2007 Archive
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2007 Archive |
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| Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2006 | |
This fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2006. CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.8 million children. While 29 states increased the number of children served, 20 states served fewer children in 2006 than in the previous year. Key data including the ages of children receiving assistance, the types of child care settings used, and the reasons families can receive assistance are reviewed in this document. Center for Law and Social Policy |
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| Improving Access to Child Care and Early Education for Immigrant Families: A State Policy Checklist | |
State policies can promote,
or impede, access to high-quality child care and early education for
immigrant families. CLASP has created a technical assistance tool for
states that lists recommended policies they can implement to address
immigrant access to high-quality child care and early education programs. Policymakers
will want to evaluate the current set of policies they have in place
that support these recommended courses of action, as well as to plan
for future policy changes and improvements. Center
for Law and Social Policy |
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| Selected State and Local Policies to Support Immigrant and Limited English Proficient (LEP) Early Care and Education Providers | |
As the young child population
is growing in diversity, the early childhood field is facing a shortage
of bilingual and bicultural providers. One way to increase the supply
of qualified, bilingual and culturally competent early care and education
providers is to assist providers from immigrant communities to gain
the skills to become licensed child care providers, as well as to provide
supports to immigrant providers in order to retain them in the early
childhood field and to encourage further professionalization and credentialing.
CLASP has created a checklist of selected policies that support immigrant
providers, particularly those with limited English proficiency. This
tool offers strategies and examples for improving policies in the areas
of language access, training and professional development. Center
for Law and Social Policy |
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| Supporting Kinship Families: What State Policymakers Can Do (Webcast) | |
Director of Child Welfare
Policy Rutledge Hutson joins other national experts and state officials
to discuss the benefits that kinship care affords children. This is
the third in a series of Webcasts on improving the outcomes for children
and youth in the child welfare system produced by the National Governor's
Association Center for Best Practices in partnership with Casey Family
Programs. National Governors Association
Center for Best Practices |
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| Vulnerable Infants and Toddlers in Four Service Systems | |
This
report provides
and compares data on the characteristics of young children served by
Early Head Start, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
Infants and Children, the child welfare system, and the Part C Early
Intervention Program. The Urban Institute |
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| Nov Dec 2007 Preschool Matters | |
This issue reports on Investing
Early in Tomorrow's Workforce, What to do about Challenging Behavior,
Mixed Report: Early Reading First and New Hope for Children at Risk
of Anti-Social Behavior. NIEER |
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| Economic Mobility of Black and White Families | |
A review Census Bureau data to provide an intergenerational analysis of the economic progress of black and white families over the last 30-40 years. The study’s overall findings reveal that while median family income rose for blacks and whites alike, large income gaps continue to characterize differences between black and white families. Economic Mobility Project |
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| Your Child Study III - Michigan Parents: Culture of Education | |
A 2005 poll sponsored by
Your Child, a group of education and family organizations that includes
MEA, and the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians found that only one in
four Michigan parents believes that getting a good education is essential
to getting ahead in life. Your Child |
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| The Changing Face of Poverty in Michigan: More Families Slide Into Troubled Times | |
This report documents a 21
percent rise in Michigan's family poverty rate since 2001. 13.3 percent
of Michigan’s residents – or 1.3 million – were in
poverty in 2006. In 2006, 9.6 percent of households fell below the poverty
line, which was $16,242 for a single parent with two children. That’s
up from 7.9 percent of households in poverty in 2001. Especially hard
hit are single-mother families: 39 percent lived in poverty in 2006,
up from 33 percent in 2001. Michigan League for Human Services |
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| Too Great a Burden: Michigan's Families at Risk | |
The report shows that, in
Michigan, 2,004,000 people under the age of 65 -- 86.8 percent of whom
are insured -- are in families that will spend more than 10 percent
of their pre-tax family income on health care costs in 2008. And 537,000
Michigan residents are in families that will spend more than 25 percent
of their pre-tax income on health care costs in 2008. Families
USA |
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| Developing Your Family Child Care Business | |
This 8-module, facilitator-led
interactive learning program is chock full of tools designed to help
child care businesses develop the skills needed to create, manage, and
grow successful businesses. While focused specifically on family child
care, the books have much relevance for center-based care as well. The
program has two manuals--one for participant and one for facilitators. First
Step Fund |
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| Resources, Tools and Links: Tools for Child Care Centers | |
First Children's Finance,
a non-profit organization that blends the principles of community development
