Pre-K Picks

Dear Supporter,

This month's Picks bring together research and resources from California, Hawaii, New Jersey, and even Japan on topics including English Language Learners, providing pre-k in child care centers, teacher competencies, and the effects of teachers' work environments on their students.

Looking ahead, on April 23 Pre-K Now will release "Leadership Matters: Governors' Pre-K Proposals Fiscal Year 2009." This annual, state-by-state analysis of governors' pre-k budget recommendations salutes true leaders on pre-k and shines a light on those whose support changed with the economic winds. Don't miss it!

Thank you,
Albert Wat
State Policy Analyst
Pre-K Now
E-mail me a pick for the next edition

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The Prime Pick 2006-07 State Pre-K Yearbook Unveiled The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has released their annual report, "The State of Preschool: 2007 State Preschool Yearbook." Providing a comprehensive overview of all state-funded pre-k programs for the 2006-07 school year, the report's major findings include: State per-child spending increased to $3,642, nationally - the first increase since the 2001-02 school year. Spending in nine states failed to keep up with inflation. Seven states met more quality benchmarks in 2007 than in the previous year. Two states' increased professional-development requirements for lead teachers, but more than half of the states with pre-k programs still do not require a bachelor's degree for all lead teachers. Nationwide, enrollments of three and four year olds increased by 10 percent and 9 percent, respectively, with Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, and New York seeing the largest enrollment increases. The latest Yearbook also contains new information on a range of policies related to state pre-k programs including: support services for English Language Learners; expulsion; data collection and monitoring; and required pre-k and kindergarten child assessments.

Pick Positions New website features planning tools for pre-k programs Brief dispels common myths about young English Language Learners One-stop shopping for works based on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Pennsylvania agency compiles early education research New America Foundation adds early education to menu of blogs Perry Preschool Study researcher comments on quality Learning from center directors' experience in a state pre-k program Study informs development of early childhood educator competencies Study connects working environment and learning environment Pre-k investments related to elementary math scores, study finds Economists find investments in early childhood programs benefit the U.S. economy Congress gets crash course on early childhood development Hawaii report discusses school readiness in the Aloha State

This bar chart, taken from "The State of Preschool: 2007 State Preschool Yearbook," shows the percent of the national populations of three and four year olds enrolled in state-funded pre-k programs for each school year, beginning in 2002.

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1. New website features planning tools for pre-k programs

With support from the Lucile and David Packard Foundation, researchers at the American Institutes for Research have launched the Early Learning Systems website.

Filled with resources to help plan and implement pre-k programs in California, policymakers and program administrators can use its county and state demographic information and enrollment data to estimate the supply of and demand for pre-k programs.

The website also provides calculator that allows visitors to estimate the cost of a pre-k program using real data and reflecting their local policies and context. Visitors can customize variables such as:

• teacher education/compensation level;

• eligibility criteria;

• enrollment rate; and

• infrastructure costs.

After obtaining a cost estimate, visitors can find resources for the all-important tasks of financing their proposed programs and evaluating them once they've become a reality.

2. Brief dispels common myths about young English Language Learners

The rising number of English Language Learners (ELLs) attending pre-k programs adds urgency to the search for proven practices to ensure that these children get the most out of high-quality early childhood education.

Using evidence from neuroscience, research on language development, and program evaluations, the Foundation for Child Development has produced a brief that promotes research-based - rather than myth-based - strategies for educating young ELLs.

The myths dispelled include:

• Learning two languages during the early childhood years will overwhelm and confuse a child or delay their acquisition of English.

• Total English immersion is the best way for young ELLs to acquire English.

• Schools should provide English-only instruction because they don't have the capacity to provide instruction in all of the languages represented by the children.

• Native English speakers will experience academic and language delays if they are enrolled in dual-language programs.

• Spanish-speaking Latinos show social and academic delays when entering kindergarten.

• Latino ELLs are less likely to be enrolled in pre-k because of their families' cultural values.

3. One-stop shopping for works based on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study

The National Center for Education Statistics has compiled a comprehensive bibliography of reports, journal articles, books, dissertations and other data products related to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), including the "Birth" and "Kindergarten" cohorts. ECLS has collected data on two overlapping, nationally representative samples of U.S. children in order to facilitate research on children's development. Children in the Birth cohort were born in 2001 and tracked until they entered kindergarten. Children in the Kindergarten cohort entered kindergarten in the fall of 1998 and have been tracked ever since.

