Resources

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.

The centerpiece of the Foundation for Child Development’s 2007 Annual Report, All Our Children?

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.

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

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 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 (PreK-3rd). 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 PreK-3rd years as part of NCLB reauthorization.

In May 2006, Grantmakers for Education (GFE) convened grantmakers, educators and researchers for a member briefing — Making the Most of Our Investments: How PK-3 Alignment Can Close the Achievement Gap from the Start — to examine the rationale and promising approaches for aligning children’s education experiences from PK through Grade Three.

Behavior problems during the preschool years are meaningful predictors of continued behavior problems, poor peer standing, and academic difficulties during Kindergarten.