with an expertise the child care and early education industry, includes
on their website tools to help professionals efficiently and effectively
manage center- and home-based early care and education. First
Children's Finance |
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| Patient Capital: The Next Step Forward? | |
Veteran for-profit venture
capitalist, George Overholser, shows how nonprofits can use capital
campaigns to distinguish “equity-like infusions” from the
other revenues they raise. The answer lies in extending the role of
traditional capital campaigns so they finance entire nonprofit businesses—the
entire balance sheet of a healthy enterprise, not just buildings or
endowments. With ample patient capital in hand, an organization is able
to work backwards from what it takes to thrive; without it, the organization
risks falling into an endless cycle of disruptive hand-to-mouth fundraising. Nonprofit Finance Fund |
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| Supply, Demand and Accountability: Effective Strategies to Enhance the Quality of Early Learning Experiences Through Workforce Improvement | |
This report is a description
of how a variety of forces in the early learning market lead to a failure
to achieve strong outcomes for low and middle income children, as well
as an outline of a set of strategies to overcome these market failures
and improve outcomes. Helpful graphics depict Market failures as well
as potential market-oriented solutions. Human Services Policy Center |
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| Using Tax Credits to Promote High Quality Early Care and Education Services | |
This paper explores the feasibility of using tax credits, linked to quality/accountability measures like a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), to help promote, and partially finance, higher quality early care and education services. Tax credits and deductions in other fields are examined, with an eye to identifying tax policies that affect consumer behavior and offer lessons for early care and education. A summary of Louisiana's new school readiness tax credit package is appended. Alliance for Early Childhood Finance |
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| Child Care: An Essential Service for Disaster Recovery | |
When a major disaster strikes
in the United States, the President may release federal disaster relief
funds for the “critical services” necessary to restore local
communities. One community service that is currently not considered
eligible for federal relief funds is child care. This issue brief makes
an economic case for including the cost of rebuilding child care services
in disaster relief funding. Cornell University |
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| Why Early Care and Education Deserves as Much Attention, or More, than Prekindergarten Alone | |
This paper goes beyond the
traditional focus on model programs for 3- and 4-year-old children,
and shows how a comprehensive approach to ECE policy -- one that addresses
the multiple contexts in which families function -- results in economic
benefits as great as or greater than policies focused on prekindergarten
alone. The authors review and synthesize the research literature on
the economic returns using a holistic approach that includes impacts
on the macrosystem (regional economy), exosystem (parents), and microsystem
(children’s long-term human development). Cornell University |
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| Portrait of Leadership in an Early Childhood Learning Organization | |
Early childhood programs
are subject to increasing expectations for staff qualifications and
greater accountability for child and program outcomes. Roots and Wings:
Portrait of Leadership in an Early Childhood Learning Organization is
a case study of leadership in a community-based early childhood program
which effectively blends public funding for Head Start, child care,
and pre-kindergarten to provide a program of excellence. Findings from
this study shed new light on the leadership principles and practices
that are effective in addressing the many adaptive challenges embedded
in the current culture of change. McCormick Tribune Center for Early
Childhood Leadership |
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| Common Vision, Different Paths | |
A new report by Zero to Three
and Pre-K Now describes a common vision for comprehensive early childhood
systems. The report looks at lessons learned from five states that are
building a prenatal-to-five system and identifies how they were successful
in this work. Pre-K Nw and Zero to Three |
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| Early Developments | |
Issue theme: Achievement
Gap - 4th Grade |
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| Physical Activity to Prevent Obesity in Young Children: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial | |
Researchers studied a group of 545 nursery school children who had the recommended adult level of exercise each week. They found that the adult level of activity was insufficient to affect the children's body mass index but did appear to affect their fundamental skills at physical movement. Researchers concluded that children probably need more activity than the adult recommendations to affect body mass index. British Medical Journal |
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| Assessment in a Continuous Improvement Cycle: New Jersey’s Abbott Preschool Program | |
This paper presents an overview of the efforts over the last three and one half years to develop and implement an assessment system for the New Jersey Abbott Preschool Program. NEER |
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| Preschool Program Improves Cognitive Control | |
Findings from a study show that the play-based Tools of the Mind curriculum taught in regular classrooms with regular teachers can improve cognitive control (executive function) in preschool-age children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Science |
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| Professional Development Activity: Looking at the Data on Inclusion | |
