The impact of pre-k is often measured by effect sizes or benefit-cost ratios, but numbers like these can't really show what high-quality pre-k looks like. Following the always wise advice to "show, don't tell," Pre-K Now has produced a 10-minute video, capturing the journeys of real pre-k children in a high-quality classroom. The video follows five children -- including an English Language Learner -- and tracks their cognitive and socio-emotional development. The stories are accompanied by interviews with the teacher, who provides more background about her students' strengths and challenges and the progress she sees throughout the school year.

We've also provided suggestions for using the video with different audiences, including policymakers, parents, and educators.

2. A balanced voice on early childhood assessments

After a year-long process of literature review and expert testimony, the National Research Council released a report articulating the latest understanding of best practices in early childhood assessments. The report leads with the basic principle that the purpose of each assessment should drive decisions about what to measure, how to measure it, and how to use the data. Guidelines for these processes are provided to ensure that the benefits of assessing young children outweigh any negative effects on the children, adults, or programs, such as making children anxious or overburdening teachers. Some of the guidelines include:

• Creating an explicit plan before any assessment occurs for how the data will be analyzed, reported, and used.

• Examining the overall development of young children and not focusing on narrow cognitive skills.

• Ensuring assessment instruments are reliable, valid, and applicable to diverse populations so that they measure what is intended. For large-scale assessments, instrument selection should be made by a group of experts, not individuals or mandated by legislation.

• Using a combination of approaches, including direct assessments, observations, and work sampling.

• Taking into account the quality of environments in which children live and learn, including their home, community, and the early childhood setting.

• Training assessors, policymakers, and program administrators who have a role in any part of the data collection and analysis process.

Using assessment data for high-stakes purposes (e.g., funding decisions, sanctioning teachers) has been very controversial in the early childhood community. This report defines the conditions under which that level of accountability can be exercised and recommends that states document every aspect of the assessment process, from defining the purpose to plans for analysis and reporting.

3. UK evidence of pre-k's long-term impact

A longitudinal study from the United Kingdom found that participation in high-quality pre-k is significantly associated with higher math scores at age 10 - even for middle- and upper-income children. The researchers analyzed data from about 3,000 children who are part of the Effective Preschool and Primary Education (EPPE) project. Taking into account a large set of characteristics about the children (e.g., birth weight, cognitive ability before pre-k, age, gender), their home environment, their parents characteristics (e.g., employment status and education levels), and the quality of their elementary school experience, the researchers found that children who attended high-quality pre-k were more likely to have significantly higher math scores at age 10 than those who attended average or low-quality pre-k. Importantly, this relationship holds regardless of family income.

In this study, the quality of a pre-k program was measured by the extent to which its students performed better than expected on early math assessments at kindergarten entry, given their prior ability level and background characteristics.

4. More evidence on the lasting impact of Head Start

A working paper (PDF) studying the long-term impact of Head Start shows that while cognitive gains made by Head Start students become less significant over time, Head Start is associated with important non-cognitive gains lasting through the participants' school careers and into young adulthood. This study uses data from a longitudinal survey about mothers and their children, administered between 1986 and 2004, to examine the relationship between Head Start participation and:

• Short-term cognitive gains, measured by test scores;

• Non-cognitive educational outcomes including graduation rate and diagnosis of a learning disability; and

• Long-term outcomes such as college attendance, criminal activities, teen parenthood, health status, and work experience.

The sample included families in which one or more children attended Head Start but at least one sibling did not. This strategy significantly lowered the chance for selection bias. The differences between siblings are presumably not related to unobservable characteristics in the parents, specifically characteristics that may impact a child's future educational and life outcomes. In addition, the researchers also controlled for early childhood experiences before enrollment (e.g., home environment, family structure, parental behavior, health indicators) to ensure that there are no significant differences between siblings with Head Start experience and those without.

The study found that while Head Start is associated with gains in test scores at ages five and six, these gains became less significant as the children grew older (although the extent to which this is true differed depending on the child’s background). Those who were white, Hispanic, or male and those whose mothers had high educational attainment appear to maintain more of their gains. At the same time, Head Start still has a significant association with lower grade retention, less diagnosis for a learning disability through age 14, and more positive long-term outcomes when the children were 19 years old or older. Thus, while Head Start has a significant impact on short-term test scores, what may be more important are the non-cognitive benefits that children get -- benefits that may not be as easily measured but can lead to long-term gains in education, health, and work. The author suggests that it would not be advisable to draw any conclusion about the program's long-term impact based on the persistence of initial test score gains.

