P-3 Approaches

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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Starting Strong: Pre-K Through Third Grade Success Stories From Across Minnesota

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This report features profiles of six schools and districts in Minnesota that have implemented inventive PreK-3rd grade alignment strategies. Site visits to these settings proved that focused, intentional efforts in areas such as effective leadership, data-driven instruction, and engaged families can have huge impacts on student achievement and school culture. 

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PreK-3rd’s Lasting Architecture: Successfully Serving Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students in Union City, New Jersey

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With a strong focus on PreK-3rd grade, Union City Public Schools overcame the crippling effects of poverty and prejudice to close the achievement gap between its low-income Hispanic students and their wealthier peers across New Jersey. The district overhauled its curricula to emphasize critical thinking and reasoning, extended classtime, and increased teacher training. The district also

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The Power of PreK-3rd: How a Small Foundation Helped Push Washington State to the Forefront of the PreK-3rd Movement

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The New School Foundation was one of the first organizations to focus on the importance of P-3 work. Beginning in 2005, it highlighted the need for strong leadership within the PreK-3rd grade reform movement, emphasized the importance of creating and maintaining public-private community partnerships, and championed the necessity of creating PreK-3rd model schools to serve as exemplars of

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Lessons for PreK-3rd from Montgomery County Public Schools

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The efforts to reform the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, led by then-Superintendent Jerry Weast, produced five key lessons for PreK-3rd grade practitioners: (1) establish a clear and compelling district-wide goal that maps back to early learning; (2) craft integrated district-wide early-learning strategies to meet the clear and compelling goal; (3) align early-learning programs and

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