Creativity in Ohio Classrooms The August 6 edition of ExchangeEveryDay features Ohio Governor Ted Strickland's efforts to help students succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy through a three-day summit on classroom environments and the Institute for Creativity & Innovation in Education.
What's New in Pre-K Research NIEER Co-Director Ellen Frede's presentation on research in preschool education includes information on randomized trials, NIEER state studies, and more.
Improving Teaching Through Standards-Based Systematic Assessment: Development of the Early Learning Scale Presentation by Shannon Riley-Ayers, Ellen Frede, Gera Jacobs, and Judi Stevenson Boyd at the National Association for the Education of Young Children's National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development June 9, 2008.
PK-3 Research and Evaluation Small Grants Program The Foundation for Child Development (FCD) announces a grants program to be funded through its PK-3 Research and Evaluation Forum. A maximum of four awards of up to $50,000 each will be provided to researchers proposing to use one or more datasets from the PK-3 Data Resource Center: The First Six Years of Schooling and Beyond.
NIEER Researchers Featured on NPR NPR's Morning Edition takes a two-part look at how play helps children learn important self-regulation skills. Listen in as NIEER research fellows Elena Bodrova and Deborah Leong join in the discussion.
Preschool Program Improves Cognitive Control Findings from a study appearing in Science, the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), show that the play-based Tools of the Mind curriculum can improve cognitive control (executive function) in preschool-age children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Top 10 Pre-K Questions What parents need to know about high-quality preschool.
Curenton a Candidate for NAEYC Board NIEER's Stephanie Curenton is a candidate for the governing board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Giving Intervention a Head Start Renowned early childhood education expert, Head Start co-founder and NIEER Scientific Advisory Board member Edward Zigler discusses his views on Head Start, universal preschool, and child care, with Deborah Perkins-Gough of Educational Leadership in this article.
Investing in Quality Pre-K NIEER Director Steve Barnett presents the impacts of a quality early education at New Hampshire's 2007 Legislative Forum, October 11, 2007.
NAS Inductee & NIEER Advisory Board Member Rochel Gelman Profiled in Rutgers Magazine Cognitive child psychologist, NIEER Scientific Advisory Board member and recent National Academies of Science inductee Rochel Gelman is profiled in the Fall 2007 issue of Rutgers Magazine. Gelman, who co-directs and conducts research at the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science, is widely recognized as a pioneer in understanding how preschoolers develop cognitively and acquire knowledge. Early on, Gelman disproved the axiom propounded by Swiss child psychologist Jean Piaget that preschool children lacked the mental structures to conserve numbers, quantities and lengths. Her work, among other things, explores the brain structures that enable young children to pick up knowledge relatively easily.
The Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study (APPLES) This report presents the results of a longitudinal study of New Jersey's public preschool program, which found that children attending the program improve in language, literacy and math skills through the end of their kindergarten year.
Million Dollar Babies: Why Infants Can't Be Hardwired for Success The first three years of life are important for a child's mental development, but are they as important as previously thought?
Second-Language Acquisition and Bilingualism at an Early Age and the Impact on Early Cognitive Development This report looks at recent research on bilingual education and studies the implications of these findings to answer important questions about bilingualism and its effects on cognitive development.
The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds This report from the American Academy of Pediatrics explores a variety of reasons that reduce children's free play time and offers guidelines on how pediatricians can advocate for play as an important part of children's development.
Dual-Language Programs in U.S. Schools: An Alternative to Monocultural, Monolingual Education This paper examines the effectiveness and significance of dual-language immersion in the U.S. public education system.
NIEER Co-Director Testifies Before House Committee about Head Start Ellen Frede's testimony on the value of Head Start.
An Economic Analysis of Pre-K in Arkansas This report, commissioned by Pre-K Now, shows that expanding the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) preschool education program makes sound educational and economic sense.
The Effects of the Arkansas Better Chance Program on Young Children's School Readiness NIEER study of Arkansas' state-funded preschool education program shows significant improvement in the early language, literacy and mathematical development of 4-year-old children.
Para Nuestros Ninos: A Demographic Portrait of Young Hispanics in the United States A report from The National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics.
Tough Choices or Tough Times High-Level Education Reform Report Recommends UPK
IEA Preprimary Project Age-7 Follow-Up High/Scope conducted this longitudinal, multinational study to identify teaching practices that influence language skills and cognitive development at age 7.