NPDCI developed a companion piece to the Research Synthesis Points on Early Childhood INclusion for professional development providers. The activities may be used to facilitate discussion among participants on their reactions to the research points and application to their work. The National Professional Development Center on Inclusion |
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| Five Steps for Choosing an Evaluator: A Guide for Out-of-School Time Practitioners | |
A new brief provides step-by-step advice on how to select an evaluator for "out-of-school time programs," but much of the information is relevant for early education programs as well. Child Trends |
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| Parents and the High Price of Child Care: 2007 Update | |
Surveying its network of state and local resource and referral agencies, NACCRRA compiled information on the cost of care for infants and four year olds. Brief Summary State Affordability Table - Infant Care State Affordability Table - Preschool NACCRRA |
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| A New Majority: Low Income Students in the South’s Public Schools | |
This SEF research report reviews trends in the growth of low income children in the South’s public schools. The report finds that public schools in the region have enrolled a majority of low income students in each of the last three years (2004-2006) and today the South is the only region in the nation where low income students are 50 percent or more of public school enrollment. Southern Education Foundation |
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| Community Investments Online | |
In the latest issue of "Community Investments" are feature articles on pre-k as an economic and workforce development strategy. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco |
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| Preschool: First Findings From the Third Follow-up of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) | |
This report provides detailed information on children's development, health, and early learning experiences in the years leading up to entry into school. In addition to demographic information and children's experience in early care and education, the report also presents data on children's language, literacy, math, color knowledge, and fine-motor skills. The National Center for Education Statistics |
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| Taking Stock: Assessing and Improving Early Childhood Learning and Program Quality | |
In this final report of the National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force they recommend developing a comprehensive assessment system to improve child outcomes. A key recommendation involves aligning high-quality and comprehensive standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessments as a continuum from Prekindergarten through Third Grade. The Pew Charitable Trusts |
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| Who Goes to Preschool and Why Does it Matter? | |
In a world shaped by global competition, preschool education programs play an increasingly vital role in child development and school readiness. Preschool education is seen as a middle-income essential. Two-thirds of four-year-olds and more than 40 percent of three-year-olds were enrolled in a preschool program in 2005. NIEER |
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| Pre-Kindergarten to Third Grade (PK-3) School-Based Resources and Third Grade Outcomes | |
Using data from the 2005 Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), this research brief identifies three elements of elementary school environments - strong principal leadership, high academic standards, and frequent teacher meetings to plan instruction - associated with higher third grade math and reading score. The researchers found a fourth element, low teacher turnover, generally have better behaved children. Child Trends |
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| Booklets Promote Reading Readiness for Young Children | |
These three booklets were
designed to teach parents of young children how to effectively read
to their children and employ other strategies to develop the fundamental
skills and enthusiasm needed for their child’s later success with
reading and writing. National Institute for Literacy |
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| Preventing the Flu in 2007-2008: Strategies and Resources for Child Care Providers and Out-of-Home Caregivers of Children | |
This document advises all persons that live with or care for children younger than 5 to get a flu vaccination. It provides information on the two types of available flu vaccines—the flu shot and the nasal-spray—as well as information on how the flu is spread, possible vaccine side effects, and who should not be vaccinated. It also recommends practicing good health habits. American Academy of Pediatrics |
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| A Step Up, But Not Out: Tracking the Poverty and Income Impacts of Child Care Subsidies | |
This report analyzes income data from nearly 23,000 families in the South Los Angeles area that used child care assistance subsidies between 2000 and 2005. The data revealed that child care subsidies are effective income supplements and can enhance the overall standard of living for a family. Crystal Stairs, Inc. |
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| The Impact of Teacher Education on Outcomes in Center-Based Early Childhood Education Programs: A Meta-analysis | |
This report found that early childhood teachers with a bachelor’s degree performed significantly better than teachers with less education on measures of classroom quality and child development. National Institute for Early Education Research |
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| Title I and Early Childhood Programs: A Look at Investments in the NCLB Era | |
This report explores the ways in which school districts are choosing to use funds from Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) for early education and kindergarten and examines how the implementation of NCLB has impacted those choices. Center for Law and Social Policy |
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| Crossing the Language Divide | |
This document is a 2 page summary of a case study published in the August 2007 issue of the Early Childhood Education Journal that demonstrates how English-speaking prekindergarten teachers can cross the language barrier to build positive relationships with English language learners. Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute |
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| Research Synthesis on Early Childhood Inclusion Available | |
This document is a summary of key conclusions drawn from a review of the literature on early childhood inclusion. It can be used in a variety of contexts including professional development, policy development, planning, advocacy, and grant writing. National Professional Development Center on Inclusion |
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| Research on Early Childhood Education Outcomes | |
This chart summarizes the findings of more than 20 preschool education studies, including information on the cognitive, behavioral, social, educational, and cost-benefit outcomes from each. Public Policy Forum |
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| Practitioner Confidence and Competence in Early Literacy Learning Practices | |
This paper presents the results from a national survey of preschool special education practitioners, designed to ascertain the practitioners' confidence and competence in planning and implementing early literacy learning practices with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities or delays. Center for Early Literacy Learning |
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| All Our Children? The Health and Education of Children of Immigrants: 2007 Annual Report | |
Investing in the healthy development of immigrant children is critical to our nation's future because they will have a large impact on America's cultural and economic vitality. Foundation for Child Development |
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| State Developments and Reports | |
There have been numerous developments in early care and education at the state level during the past legislative session. Governors and state legislatures have approved investments in a variety of areas including professional development and quality rating and improvement systems, as well as in prekindergarten, public schools, and kindergarten. The link is a recap of public policy developments in states. National Association for the Education of Young Children |
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| New Report on State Child Care Assistance Policies | |
"State Child Care Assistance Policies 2007: Some Steps Forward, More Progress Needed," published by the National Women's Law Center, compares child care assistance policies in 2007 to 2006 and 2001 in four policy areas: reimbursement rates for providers, income eligibility, waiting lists for assistance and co-payment requirements. NWLC found that between February 2006 and February 2007, states made some progress on income eligibility and waiting lists. But states made far less progress on copayments and made virtually no progress with respect to reimbursement rates. National Women's Law Center |
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| Joint Accrediting Bodies Document and Statement on QRIS | |
NAEYC, in collaboration with the National Association for Family Child Care and the National AfterSchool Alliance, has developed a document that describes and summarizes each of the organization's accreditation systems. The document also includes a statement in support of linking Quality Rating and Improvement Systems to the three major national program accreditation systems. National Association for the Education of Young Children |
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| Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K, Fiscal Year 2008 | |
This
year, another state committed to provide pre-k for all, bringing the
total number of such states to seven. More and more states are recognizing
the wisdom of investing in pre-k, therefore more children will enjoy
educational opportunities that prepare them for success in school
and life. |
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| Tracking Services for Infants, Toddlers and Their Families: A Look at Federal Early Childhood Programs and the Roles of State and Local Governments | |
This chart summarizes major federal programs currently focused on infants and young children and clarifies the roles federal, state and local governments play in those programs. Zero to Three |
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| Classroom Quality and Time Allocation in Tulsa’s Early Childhood Programs | |
This study compared Tulsa's universal prekindergarten classrooms to a sample of state-funded preschool classrooms in seven states as well as to the national Head Start program and found that the Tulsa program is of higher quality than those across the nation and produces greater outcomes for children. Georgetown University, Psychology Department |
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| Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development | |
Canada's Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development launched its Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development on October 9th. The Centre says its encyclopedia covers a wide range of early development topics and contains input from 270 authors from 11 countries. Each topic is organized with key messages geared for parents and service providers. For researchers and others wishing to delve more deeply, each topic has a comprehensive folder containing numerous articles and research reports. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development |
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| Strategies to address common problems in child care and housing voucher systems | |
This report identifies several problems common in both the child care and housing voucher systems. These challenges include limited supply of quality services, unwillingness of many providers to accept families with a voucher, families’ inability to effectively navigate the private market to choose appropriate providers, and program participation and eligibility rules that undermine families’ efforts to work. The paper highlights five emerging strategies being employed by one or both programs to address these issues. The Urban Institute |
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| Hand-Washing and Diapering Equipment Reduces Disease Among Children in Out-of-Home Child Care Centers | |