5. Cohort programs help early childhood educators attain higher degrees

By allowing small cohorts of students to attend the same classes and participate in other student support activities together, "cohort programs" provide support for early childhood professionals pursuing bachelor's degrees. Research has shown these to be particularly beneficial to students from diverse racial and linguistic backgrounds who are the first in their families to attend college. Recently, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley released its report (PDF) about the performance of such programs in California called, "Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in Early Care and Education." The researchers surveyed and interviewed the students to learn about their school experience, what they're getting out of the programs, why they decided to enroll, contributors or barriers to their success, impact on their personal and professional lives, and recommendations for improving the programs.

Overall, the students were pleased with their experience, although some thought that the teaching, program administration, and student support could be improved. Most students felt that the cohort relationships helped them academically and boosted their morale. They felt that the program has helped them in their workplace and has given them more confidence. After one year, the vast majority expressed interest in further education beyond a bachelor's degree. Keys to their success included accessible classes (i.e., location, time), financial aid, and support from families and employers, while inhibitors were language skills (especially academic writing) and technology skills (mostly related to computers).

University leaders and staff were also interviewed for their perspective. For them, one critical ingredient to success is having a leader with the standing and skills to bring key players together to create and maintain cohort programs. These players include the president of the university, faculty, and partners in the community. Other key considerations noted were the level of academic expertise needed to support a quality program, relationships with community colleges and early childhood centers, and the capacity for effective student advising, especially for a diverse cohort.

This report is part of a five-year longitudinal study that will follow the students through their graduation and beyond.

6. Update on school finance cases affecting pre-k funding

The Education Law Center provides an update on school finance legal cases that have implications for state pre-k funding. Cases pending in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Washington are reviewed.

7. A call for more action from the higher ed. community

A new paper (PDF) sponsored by eight national organizations, including Pre-K Now, highlights the gap between children's immense potential during the early years and the limited capacity in the higher education community to develop high-quality early childhood educators who can make the most of this potential. The paper calls for action from higher education leaders, policymakers, and the rank-and-file members of the early childhood community to create teacher preparation systems that reflect the level of expertise needed to work with young children. Specific issues discussed include increasing the quality and diversity of early childhood faculty, upgrading curriculum standards, providing financial and other academic supports that help students complete their teacher preparation programs successfully, and providing credit for previous coursework or related work experience.

The report also offers several examples of what might be achieved if policymakers, constituents, and educational leaders were to work together. They include:

• State efforts, such as those in New Mexico and New Jersey; and

• Efforts by private or nonprofit organizations, including the National Head Start Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

8. The evidence base for the lasting effects of early education

A new paper (PDF) from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) reviews the literature on the lasting effects of early education. Among the three general types of early education programs reviewed -- child care, Head Start, and state- or locally-funded pre-k -- the paper finds that child care has the lowest impact on children in terms of cognitive gains. There is evidence, mostly from programs that serve low-income children, that Head Start and pre-k programs have more long-term benefits for children, such as higher graduation rates and fewer arrests as juveniles and adults.

The author cautions against concluding that pre-k has no lasting benefits because some studies have found little or no difference in later test scores between children who attended pre-k and those who did not. Such results may say more about the limitations of the studies than about the effects of pre-k. For instance, in some of these studies, children without pre-k may receive an unintended advantage over their peers who attended pre-k. Since students in the "no pre-k" group are more likely to get held back or be placed in special education, the "low performers" tend to be removed from the sample at each grade level. This skews the test scores for the "no pre-k" group upward, making it appear that they are catching up over time to children who attended pre-k.

NIEER also presents evidence from international studies and programs that serve infants and toddlers.

9. Miami study shows benefits of pre-k for diverse population

The latest issue of Early Childhood Research Quarterly features a study of pre-k children in the Miami School Readiness Project, which serves a large number of children from low-income and racially diverse families as well as English Language Learners. The study compared the gains that children made in three types of early childhood settings: the typical subsidized child care center in the community; school-based pre-k supported by Title I funds; and fee-based pre-k in public schools. The researchers found that all children -- but especially those who were poor and from minority backgrounds -- made significant gains in cognitive and language development as well as in fine motor skills. In fact, at the end of their pre-k year, all children performed at or above the national average in the aforementioned skills. English Language Learners, who were assessed in Spanish, also made significant gains but only achieved the national norm in their fine motor skills.

