: Textbook Chapter 9: pp. 291–300
Instructional Video: Alternate Visions Second-Chance Schools Educational Remedies

• Checkpoint 14: Types of Curriculum
Read: Textbook Chapter 10: pp. 310–318
Instructional Video: Alternative Assessment Portfolios

• Checkpoint 15: Curriculum, Standards, & Testing
Read: Textbook Chapter 10: pp. 319–324
Read: Textbook Chapter 10: pp. 325–342
Instructional Video: Explaining Standardized Test Scores to Parents: A Dramatization

• Checkpoint 16: What Makes an Effective Teacher?
Read: Textbook Chapter 11: pp. 351–373
Instructional Video: Classroom Management

• Checkpoint 17: Becoming an Effective Teacher
Read: Textbook Chapter 11: pp. 374–382
Instructional Video: A Guided Tour of Technology in Today's Classroom
Read: Textbook Chapter 11: pp. 383–386

Credit

3 credits.

Credit may be available for this course and may vary by country or institution. Please verify eligibility with StraighterLine.

Assignments & Grading

Your score provides a percentage score and letter grade for each course. A passing percentage is 70% or higher.

Assignments for this course include:

• 17 checkpoints
• 10 benchmarks
• 2 capstones

This course has an open-book Cumulative Benchmark.

What You'll Need:

A reliable computer or laptop
Stable internet connection
Web browser
Basic computer skills
Any required course materials

Get the Foundations for Your Career in Education

Teaching is a career that gives stability and opportunities almost anywhere. But being a teacher goes beyond what you experience in the classroom! This course will help you understand the roles of teachers, administrators, and community members, and how schools operate. You’ll explore challenges and opportunities in education to help you decide if education is the right career path for you.

Why it matters:
• Teachers are in demand nationwide. Become an educator for a career that’s both impactful and stable.
• The median annual wage for educators was above the national average in 2024, with educators and librarians earning a median wage of $59,220.

How this course sets you up for success: Elementary School Teacher, Middle School Teacher, High School Teacher, Special Education Teacher, Instructional Coordinator, and School Counselor.

How this course sets you up for success: You’ll learn how schools operate, the roles of educators, and the impact of resources on student success. Come way with the insights to confidently decide if a career in education is right for you.

Your Academic Team

• Your Faculty Team
StraighterLine is not just a platform — they're a team of professional educators committed to your success. StraighterLine's courses are built by academic professionals who are leaders in higher education, and your assignments are graded by real people who provide meaningful feedback so you can keep progressing.

• Support Team
At StraighterLine, there are real people working behind the scenes to guide you through every course, quiz, and “I’m stuck” moment.

Enrollment Services
On-Demand Tutors
Academic Advisors
Tech Support