Policy Analysis

An all too common complaint in the early childhood field is that low salaries for preschool teachers and lack of pay parity with K-12 teachers in the public schools creates serious problems. These include low morale and difficulty recruiting and retain

By Sima Bernstein, W. Steven Barnett and Debra J. Ackerman Kindergartners enter school with widely varying levels of skills and development across and within demographic groups. Children of families with higher socio-economic status (SES) score higher

While the link between schooling and health has been well established, the direct and indirect effects of early childhood education programs on health have recently become a more substantial focus of research. This brief summarizes the research evidenc

One of the most significant recent trends in the U.S. education system is that white students are no longer the majority. This trend is mainly driven by growth in both the number and percentage of Hispanic children. The share of Hispanic students among

Third in a series of policy briefs addressing specific topics based on State of Preschool yearbook data. For the past 15 years, NIEER has been collecting information on what comprehensive services state-funded preschool programs have provided to childr

Second in a series of policy briefs addressing specific topics based on State of Preschool yearbook data. Teachers are a strong direct determinant of preschool program quality, and state pre-k program polices influence who becomes and stays a teacher a

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) researches and disseminates an annual report profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs throughout the United States. NIEER’s State of Preschool yearbook is the only national report on st

State Education Agencies (SEAs) across the country are working to directly impact early childhood teaching and learning in local education agencies (LEAs).  To do this, the SEA must rely on local change agents to increase classroom quality across a sta

This policy Fast Fact was originally published in February 2013 and recently re-loaded to our website. Both science and public policy are best advanced based on impartial analysis of all the available evidence. No single study stands on its own, much l

A Proposed Framework for Understanding and Advancing Policy and Perspective  More than half of all state-funded pre-kindergarten (pre-K) programs now require lead teachers to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher, as do many city-funded pre-K programs, ye

The purpose of this paper is to consider the potential implications of funding state pre-K programs through some version of the school funding formulas used in K-12 with particular attention to how this might facilitate more adequate compensation for a

See the 2018 report Implementing 15 Essential Elements for High-Quality Pre-K: An Updated Scan of State Policies In this report we explore the extent to which 41 states, the District of Columbia, and three large cities support high-quality state-funded

A collection of blog posts from early childhood education experts, on concerns about Common Core State Standards in early childhood education, including selected resources for parents and educators. You can link to the first post in the series here: ht

NIEER has tracked the policies of state-funded preschool programs through its State Preschool Yearbook from the 2001-2002 through the 2011-2012 school year. The Yearbook has collected information on enrollment, funding, and quality standards, as well a

By Allison Friedman-Krauss and W. Steven Barnett NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 25, April 2013) The potential health benefits of early childhood education programs are quite large, especially for children living in poverty.  In this report, authors Allison

In this policy report, NIEER Director W. Steven Barnett dispels four common myths about preschool education, addressing the questions: 1) Does high-quality pre-K have lasting benefits? 2) What is the evidence for the $7 to $1 return on investment for p

By Alexandra Figueras-Daniel and W. Steven Barnett NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 24, January 2013) Summary As the United States works to reclaim economic prosperity, the Hispanic population – with the largest growth in population over the last decade – wil

By W. Steven Barnett and Jason T. Hustedt NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 23, April 2011) Summary How we fund early care and education varies greatly from program to program, across states, and across levels of government. Most funding sources exist independ