Early Childhood Education

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RAND Video Highlights of 2021

The best RAND videos from the past year brought our research to life in new ways. From the sidewalks of Pittsburgh to preschools in the Middle East, see how people around the world are using RAND research to make their communities safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous.

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Making Preschool Investments Count Through the American Families Plan

The American Families Plan would address disparities in preschool access by adding $200 billion for high-quality preschool for all three- and four-year-olds. How can we make sure that this historic investment, if approved by Congress, counts?

Lynn A. Karoly, Jill S. Cannon

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President Biden's First Address to Congress: Insights from RAND

President Joe Biden addressed a joint session of Congress, summarizing his administration's early COVID-19 response and outlining plans that aim to loosen the pandemic's year-long grip on a weary nation. The speech reflected the fact that the United States faces policy challenges across a wide range of domains.

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The Five Common Myths About Inclusive Education

Rising levels of social inequality and diversity in Europe have made social inclusion a priority for the European Union. But it remains a challenge to ensure access to quality early childhood education and care, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Susie Lee, Axelle Devaux

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Early Childhood Education and Care Services Across the European Union Member States Still Fall Short of the Mark

Children's access to education and care from a young age is vital. Large differences exist between EU countries in access to those services and the quality of child care. Bridging the gap would require more efforts at the EU and national levels to guarantee that each child has access to services that will have lasting effects on their development.

Barbara Janta, Carlijn Straathof

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Taliban, Health Care, Russia: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on U.S.-Taliban peace talks, what single-payer health care really means, comparing threats from Russia and China, and more.

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The Potential for Early Years Programmes to Close the Disadvantage Gap Is Under-Examined

Many schools are looking to close the disadvantage gap in their communities, but they need more evidence about what actually works. Research that helps policymakers and practitioners understand how early years interventions can promote equity and close the disadvantage gap is needed.

Megan Sim, Julie Belanger

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How Early Childhood Education and Care Can Help to Tackle the Impact of Childhood Disadvantage

Disadvantaged children underperform educationally partly because on average they experience more risk factors. Interventions to address multiple causes of underperformance for disadvantaged children may have a better chance of success. The calibre of early childhood education and care professionals also likely matters.

Tom McBride, Julie Belanger

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High-Quality Early Childhood Programs Can Change Lives

The most comprehensive look to date at the benefits of early childhood education found that 102 of 115 programs improved at least one outcome for children beyond a statistical doubt. And the economic and social benefits continue to pay dividends, sometimes well into adulthood.

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In Britain's Approach to Free Child Care, Lessons for the U.S.

If public school in America is free for kindergarten through high school, why not extend the same guarantee for the earliest years, when the potential impact is greatest? The United States can learn from Britain's experience in this area.

Barbara Janta

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Why Being a Migrant Is Not the Biggest Barrier to Education in Europe

Migrant students tend to have lower performance and are more likely to leave school early. But factors other than migrant status, such as language barriers, can explain these differences.

Barbara Janta, Emma Harte

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Integrating STEM Learning in Early Childhood Education

Young children can understand concepts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and early development of STEM skills seems to support learning later in life. But an effective teaching system is needed before STEM learning can be fully integrated into early childhood education.

Rafiq Dossani

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Countering Extremism: Early Childhood Education Forgotten

Global attention has turned to education as a way to counter extremism. But what has been missing from the conversation is a focus on learning in children's first years, when much brain development occurs. In the Middle East and North Africa, government underinvestment in formal programs for young children is the norm.

Rita T. Karam, Gail L. Zellman

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Are the Effects of the Economic Crisis Still Impacting Children in Europe?

If EU member states do not invest in early childhood education and care now, negative long-term effects may follow in future years. Unfortunately, it might be the case that the fallout of the economic crisis is blocking some of the investments that need to be made.

Daniel Schweppenstedde, Barbara Janta, et al.

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State of the Union 2016: Insights on Obama's Last Address

RAND research, analysis, and expertise provide context for many of the issues discussed in President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address, including the threat of ISIS, global climate change, and bringing peace to Syria.

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Hawaii Reading Scores Improved After 'Preschool to Third Grade' Initiative

Hawaii's “preschool to third-grade” initiative significantly improved third-grade reading scores. The P-3 approach is a promising education reform that should be considered by those seeking to improve early education performance.

Gail L. Zellman, M. Rebecca Kilburn

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A Comprehensive Approach to Early Education

A relatively new approach to improving long-term educational outcomes, called “preschool to third grade,” or P-3, focuses on the youngest students. Hawaii's recent initiative has been successful at raising third-grade reading scores.

Gail L. Zellman, M. Rebecca Kilburn

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Step Aside, 'Screen Time.' Make Room for 'Screen Purpose.'

Technology is simply another way to communicate, learn, and play. It shouldn't automatically be regarded as a threat. Whether technology helps or harms children largely depends on how it is used.

Lindsay Daugherty

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Business Leaders (Should) Take Note: Children Make the World Go Round

Policymakers and researchers already know that investments in society's youngest members pay dividends for society at large over lifetimes. Now businesses are beginning to catch on.