In addition, those who enrolled in the Title I program in public schools made significantly greater gains than those in typical child care settings. However, unobserved differences in family characteristics may have contributed to some of this difference. Even though both groups of children were from poor households with similar family structures and parental educational levels, there may be other factors that are related to the families' choices in early childhood settings for their children, and these factors could have played a role in the differences in gains. Nevertheless, the researchers suggest that the children in public school settings may have benefited more because teachers in these programs tend to have higher educational attainment, more training, and greater compensation. They are also more likely to use a high-quality curriculum.

10. Results from evaluation of pre-k curricula released

The National Center for Education Research released the results (PDF) of its Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research initiative, which examined the impact of 14 curricula on 27 child outcome measures related to early reading skills, early math skills, language development, and behavior.

Children were assessed at the beginning of their pre-k year, at the end of that year, and a third time at the end of kindergarten. The study also looked at the impact of curricula on classroom quality and instructional practices through classroom observations and teacher interviews.

The report discusses findings for each curriculum and for each of the child-level and classroom-level outcomes measured. Whether one can generalize these findings to other settings is questionable. While the study did use an experimental design that randomly assigned children to either a treatment or control group, each curriculum was studied on its own in only one or a few locations around the country. As a result, the effectiveness of any one curriculum can only be compared with whatever "control" curriculum happened to be matched with it. Also, because the 14 curricula were not "tested" against each other, one cannot really assess whether a curriculum is more or less effective than another. Because the samples of pre-k students and classrooms were drawn from at best a few locations around the country, it is unclear how the findings would apply to communities that may be demographically different from those where the studies took place.

11. Two reports provide update on child care cost and policy

The National Women's Law Center recently released its annual report (PDF) on state child care assistance policies, focusing on changes in funding, income eligibility, waiting lists, copayments, and reimbursement rates. The analysis found that most states made little progress on these policies in the past year, and, when compared to the beginning of the decade, many have slid backwards. For instance, in 2008, only 10 states set their maximum reimbursement rates at the federally recommended 75th percentile of market rates, whereas 22 did so back in 2001. The report includes detailed state-by-state data.

The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies also released its annual report on the cost of child care. It continues to find that the cost of average child care is rising faster than inflation. The cost of care for infants and for four year olds is one of the highest expenses for a family, rivaling that of housing, food, health care, transportation, and even in-state college tuition in most parts of the country. For four year olds, the average cost of full-time, center-based care ranges from $3,380 in Mississippi to $10,524 in Wisconsin. The least affordable states for this age group are Wisconsin, New York, Colorado, Washington, Minnesota, and Massachusetts -- states where child care for one four year old costs at least 12 percent of a median, two-parent family income. For accredited programs for four year olds, costs typically increase between 6 percent and 27 percent. The report also includes data on school-age care and detailed state-by-state comparisons.

12. Pre-k turning up on think tanks' policy agendas

Three national think tanks have put investing in high-quality pre-k in their policy agendas, in anticipation of new national leadership in the coming year.

• A compilation of "Big Ideas for Children" (PDF) by First Focus promotes pre-k and other early childhood programs.

• The Economic Policy Institute, in their "Plan to Revive the American Economy," argues that providing pre-k for all helps every child get a fair start in life, which contributes to the alleviation of poverty.

• In a recent paper the Brookings Institution states that "the time is ripe for a new President to provide federal leadership in developing policies to support young children and their families as a key part of his domestic agenda."

It recommends three early childhood programs in particular: high-quality pre-k for three and four year olds; home visit programs for first-time mothers living in poverty; and paid parental leave after birth or adoption.

Brookings, in collaboration with First Focus, also released a collection of research briefs on state pre-k, Head Start, Early Head Start, home visiting, and other "model early childhood programs." Each brief summarizes the research on a program's impact on children and families, describes the strength of the evidence base, and outlines relevant federal legislation related to the programs.

13. First look at latest data on family involvement

A report (PDF) from the National Center for Education Statistics offers a first look at data from the 2007 National Household Education Surveys. The report includes information on:

• Young children's participation in Head Start or center-based or school-based early care and education programs;

• Children's ability to perform basic school readiness tasks;

• Their parents' perceptions of the importance of preparing children for school; and

• Parental involvement in educational activities at home.

The data also take into account the child's age, gender, race, parents' education, parents' language, maternal employment status, poverty status, and type of community (e.g., city or rural). Among the findings, the report shows that 70 percent of four year olds are enrolled in some kind of early care and education program. Also, when asked what skills are important to teach children for school readiness, parents are more likely to choose social skills like sharing than academic skills like knowing the alphabet or numbers.