Policy

Building a Skilled Teacher Workforce: Shared and Divergent Challenges in Early Care and Education and in Grades K-12

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This paper identifies the unique personnel-related opportunities and challenges the early childhood education sector faces, and describes how these differ from those encountered in grades K-12. Whitebook concludes that the four cornerstones of a sturdy early childhood personnel structure–human capital development, the professional development infrastructure, the teaching context, and system finance–call for bold vision, creative […]

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A Framework for Rethinking State Education Accountability and Support from Birth Through High School

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Accountability systems measure the professional practice of schools, and then help schools improve their practices as a means of achieving better student outcomes. States should build on the best ideas in both early childhood and K-12 accountability systems to create a single statewide education accountability system from birth through high school–one that sets the right

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Towards Equitable Parent-School Collaboration: Developing Common Parent Engagement Indicators

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Education systems are increasingly expected to partner with parents and families to ensure the success of all students; however, the field struggles to characterize and measure parent engagement and its impacts. This report presents common indicators of parent engagement as a way to quantify parent-school collaboration. These indicators include: the percentage of parents who feel

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Parent Engagement From Preschool Through Grade 3

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While high-quality teaching in preschool and the early grades is essential, parents can also play a vital role in helping children acquire foundational competencies–including language, literacy, early math, and social-emotional skills– that fuel school success. Given the evidence that parent involvement holds significant benefits for children, efforts to promote effective parent engagement should be viewed

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An Ocean of Unknowns: Risks and Opportunities in Using Student Achievement Data to Evaluate PreK-3rd Grade Teachers

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This paper provides a snapshot of how student achievement data are being used in teacher evaluation systems today and illuminates the issues causing states and school districts the most struggles. Most states are using one or some combination of three evaluation approaches: student learning objectives, shared assessments, and shared attribution; each of these approaches carries

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Counting Kids and Tracking Funds in Pre-K and Kindergarten: Falling Short at the Local Level

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At present there exists a dearth of reliable, complete, and comparable data on PreK and Kindergarten in school districts and local communities. In order to close achievement gaps between economically disadvantaged and advantaged students, policymakers and educators must have access to data on enrollment and public funding for all young children. These data will increase

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PreK-3rd: Next Steps for State Longitudinal Data Systems

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Currently, some state governments are building longitudinal data systems that aim to: provide information on teachers and programs; identify students who would benefit from intervention and other services; evaluate programs, schools, principals, and teachers; and inform local and state policy decisions. It is essential that PreK data be included in these systems so that we

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Watching Teachers Work: Using Observation Tools to Promote Effective Teaching in the Early Years and Early Grades

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A growing number of policymakers are searching for new approaches to identify good teaching, promote it, and reward it. In the birth-to-five world, many states have developed Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) that identify, rate, and enhance the quality of programs based on a wide array of criteria, such as adult-child ratios and how

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PreK-3rd: Principals as Crucial Instructional Leaders

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This brief looks at what principals can do to build high-quality PreK-3rd grade experiences for young children and how policymakers can eliminate existing barriers and better support them to do so. The author outlines the need to improve existing principal preparation programs; foster strategies that develop effective PreK-3rd grade leaders; and update accountability systems to include

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Getting in Sync: Revamping Licensing and Preparation for Teachers in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and the Early Grades

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Current preparation, licensure, and hiring systems are not designed to produce and place adequately trained teachers in PreK-3rd grade classrooms. The preparation of early grade teachers must couple the best aspects of traditional elementary and early childhood preparation programs and infuse early childhood development coursework with frequent experiences working with children.

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