4. Pennsylvania agency compiles early education research

One way state agencies can promote the use of research-based practices is to serve as a clearinghouse for the growing body of knowledge concerning early education. The Office of Child Development and Learning (OCDEL) in Pennsylvania regularly updates its research resources, including findings on pre-k-through-third-grade alignment and best practices in early childhood education. The latest compilation is now available on the OCDEL website.

5. New America Foundation adds early education to menu of blogs

Early education has joined the ranks of hot issues like health care and climate change at the New America Foundation. The organization recently launched Early Education Watch, a blog covering early education research and policy developments, written by Sara Mead.

Recent posts have looked at what the 2008 presidential candidates are saying - or not saying - on early childhood education and the mainstream media's indifference (at least, so far) to this issue in their campaign reporting.

6. Perry Preschool Study researcher comments on quality

In a recent commentary appearing in Education Week, Dr. Lawrence Schweinhart, president of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation and one of the lead researchers on the Perry Preschool Study, described the five ingredients he believes all pre-k programs must have if they are to achieve long-term benefits.

His ingredients include:

• Ensuring that children in low-income families have access;

• Providing programs with qualified teachers - those with bachelor's degrees and training in child development or a related field - and supporting them with ongoing, systematic, research-based professional development experiences;

• Using a curriculum that covers all aspects of children's development and has proven its effectiveness;

• Engaging parents and family members so that classroom learning is supported by activities at home, and vice versa; and

• Assessing program quality and children's development continuously, preferably through systematic observation.

7. Learning from center directors' experience in a state pre-k program

The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California, Berkeley recently released their study (PDF) of the experiences of community-based providers participating in the Abbott Preschool Program in New Jersey.

The report, based on interviews with 98 directors of child care and Head Start centers, discusses the directors' motivation for being a part of a state pre-k program, the benefits and challenges of collaborating with the public school system, and lessons learned throughout their experiences. The findings are instructive for centers and districts in any state, not just New Jersey.

Here are some of the benefits and challenges reported by center directors.

Benefits:

• By virtue of being part of a larger pre-k effort and connected to school districts, center directors became a part of a professional network and were able to tap into a pool of resources, services, and experts that were not available to them before.

• With Abbott's high standards and high level of financial and technical support, center directors saw collaboration as an opportunity to increase quality, especially in their workforce. While some directors said that some existing staff had to be reassigned, demoted, or let go due to higher teacher-qualification requirements, most reported an increase in staff stability due to Abbott's better compensation for teachers and greater financial resources for training and education. In fact, the experience of Abbott teachers led to an increased interest in professional development opportunities among teaching assistants, non-Abbott staff, and the directors themselves.

Challenges:

• In some cases, center directors had to employ new teachers who had higher education but less experience.

• Directors had to work to build staff cohesion between Abbott and non-Abbott teachers.

• Directors had to deal with additional and more complex administrative responsibilities such as budgeting, reporting, and meeting new and sometimes conflicting regulations.

• Some school districts failed to value the experience and expertise in early childhood education possessed by center directors and their staff.

The report concludes with seven recommendations that address the above challenges. It should be noted that while the 98 directors interviewed worked in centers across the state and within diverse communities, they were not randomly selected and, consequently, are not a representative sample of center directors in the Abbott program.

8. Study informs development of early childhood educator competencies

A second report (PDF) from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment focuses on early childhood educator (ECE) competencies - a common set of skills and knowledge that all early childhood professionals should possess. While the study was done to inform California's effort in this area, other states can learn from the process by which the study was done as well as its findings.

The researchers reviewed the eight most common ECE competencies in ten states (chosen because of their quality work on this issue) and, then, conducted online surveys and public meetings throughout California to solicit feedback from the field. The researchers were most interested in whether the states had defined the appropriate domains of expertise for ECE teachers (e.g., curriculum development, assessment and observation, etc.); the appropriate levels of competencies (e.g., organized by job titles, education levels, or "stage of career"); and the appropriate age group of children to which the competencies applied.

While the study captured the range of opinions on the eight domains of competencies, it also revealed some commonly-held attitudes and beliefs, such as:

• Most states' description of ECE competencies lack an adequate focus on working with diversity, particularly in terms of language, culture, and learning needs.

• Competencies should apply to educators who work with infants and toddlers - not just pre-k children and early elementary students.

• After competencies are articulated, the assistance and resources needed to reach them must be provided.

• Descriptions of competencies should be "living documents" that are to be updated and reviewed as new research, knowledge, and experience are acquired.

