The Case for Data-Driven Reform is Gaining Steam
For years, experts have called for data-driven reform of early childhood programs. That push has gained steam in the wake of bold proposals from the Obama administration and the release of Investing in Children: New Directions in Federal Preschool and Early Childhood Policy, the NIEER/Brookings report, released to critical acclaim in Washington on October 13th. Drawing the attention of many is the recommendation from the co-editors, NIEER Co-Director Steve Barnett and Brookings Senior Fellow Ron Haskins, that calls for the federal government to waive some regulations for Head Start and other programs to foster innovation and more effective program delivery — and to conduct randomized trials on programs operating under the waivers. Lisa Guernsey, director of the early childhood initiative at New America Foundation, discusses the issues in her latest Early Ed Watch blog post.
For years, experts have called for data-driven reform of early childhood programs. That push has gained steam in the wake of bold proposals from the Obama administration and the release of Investing in Children: New Directions in Federal Preschool and Early Childhood Policy, the NIEER/Brookings report, released to critical acclaim in Washington on October 13th. Drawing the attention of many is the recommendation from the co-editors, NIEER Co-Director Steve Barnett and Brookings Senior Fellow Ron Haskins, that calls for the federal government to waive some regulations for Head Start and other programs to foster innovation and more effective program delivery — and to conduct randomized trials on programs operating under the waivers. Lisa Guernsey, director of the early childhood initiative at New America Foundation, discusses the issues in her latest Early Ed Watch blog post.
Time for ECE Public Policy and Practice to Align Better with Research
Preschool in the U.S. narrows the achievement gap by as little as 5 percent — largely due to the prevalence of low-quality programs — at a time when research suggests they could be narrowing it by 30 to 50 percent. That assessment and recommendations to start early education on a new quality-based agenda are part of an article appearing in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The authors are Robert C. Pianta, University of Virginia, Steve Barnett, Rutgers University (and NIEER), Margaret Burchinal, University of North Carolina, and Kathy R. Thornburg, University of Missouri.
Preschool in the U.S. narrows the achievement gap by as little as 5 percent — largely due to the prevalence of low-quality programs — at a time when research suggests they could be narrowing it by 30 to 50 percent. That assessment and recommendations to start early education on a new quality-based agenda are part of an article appearing in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The authors are Robert C. Pianta, University of Virginia, Steve Barnett, Rutgers University (and NIEER), Margaret Burchinal, University of North Carolina, and Kathy R. Thornburg, University of Missouri.
1 in 5 New York City Kids Misses at Least a Month of School Each Year
The pattern begins in the early grades and continues from there: Last year more than 25 percent of school children in 12 of New York City's 32 school districts were chronically absent, missing more than a month of school per year. In five of those districts, 30 percent of kindergarten through fifth grade kids were absent more than 10 percent of the time. Those statistics and a set of recommendations aimed at addressing the problem appear in a new report from the Center for New York City Affairs.
The pattern begins in the early grades and continues from there: Last year more than 25 percent of school children in 12 of New York City's 32 school districts were chronically absent, missing more than a month of school per year. In five of those districts, 30 percent of kindergarten through fifth grade kids were absent more than 10 percent of the time. Those statistics and a set of recommendations aimed at addressing the problem appear in a new report from the Center for New York City Affairs.
What Works Clearinghouse: RDD Now On a Par with Randomized Trials
The U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse is broadening its definition of what constitutes the "gold standard" in research to include regression discontinuity design, a method that uses cut-off points to establish comparison groups rather than randomization. The clearinghouse says some single-case studies also make the grade. Some researchers welcomed the broadening of the standards but others urged caution. Speaking to Education Week, Jon Baron, president of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, pointed out that there have been few attempts to replicate the results of randomized trials with the other methods.
The U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse is broadening its definition of what constitutes the "gold standard" in research to include regression discontinuity design, a method that uses cut-off points to establish comparison groups rather than randomization. The clearinghouse says some single-case studies also make the grade. Some researchers welcomed the broadening of the standards but others urged caution. Speaking to Education Week, Jon Baron, president of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, pointed out that there have been few attempts to replicate the results of randomized trials with the other methods.
Colombians Greet NIEER Study with South American Hospitality
Do a study in a U.S. city and you get good cooperation if you do things right; do one in Santa Marta, Colombia and you get the keys to the city! That's the report from Milagros Nores who is just back from visiting NIEER's research partners in Colombia, where a new long-term randomized study of preschool education is set to begin. She writes about the study and conditions on the ground in Colombia in our latest post at Preschool Matters … Today!
Do a study in a U.S. city and you get good cooperation if you do things right; do one in Santa Marta, Colombia and you get the keys to the city! That's the report from Milagros Nores who is just back from visiting NIEER's research partners in Colombia, where a new long-term randomized study of preschool education is set to begin. She writes about the study and conditions on the ground in Colombia in our latest post at Preschool Matters … Today!
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