Accountability
Taking stock: Assessing and improving early childhood learning and program quality.
The report of the National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force, 2007. Recommendations for evaluating publicly funded early education programs.
http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Pre-k_education/task_force_report1.pdf
Collaboration
The Iowa School Boards Foundation (ISBF) developed an online Preschool Program Collaboration Toolkit to help school boards expand high-quality pre-k availability in their districts. Although the material is specifically intended for Iowa school districts, there are some lessons and tools that can help school boards more generally.
http://www.ia-sb.org/EarlyChildhood.aspx
Beyond the School Yard: Pre-K collaborations with community-based partners.
A another useful guide from Pre-K Now, this report can help school and community leaders who are reaching out to public and private providers of early childhood services to collaborate on high-quality pre-kindergarten.
http://preknow.org/documents/pkn_collaboration_rept_final.pdf
Economic benefits
A cost-benefit analysis of universally-accessible pre-kindergarten education in Texas.
The Bush School of Government & Public Service, Texas A&M University. A thorough analysis of what high-quality pre-k in Texas will cost compared to the benefits it will produce.
http://bush.tamu.edu/research/capstones/mpsa/projects/TECEC2006/ACostBenefitAnalysisofHigh-QualityUniversally-AccessiblePre-KindergartenEducationinTexas.pdf
The economic promise of investing in high-quality preschool: Using early education to improve economic growth and the fiscal sustainability of the states and the nation.
Committee for Economic Development.
http://www.ced.org/docs/report/report_prek_econpromise.pdf
The fiscal impacts of universal pre-k: Case study analysis for three states (Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Ohio). Committee for Economic Development.
http://www.ced.org/docs/report/report_ivk_belfield2005.pdf
Educational benefits
The effects of state pre-kindergarten programs on young children's school readiness in five states.
NIEER. This study looks at the effects of state-funded programs in Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia.
http://nieer.org/docs/?DocID=129
The effects of universal pre-k on cognitive development.
Gormley, W.T., Gayer, T., Phillips, D., & Dawson, B. Another study of Oklahoma’s pre-K program.
http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/dev416872.pdf
Funding Pre-K programs
New Beginnings: Using Title 1 federal funds to support local pre-k efforts.
A how-to guide from Pre-K Now for school leaders wanting to expand pre-k opportunities.
http://www.preknow.org/documents/titleI_Sep2009.pdf
Financing public preschool programs: Current practices and future possibilities.
CED.
http://www.ced.org/docs/prek_brief_200611.pdf
Missed opportunities? The possibilities and challenges of funding high-quality preschool through Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Center for Law and Social Policy.
http://www.clasp.org/publications/missed_opp.pdf
English learners and children of immigrants
Pre-K and Latinos: The foundation for America's future.
Pre-K Now, July 2006.; This report explores the specific benefits of high-quality, pre-k programs to the country’s fastest growing student population.
http://www.preknow.org/documents/Pre-KandLatinos_July2006.pdf.
Executive summary, in Spanish:
http://www.preknow.org/documents/exec_Pre-KandLatinos_July2006_sp.pdf.
Reaching all children? Understanding early care and education participation among immigrant families.
Center for Law and Social Policy, January 2006. Features valuable state and national demographic data about the families coming to this country and their access to early care.
http://www.clasp.org/publications/child_care_immigrant.pdf
Pre-kindergarten Resources for Spanish-speaking parents.
www.prekinder.org
State legislation
Early care and education legislation database.
A web-based, easily searchable database developed by the National Conference of State Legislatures provides information on 2008 early care and education bills that have been introduced and enacted in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cyf/ECELD.cfm
Teacher quality
Better teachers, better preschools: Student achievement linked to teacher qualifications.
W. Steven Barnett, NIEER, December 2004. An overview of the teacher effectiveness research for pre-K.
http://nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/2.pdf
Preschool is school, sometimes: Making early childhood education matter.
Robert Pianta, National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education, University of Virginia. Education Next, 2007. Pianta discusses the range of classroom experiences provided 4000 young children, and argues for the importance of professional development and training to assure teacher quality. For more, go to:
http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/4612287.html
Ready schools. The national education goals panel (NEGP), 1998.
What makes elementary schools ready for children? Prominent educators recommend 10 keys to a ready school that will be of interest to all elementary schools, preschools, and communities. http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/negp/Reports/readysch.pdf (Note: for a list of, and links to, archived documents from the NEGP, visit
http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/negp/page9-3.htm.)
We gratefully acknowledge The Pew Charitable Trusts for its support of our work related to pre-kindergarten. The views expressed are those of the Center for Public Education and not necessarily those of The Pew Charitable Trusts.