This study concluded that diapering, hand-washing, and food-preparation equipment that is specifically designed to reduce the spread of infectious agents significantly reduced diarrhea illness among the children and absence as a result of illness among staff in out-of-home child care centers. Pediatrics |
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| Teacher Education and PK Outcomes: Are We Asking the Right Questions? | |
Recent studies do not find consistent relationships between teacher degree, major, and certification, and PK outcomes, raising questions about the impact of the degrees and certifications of PK teachers on children’s learning. The researchers note that these findings do not support the conclusion that teacher education does not matter for children’s learning. However, they do not provide specific directions for policymakers who decide on the minimum requirements for teacher qualifications in PK programs. This commentary raises issues for researchers and policymakers about whether PK is part of a K-12 educational continuum, how teachers are prepared to teach, how research is designed to inform policy, and the importance of developmental science in policy-relevant education research. Foundation for Child Development |
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| State Child Care Assistance Policies 2007: Some Steps Forward, More Progress Needed | |
This Issue Brief is an annual report on state child care subsidy policies. This report compiles essential data on key state child care assistance policies. NWLC finds that while states have made some progress in the last year, most states currently have policies in place that make fewer families eligible for help paying for child care than in 2001. National Women’s Law Center |
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| Parents and the High Price of Child Care: 2007 Update | |
The report provides typical prices of child care for infants and for four-year-olds in centers and family child care homes nationwide. The report also shows that child care is a major household expense for parents of young children. National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies |
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| Title I and Early Childhood Programs: A Look at Investments in the NCLB Era | |
This paper explores the wide range of ways in which school districts are using funds from Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act for early education through kindergarten and examines how the implementation of NCLB has impacted those investments. It also makes recommendations for local educational agencies interested in creating Title I-funded early education programs or thinking about how to sustain these types of investments in the face of policy and funding challenges. CLASP |
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| Why Health Insurance Matters for Children | |
A great deal of public attention has been given to the gains in children’s health insurance coverage made in recent years. But while public program expansions have driven significant increases in the number of children who are insured, more than 9 million still lack health insurance—that’s one out of every eight children.1 This fact sheet discusses several important reasons why health insurance makes a real difference in children’s lives. Campaign for Children's Health Care |
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| Teacher Education and PK Outcomes: Are We Asking the Right Questions? | |
This commentary by FCD staff, published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly, challenges recent research that finds no relationship between PK teacher qualifications (degree, major, or certification) and child outcomes. Foundation for Child Development |
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| Low-Income Children in the United States NATIONAL AND STATE TREND DATA, 1996-2006 (September 2007) | |
After nearly a decade of decline, the number of children living in low-income families has increased significantly since 2000. This data book provides national and 50- state trend data on the characteristics of low-income children over the past decade: parental education, parental employment, marital status, family structure, race and ethnicity, age distribution, parental nativity, home ownership, residential mobility, type of residential area, and region of residence. National Center for Children in Poverty |
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| Reducing Poverty through Preschool Interventions | |
The authors explain how providing high-quality care to disadvantaged preschool children can help reduce poverty. They propose an intensive two-year, education-focused intervention for economically disadvantaged three- and four-year-olds. Classrooms would be staffed by college-trained teachers and have no more than six children per teacher. Instruction would be based on proven preschool academic and behavioral curricula and would be provided to children for three hours a day, with wraparound child care available to working parents. Future of Children |
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| Behavioral Interventions Effective for Preschoolers with ADHD | |
Two types of early interventions designed to reduce symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschoolers may be effective alternatives or additions to medication treatment, according to a recent NIMH-funded study. National Institute of Mental Health |
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| How do we begin? Giving children the right start makes a big difference | |
A report describes seven ingredients to effective teaching practices in the early years and emphasizes the need for a highly sophisticated staff (page 24). Principles into Practices |
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| LINKS (Lifecourse Interventions to Nurture Kids Successfully) | |
Child Trends' LINKS presents extensive knowledge about programs found to "work" to enhance children's development, in a user-friendly format for policy makers, program designers, and funders. Child Care/Early Childhood Education is one of the links. Child Trends |
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| Economic, neurobiological, and behavioral perspectives on building America’s future workforce | |
