Pre-K to 3 Education: Promoting Early Success

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Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006

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PK Inclusion: Getting Serious About a P-16 Education System

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Challenging Common Myths About Young English Language Learners

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Paying the Price: The Impact of Immigration Raids on America's Children

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Neither Art nor Accident: New Research Helps Define and Develop Quality PreK and Elementary Teaching

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Racial-Ethnic Inequality in Child Well-Being from 1985-2004: Gaps Narrowing, but Persist

Implementing Policies to Reduce the Likelihood of Preschool Expulsion

Embracing the Big Picture: The State of New Jersey's Road Toward a PK-3 Continuum

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Making the Most of Our Investments: How PK-3 Alignment Can Close the Achievement Gap from the Start

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Continuing the Investment: Top Notch Early Education Must Extent to Third Grade - and Beyond

In a Special Report, "Life Changes: The Case for Early Investment in Our Kids, The American Prospect highlighted the need to continue the investment in children's education to support strong Third Grade outcomes.  The article, written by New America Foundation Senior Research Fellow, Sara Mead, urges education reformers and PK advocates to join forces to support a vision for children's learning - physical, social, and emotional development as well as academics - that extends from Prekindergarten through Third Grade in a seamless progression.

10 New Ideas for Early Education in the NCLB Reauthorization

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) cannot achieve its goals of narrowing achievement gaps and improving student learning unless it provides much stronger support for high-quality education from Prekindergarten through Third Grade (PK-3). A new issue brief from the New America Foundation, 10 New Ideas for Early Education in the NCLB Reauthorization, asks Congress to consider NCLB policies and programs that have the potential to affect education during the PK-3 years as part of NCLB reauthorization. 

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Effective Educational Programs for Young Children: What We Need to Know

This article in the inaugural edition of Child Development Perspectives provides an overview of what is currently known and what needs to be determined about the factors that contribute to positive outcomes from early education programs.

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 Title I funds for early education through Kindergarten and examines how the implementation of NCLB has impacted those investments.  It also makes recommendations for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) 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.

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All Our Children? The Health and Education of Children of Immigrants: 2007 Annual Report

The centerpiece of the Foundation for Child Development's 2007 Annual Report, All Our Children? The Health and Education of Children of Immigrants is an essay by Alexandra Fuenmayor Starr.  Ms. Starr writes about U.S. immigration policy for Slate, The New Republic, and The American Scholar.  Her essay, "The Dividends of Investing Early: Why We Need to Help the Youngest Children of Immigrants," argues that young children of immigrants, over 90 percent of whom are citizens, will have a large impact on America's cultural and economic vitality.  Investing in the healthy development of these children is critical to our nation's future.

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Taking Stock: Assessing and Improving Early Childhood Learning and Program Quality

The final report of the National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force, Taking Stock: Assessing and Improving Early Childhood Learning and Program Quality, recommends 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. 

Providing Tools Towards Quality: The Status of P-3 Teacher Preparation Programs in New Jersey

Providing Tools Towards Quality: The Status of P-3 Teacher Preparation Programs in New Jersey, assesses whether PK-3 teacher preparation programs are preparing prospective teachers to teach the continuum from Prekindergarten to Grade Three, reviews how new PK-3 programs are aligned with other certification programs in universities, and examines how the overlap of the PK-3 and K-5 certificates has impacted other university programs.

The development of PK-3 certification programs at New Jersey's universities in a short period of time demonstrates the state's commitment to providing its young students with highly qualified teachers.

Despite this commitment, ACNJ finds evidence that the PK-3 certificate suffers from an "identity crisis" that plagues its legitimacy. ACNJ believes that it is crucial that schools of education recognize the PK-3 certificate as a valuable asset for teachers to provide a rich, meaningful and developmentally informed education for young children between three and eight years of age.

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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.

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Presidential Perspective: Back To School

The beginning of the school year is a good time to reflect on how we think about educational challenges in America.  What we think shapes what we identify as solutions.  Educational policies and institutions are socially constructed and tied to historical circumstances.  They can - and should - adapt to changing conditions.

Academic Achievements of Children in Immigrant Families

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