NIEER Fellow Dorothy Strickland Opens NAEYC General Session Dorothy Strickland, nationally-renowned literacy expert, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Chair in Education at Rutgers University and NIEER senior research fellow helped the National Association for the Education of Young Children kick off its opening general session November 8. As part of NAEYC's "Celebration of Literacy" she presented tips based on her developmentally sound literacy and language research. A policy brief on literacy authored by Strickland can be found on the NIEER web site. She was joined by author Vera B. Williams who read from her award-winning book and Grammy award-winning musicians Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. You can view Dr. Strickland's "What Makes a Good Book!" powerpoint here. November 2006
Benefits and Costs of Quality Early Education for All Presentation by Steve Barnett to the Pre-Kindergarten Education Study Committee of the Vermont General Assembly, October 27, 2006. (Powerpoint) October 2006
Globalization and Schools: It's time to recall Martin Luther King's challenge The seventh in a series on inequality, this editorial from The Washington Post focuses on education and how could it be improved in order to boost economic growth, citing the long-term benefits of high-quality early education from studies such as the Perry Preschool program. October 2006
Read for the Record New Jersey's Commissioner of Education and early literacy advocate Lucille E. Davy read The Little Engine That Could with its powerful "I think I can" message to 4-year-olds at an event sponsored by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) and Starbucks in partnership with Jumpstart's Read for the Record national campaign. August 2006
The Economic Promise of Investing in High-Quality Preschool: Using Early Education to Improve Economic Growth and the Fiscal Sustainability of States and the Nation Committee for Economic Development This report concludes that implementing preschool programs for all can be expected to generate $2 to $4 for every dollar invested and provide a boost to long-term economic growth. June 2006
Pipelines and Pools: Meeting the Demand for Early Childhood Teachers in Illinois Study finds no shortage of qualified teachers for the new universal pre-K program in Illinois as long as early childhood centers pay competitive salaries. June 2006
Is More Better? The Effects of Full-Day vs Half-Day Preschool on Early School Achievement Randomized trial compares effects of full-day public preschool to half-day public preschool on children's literacy and mathematics learning. May 2006
Benefits of Preschool for All Presentation by Steve Barnett at the 2nd Annual Conference on "Building the Economic Case for Investments in Preschool." Conference convened by the Committee for Economic Development, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and PNC Financial Services, January 10, 2006. January 2006
Help for Katrina's Displaced Preschoolers Communities, states and organizations are working to help preschoolers and their families. September 2005
Preschool Education: A Concept Whose Time Has Come Early childhood education is the focus of the current issue of Principal magazine. September 2005
Prepared for Kindergarten: What Does "Readiness" Mean? Policy report examines key issues for public policy related to school readiness. August 2005
Elementary School Principals Leading the Charge on Preschool for All Report from the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) for principals who administer pre-K and kindergarten programs. April 2005
NIEER Early Childhood Education Testimony NIEER Director W. Steven Barnett's testimony to the House Subcommittee on Education Reform Hearing on Early Childhood Education: Improvement Through Integration. April 2005
GAO Head Start Report New GAO report released 3/18/05 reviews financial management of Head Start grantees. March 2005
Preschool: America's Best Investment Can investing in high-quality early education reduce the demand for high-cost special education, social welfare and criminal justice systems? NIEER Video
Quality Early Childhood Education: It Costs, It Pays, It Counts Steve Barnett on financing quality early childhood education - part of the Mid-Atlantic Early Childhood Education Network Forum. December 2003
Laughing Allegra The Inspiring Story of a Mother's Struggle and Triumph Raising a Daughter with Learning Disabilities September 2003
Growing and Learning in Preschool NIEER's preschool video presents the essential features of a high-quality preschool program. July 2003
School Readiness: The Building Blocks to a Child's Success Experts explore school readiness issues. June 2003
Financing Universal Pre-Kindergarten Possibilities and Technical Issues for States in Using Funds Under the Child Care and Development Fund and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant May 2003
Preschool: The Most Important Grade Research confirms long-term benefits of high-quality early education. April 2003
Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return Analysts at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis make a case for investing in early childhood development. March 2003
The President's Head Start Proposal NIEER Director Steve Barnett has expressed disappointment that the bare minimum cost-of-living increase in funding for Head Start does not allow for the enforcement of current Head Start standards to say nothing of the need to raise teacher standards. February 2003
A Benefit-Cost Analysis of the Abecedarian Early Childhood Intervention NIEER conducted a benefit-cost analysis of one of the nation's most respected early education programs, the Abecedarian Early Childhood Intervention project in North Carolina. The research found that taxpayers received a four-to-one return on their investment, in addition to significant social dividends and including better school success. November 2002
The Promise of Preschool In the documentary, The Promise of Preschool, journalist John Merrow travels in the U.S. and abroad to see where preschools are working or not working -- and why. His report, which airs on public television this fall, raises critical issues about the future of America's preschools. October 2002