9. Study connects working environment with learning environment

A recent study (PDF) demonstrates that the working environments experienced by early education professionals could be related to learning environments inside the classroom.

Researchers collected data from 30 early childhood centers and examined the relationship between the quality of the learning environments (as measured by the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale) and the centers' "organizational climate" and "leadership and management practices." The study found that the quality of both the work environment and a center's administrative practices were related to the quality of the classroom environment. In addition, center directors with more education and training were rated higher in their leadership and management skills.

These results suggest that when devising ways to improve program quality, such as quality rating systems, the overall work environment and directors' practices need to be taken into account along with the environment inside the classroom.

10. Pre-k investments related to elementary math scores, study finds

A recent study in Educational Research and Evaluation suggests that there is a modest but significant relationship between a country's expenditures on pre-k and the math and science achievement of its elementary school students.

Using fourth graders' scores from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS), researchers examined the extent to which differences in achievement in seven countries - Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States - can be attributed to differences in the nations' financial investments in pre-k. Their analysis turned up evidence that pre-k expenditure levels do explain some of the differences in fourth-grade scores.

For instance, the average fourth grader in the Netherlands outscores the average U.S. fourth grader by seven points on TIMMS. Even when family backgrounds and school characteristics are taken into consideration, the student in the Netherlands retains an advantage. However, when pre-k expenditures are considered, the scores equalize, suggesting that the superior performance of students in the Netherlands is partly related to the country's investment in pre-k.

The study also showed that taking other social expenditures into consideration does not weaken the relationship between pre-k spending and test scores. This evidence further reinforces the idea that an investment in pre-k - in and of itself - has a positive impact on test scores.

To minimize the possibility that an observed relationship between pre-k spending and test scores was due to other factors, researchers took into account differences in child, family, teacher, and school characteristics as well as countries' expenditures on primary education and other social programs. One significant limitation of the study was its failure to include parental education - one of the most powerful predictors of children's test scores - as a background variable. It is unclear whether the relationship between pre-k spending and test scores would have been weakened if this variable had been considered in the analysis.

11. Economists find investments in early childhood programs benefit the U.S. economy

Two studies commissioned by the Partnership for America's Economic Success (PAES), provide further evidence that investments in early childhood programs have economic benefits for states and the whole nation.

In one of the studies, economists examined the benefits of a national program modeled after the Abecedarian Project. They determined that such a program would increase the nation's productivity, raising its gross domestic product by 1.1 percent and increasing government revenues by $264 billion after 75 years. In the other study, an economist found that providing pre-k for all would create 3.3 million jobs and generate $365 billion in government revenues over 75 years. Importantly, a national pre-k program would be significantly more cost-effective than other economic-development policies. High-quality pre-k for all children in the nation would ultimately return more than $3 for every dollar invested, compared to a return of 65 cents for each dollar spent on tax subsidies.

PAES presented these and other findings on early childhood investments at their West Coast Economic Forum on Early Childhood Investment.

12. Congress gets crash course on early childhood development

Last May, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi organized the National Summit on America's Children to highlight what we, as a nation, know about early childhood development and what role the government should take in supporting it. Bringing together scientists, business leaders, physicians, economists, and program administrators, the summit prompted a report summarizing the day's presentations and discussions.

It concludes:

"We now have the basis to make informed decisions that will significantly affect the future of our children, our families, our economy, and our society. The combination of recent findings from neuroscience, early intervention studies, and program evaluation provides excellent guidance for designing policy and directing resources to ensure children's healthy development."

With a plethora of data and evidence, the report demonstrates that from the prenatal period on, all young children need high-quality environments that are supportive and nurturing, be they in their homes, schools, child care, or other community settings. It further discusses lessons learned in three key areas: healthy births and positive physical and mental health; parent supports and early childhood care and education; and family economic security.

From these lessons, policy recommendations were developed in such areas as prenatal care, health and mental health care, food programs, housing, parenting support, early care and education, and economic support for families. The report also includes concrete recomendations for elected officials at all levels of government to implement in their own communities.

13. Hawaii report discusses school readiness in the Aloha State

The Center on the Family at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, has released a report (PDF) proposing a definition of school readiness that encompasses the child, his or her family, the early education setting, the school, and the community.

It advocates for improving early childhood programs in terms of both structures (e.g., teacher education, class size) and process (e.g., adult-child relationship, use of supportive and appropriate learning experiences). Other recommendations include providing prevention and intervention programs for the most vulnerable children and families and expanding access to quality early education programs for all families - beginning with those most in need.