Giving Compass' Take:

• Linda Jacobson details a recent vision to reform the early education profession and why it's raising some concerns.

• What will it take to reach an agreeable reformation to teachers in early education? Are you prepared to support changes in this department?

• Read about the success of countries outside of the U.S. in early education.

The early-childhood education profession would be organized into three levels, each with specific competencies and pathways into the field, according to a culminating report released Monday by Power to the Profession.

Its “unifying framework” aims to bridge the existing “incoherent” and chaotic array of training, degree and licensing programs — or no professional preparation at all — with an “audacious” vision of an “effective, diverse, well-prepared, and well-compensated workforce.”

Probably the biggest barrier to increasing expectations of those who work in the early-childhood field is that higher standards or additional education requirements are usually not met with increases in pay and benefits. And compensation varies tremendously based on the type of program in which someone works.

Power to the Profession suggests early educators with an associate degree can work in larger community-based classrooms but should have “frequent access to [early childhood educator] IIIs for guidance.” Lead teachers in state pre-K and school district-run early-childhood programs, however, should be at a level III, the report says.

But Austin said having different designations for teachers who work in community-based settings or with infants and toddlers could "reinforce the stratification that exists."

"The Power to the Profession task force had a really difficult job of reaching consensus and a framework for competencies, standards, career pathways for the ECE workforce. They should be commended for their important work,” said Laura Bornfreund, director of early and elementary education policy at New America.

“But, there are multiple [early-childhood education] workforce-focused initiatives underway across the country at local, state and national levels. And, so two questions I have is, how do all these efforts fit together? Are they moving the field in the same direction? I'm not certain that everyone in the ... field yet agrees on a shared vision forward."

Read the full article about a contentious vision to reform the early education profession by Linda Jacobson at Education Dive.