Nobel laureate James Heckman and distinguished researchers in other fields have released a new paper examining from a cross-disciplinary perspective the research in economics, developmental psychology, and neurobiology as they relate to developing workforce skills. They found that early experiences have a uniquely powerful influence on the development of cognitive and social skills as well as brain development. Their policy conclusion: the most efficient strategy for strengthening our future workforce both economically and neurobiologically and for improving quality of life is to invest in high-quality early care and education. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
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| Submission in Response to Senator Gordon Smith’s July 26, 2007 Call For Papers to Examine the Needs of Grandparent and Other Relative Caregivers | |
CLASP details the reasons to support kinship care, recommends areas for additional research, highlights current challenges states face, and addresses common myths. CLASP encourages Congress to adopt the provisions of the Kinship Caregiver Support Act. CLASP |
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| Supporting
Early Literacy in Natural Environments: Activities for Caregivers and Young Children in English and Spanish |
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These materials include forty-six home and community activities for adults and children that encourage early language and literacy development in young children. They are appropriate for children with disabilities as well as children who are developing typically. Washington Learning Systems |
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| Reducing Disparities Beginning in Early Childhood | |
A report highlighting how ECCS initiatives could be used to reduce many of the risk factors experienced in early childhood that disparately affect low-income and minority children. National Center for Children in Poverty |
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| Children and Social Policy | |
Volume 1, Number 1 includes: |
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| State of the States’ ECCS Initiatives | |
In an analysis of state Maternal and Child Health Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems, the National Center for Children in Poverty found that much progress has been made in creating comprehensive systems of early childhood services but that challenges remain. National Center for Children in Poverty |
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| Comprehensive Early Childhood Education Program Yields Long-term Benefits | |
A new study demonstrates long-term benefits for participants in the early childhood educational enrichment and comprehensive family services program provided by the Chicago Child-Parent Centers (CPC). Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine |
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| Child Care Subsidies in Urban and Rural Counties | |
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently published Child Care Subsidies in Urban and Rural Counties, which documents Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) caseload sizes in urban and rural areas. The paper includes information on family income and co-payments, demographics, and type of setting (including licensing status). Overall, a substantial portion of families receiving CCDBG were served in both urban and rural areas in FY 2004. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
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| America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007 | |
This is one in a series of annual reports to the nation on the condition of children in America. In this restructured report, three background measures describe the changing population of children and provide demographic context and 38 indicators depict the well-being of children in the areas of family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health. ChildStats.gov |
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| The Benefits and Cost of Head Start | |
There is a growing scientific consensus that a variety of early childhood interventions generate benefits in excess of costs at current levels of spending, which suggests the value of increased spending in this area. However there remains considerable uncertainty about what form any additional investment should take. Additional government funding to support rigorous research to identify the relative strengths of Head Start and its alternatives, as well as the critical “active ingredients” in these programs that most effectively produce short- and long-term developmental benefits, would be a particularly high value-added activity. Society for Research in Child Development |
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| A Science-based Approach to Early Childhood Policy | |
For the first time, researchers are now able to present a unified framework that can guide priorities for science-based early childhood policies and practices that are grounded in a combination of cutting-edge neuroscience, developmental-behavioral research, and program evaluation. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University |
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| States increasingly test early-childhood programs | |
Using standardized tests of kindergartners, more states are moving to certify early-childhood programs. While some early-childhood experts question the validity of such tests, state officials say they simply want to offer parents guidance in choosing programs. Education Week |
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| State-level Health Indicator Data from the NSCH Presented in Pediatrics | |
Newsletter content: |
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| Pre-Kindergarten to 3rd Grade School-based Resources and 3rd Grade Outcomes | |
This new data brief finds that three elements of elementary school environments - strong principal leadership, high academic standards, and frequent teacher meetings to plan instruction - are associated with higher third grade math and reading scores. In addition, higher teacher turnover, which can indicate an unstable school, is related to lower rates of student self-control and school engagement | |