P-3 Approaches

A P-3 Framework: Centering English Learners

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This document presents a P–3 framework that centers English learners/dual language learners (EL/DLLs) across the crucial developmental phase, ages 3-8. The framework focuses on building aligned practices for EL/DLL success for language, literacy, learning, and identity, with a focus on supporting deep, joyful learning and development. It articulates a set of pedagogical and system-design principles […]

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Great Start California: Advancing the California Department of Education’s P-3 Vision

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This report aims to activate organizational and system change within California’s state education agencies — the California Department of Education (CDE) and Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) — that will inspire leaders at every level to embrace P-3 as fundamentally different from the status quo and to galvanize new and stronger partnerships among early care

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Leading Learning Communities: A Principal’s Guide to Early Learning and the Early Grades (Pre-K–3rd Grade)

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The guide defines six competencies that guide elementary school principals to deepen their own knowledge related to Pre-K–3rd grade, and to reflect that knowledge through strong school leadership. This guide provides specific suggestions for principals to become more effective and visible leaders on behalf of young children. The National P-3 Center authored this guide, in

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PreK-3 Alignment: Challenges and Opportunities in California

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What types of PreK-3rd grade alignment efforts are school districts making? What challenges are they encountering? In what ways does state policy facilitate or hinder alignment efforts? A new study by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) examined these questions. The authors interviewed representatives from 25 districts that have preschools on one or more of

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Preschool to Third Grade Alignment: What Do We Know and What Are We Learning?

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This policy brief addresses recent results from two studies: one focused on alignment of math instructional practices PreK to Kindergarten (Making PreK Count/High 5s in New York City), and the other focused on alignment of an integrated curriculum and professional development from PreK through 2nd grade (ExCEL in Boston Public Schools). The brief examines the concept of instructional

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A Focus on Teaching and Learning in Pre-K through 2nd Grade: Lessons from Boston

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This report explains the work that has taken place over the last decade in Boston Public Schools (BPS). BPS built on their successes in Pre-K by reforming classroom environments, instructional practices, and curricula in Pre-K, kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade. The report describes BPS’s sustained efforts to improve the grades that follow Pre-K and to

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Case Studies of Schools Implementing Early Elementary Strategies: Preschool Through Third Grade Alignment and Differentiated Instruction

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The report, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, looks at Boston Public Schools, Chicago Child-Parent Centers, Early Works Initiative, FirstSchool, and Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL).  All five programs focus on elementary schools that include on-site/co-located PreK classrooms and strive to create greater coherence across the PreK-3rd grade continuum.  In addition to identifying common

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Building State P-3 Systems: Learning From Leading States

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Communities, states, and the federal government are all working to improve quality and coherence across the P-3 continuum. This report provides three case studies to address a central question: how can states support P-3 system building at both state and local levels? The case studies examine the work taking place in Massachusetts, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. 

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PreK-3 Alignment in California’s Education System: Obstacles and Opportunities

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This research paper documents: 1) how key district and policy leaders in California conceptualize PreK-3rd grade alignment; 2) what kinds of policies and practices districts have implemented to achieve alignment; 3) what kinds of efforts and practices have been successful and the critical ingredients of their success; and 4) the main barriers districts and schools have

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The Power of a Good Idea: How the San Francisco School District is Building a PreK-3rd Grade Bridge

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In response to a growing achievement gap among its low-income students and students of color, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has invested time and resources to build a bridge between PreK and third grade. In particular, SFUSD undertook several critical district central office reforms including elevating district early childhood administrative leadership to the

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