Daniel Schweppenstedde, Olga van Zijverden

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Investing in Kids Can Yield High Returns: Q&A with Lynn A. Karoly

There is strong evidence of large potential economic returns to investing in high quality early childhood programs, but that doesn't mean that every program will generate equally large returns. Many programs likely have a “threshold” of quality and intensity that needs to be achieved in order to register positive returns.

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Benefit-Cost Analyses of Child and Family Preventive Interventions

In thinking about scaling programs and services for children, youth, and families, the research community should consider economic evidence as part of their research programs in order to inform funding decisions.

Kimber Bogard, Lynn A. Karoly, et al.

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Tech for Tots

When it comes to youngsters and technology use, how much is too much? How young is too young? RAND is on the case, to help prepare children for success in school and life.

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Helping Teachers Overcome Technology Barriers in Early Childhood Education

When it comes to helping children appreciate the benefits of using technology in a classroom setting, early childhood education providers play a critical role integrating that technology appropriately, intentionally, and productively. But these educators face myriad barriers to fulfilling these roles.

Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani

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Access to Technology Is Key to Early Childhood Education

For children from all income classes to benefit from the proper use of technology in early childhood education, providers, families, and children themselves must have access to an adequate technology infrastructure, including devices, connectivity, and software.

Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani

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The Role of Technology in the Lives of Children

On a typical day, children ages 3-5 spend an average of four hours with technology, and technology use is increasing among children of all ages. Debates about the role of technology in early childhood education are ongoing, with some providers, parents, and others yet to be convinced of its potential benefits.

Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani

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With Child Migrants Set to Become Students, Educators Must Prepare

Between 70,000 and 90,000 unaccompanied children are expected to cross the U.S.-Mexico border by year's end. Lost in an intensifying debate over U.S. immigration policy is the possibility that this wave will spill from shelters to schools. To best respond to this reality, policymakers and educators should consider what research says about educating migrant children.

Gabriella C. Gonzalez, Robert Bozick

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Narrowing the Income Achievement Gap

The achievement gap between children from the highest- and lowest-income families has substantially grown since 1960. The income achievement gap is now about twice the size of the black-white achievement gap.

Heather L. Schwartz @schwartz_hl

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RAND Convenes Experts to Examine Role of Technology in Early Childhood Education

The forum focused on several key issues underlying successful integration of technology into early childhood settings, including the goals that should be established for technology use, the infrastructure that is needed to support effective technology use, and the role of teachers and parents in facilitating technology use.

Lindsay Daugherty

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State of the Union 2014: President Obama Calls for a Year of Action

Obama called for “a year of action” to achieve his 2014 agenda — from helping people sign up for health insurance, to immigration reform, to completing the mission in Afghanistan. RAND is committed to raising the level of public policy debates and offering evidence-based, actionable solutions.

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To Eliminate the 'Readiness Gap,' Preschool Is Just the Beginning

Preschool for four-year-olds should be as common as kindergarten is for five-year-olds. Ultimately, the goal should be the elimination of the readiness gap through expanded access to preschool, written materials in the home, and technology that could improve delivery of such materials.

Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich

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Investing in Children

The historic objective of Children's Day — celebrated in many European countries on the first day of June — was not simply to celebrate children for who they are, but to bring attention to children around the world who suffer from exploitation, violence, and discrimination.

Barbara Janta

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Give Poor Kids a Chance with Early Education

Federal and state initiatives to advance preschool program quality will further ensure that these investments in early learning programs will achieve their full promise and promote healthy child development — physically, socially, emotionally, and academically, writes Lynn Karoly.

Lynn A. Karoly

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High-Quality Early Childhood Programs Require High-Quality Teachers

High-quality early childhood interventions can improve academic achievement, reduce crime and delinquency, and enhance future labor market success. But the operative word is "high-quality." And for early childhood programs to be high-quality, they must have qualified instructors.

Brian M. Stecher

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RAND Researchers Discuss Early Childhood Development

Joe Dougherty summarizes key points from a media conference call with RAND experts on early childhood development and education.

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The President's Early Childhood Expansion Should Take a 'Portfolio' Approach

A optimal approach to strategically expanding access to early childhood programs is one that helps states and communities identify evidence-based approaches that address their particular needs, within the context of their characteristics, writes M. Rebecca Kilburn.

M. Rebecca Kilburn

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The State of the Union 2013

The 2013 SOTU address will be remembered for its impassioned call for greater gun control just two months after Sandy Hook. But President Obama's second-term agenda can be characterized by its sheer breadth, reflecting the broad range of policy challenges facing the United States today.

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Bernanke Knows a Good Investment When He Sees One

Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve System Ben S. Bernanke cited RAND studies that have documented the importance of investing early in children's learning as he made the case that early education programs are one of the best investments that society can make in its future.

Lynn A. Karoly

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Children Left Behind with Brown's Cuts to Programs

Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed budget for the next fiscal year slices funds from established, successful programs that for decades have helped California's youngest and most at-risk children gain a foothold in their own educations.

Lynn A. Karoly

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Preschool Pays Off

Published commentary by RAND staff: Preschool Pays Off, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Dana Schultz

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Benefits of Preschool Come with Every Dollar

Published commentary by RAND staff: Benefits of Preschool Come with Every Dollar, in the Los Angeles Times.

Lynn A. Karoly, James H. Bigelow