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Early Childhood Education

Academic Achievement Gap
commentary
The Potential for Early Years Programmes to Close the Disadvantage Gap Is Under-Examined
Megan Sim, Julie Belanger
Oct 12, 2018
Schools Week
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.
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Disadvantaged Students
commentary
How Early Childhood Education and Care Can Help to Tackle the Impact of Childhood Disadvantage
Tom McBride, Julie Belanger
Aug 20, 2018
Early Intervention Foundation
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.
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Childhood Development
essay
High-Quality Early Childhood Programs Can Change Lives
Jan 3, 2018
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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Preschool
commentary
In Britain's Approach to Free Child Care, Lessons for the U.S.
Barbara Janta
Oct 27, 2017
USA Today
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.
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Charter Schools
commentary
Making American Education Great Will Require More Than Charter Schools
V. Darleen Opfer @VDarleenOpfer
Dec 13, 2016
Dallas Morning News
The nomination of Betsy DeVos for U.S. Secretary of Education has shone a spotlight on charter schools. While charters could become an important part of a great education system, this burst of attention poses a risk that other issues will be ignored.
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Disadvantaged Students
commentary
Why Being a Migrant Is Not the Biggest Barrier to Education in Europe
Barbara Janta, Emma Harte
Oct 31, 2016
New 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.
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STEM Education
commentary
Integrating STEM Learning in Early Childhood Education
Rafiq Dossani
Jun 19, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
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.
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Early Childhood Education
commentary
Countering Extremism: Early Childhood Education Forgotten
Rita Karam, Gail L. Zellman
Jun 8, 2016
The National Interest
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.
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Children
commentary
Are the Effects of the Economic Crisis Still Impacting Children in Europe?
Daniel Schweppenstedde, Barbara Janta, Fanny Gauttier
Feb 17, 2016
The RAND Blog
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.
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United States
blog
State of the Union 2016: Insights on Obama's Last Address
Jan 13, 2016
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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Educational Program Evaluation
commentary
Hawaii Reading Scores Improved After 'Preschool to Third Grade' Initiative
Gail L. Zellman, M. Rebecca Kilburn
Dec 21, 2015
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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.
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Educational Program Evaluation
commentary
A Comprehensive Approach to Early Education
Gail L. Zellman, M. Rebecca Kilburn
Nov 23, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
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.
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Educational Technology
commentary
Step Aside, 'Screen Time.' Make Room for 'Screen Purpose.'
Lindsay Daugherty
Nov 17, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
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.
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Children
commentary
Business Leaders (Should) Take Note: Children Make the World Go Round
Daniel Schweppenstedde, Olga van Zijverden
May 8, 2015
The RAND Blog
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.
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Early Childhood Education
q&a
Investing in Kids Can Yield High Returns: Q&A with Lynn A. Karoly
Apr 8, 2015
The Center for High Impact Philanthropy
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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Children and Families Legislation
commentary
Benefit-Cost Analyses of Child and Family Preventive Interventions
Kimber Bogard, Lynn A. Karoly, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn
Mar 12, 2015
Social Policy Report of the Society for Research in Child Development
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.
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Educational Technology
essay
Tech for Tots
Jan 20, 2015
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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Teachers and Teaching
commentary
Helping Teachers Overcome Technology Barriers in Early Childhood Education
Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani
Nov 21, 2014
The RAND Blog
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.
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Educational Technology
commentary
Access to Technology Is Key to Early Childhood Education
Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani
Nov 4, 2014
The RAND Blog
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.
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Early Childhood Education
blog
The Role of Technology in the Lives of Children
Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani
Oct 10, 2014
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.
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Immigrants and Emigrants
commentary
With Child Migrants Set to Become Students, Educators Must Prepare
Gabriella C. Gonzalez @GabCGonzalez, Robert Bozick
Jul 14, 2014
The RAND Blog
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.
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Educational Equity
commentary
Narrowing the Income Achievement Gap
Heather L. Schwartz
Jun 12, 2014
Education Week
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.
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Educational Technology
blog
RAND Convenes Experts to Examine Role of Technology in Early Childhood Education
Lindsay Daugherty
Jun 4, 2014
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.
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Politics and Government
blog
State of the Union 2014: President Obama Calls for a Year of Action
Jan 29, 2014
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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Preschool
commentary
To Eliminate the 'Readiness Gap,' Preschool Is Just the Beginning
Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich
Nov 26, 2013
RAND Review
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.
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Child Welfare
commentary
Investing in Children
Barbara Janta
May 31, 2013
The RAND Blog
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.
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Preschool Children
commentary
Give Poor Kids a Chance with Early Education
Lynn A. Karoly
Apr 10, 2013
The Guardian
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.
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Early Childhood Education
commentary
High-Quality Early Childhood Programs Require High-Quality Teachers
Brian M. Stecher
Mar 18, 2013
The RAND Blog
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.
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Preschool Children
blog
RAND Researchers Discuss Early Childhood Development
Feb 21, 2013
Joe Dougherty summarizes key points from a media conference call with RAND experts on early childhood development and education.
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commentary
The President's Early Childhood Expansion Should Take a 'Portfolio' Approach
M. Rebecca Kilburn
Feb 21, 2013
The RAND Blog
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.
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United States
blog
The State of the Union 2013
Feb 13, 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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Preschool Children
blog
Bernanke Knows a Good Investment When He Sees One
Lynn A. Karoly
Aug 2, 2012
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.
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Early Childhood Education
commentary
Children Left Behind with Brown's Cuts to Programs
Lynn A. Karoly
Jun 24, 2012
Sacramento Bee
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.
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commentary
Preschool Pays Off
Dana Schultz
Sep 20, 2006
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff: Preschool Pays Off, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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commentary
Benefits of Preschool Come with Every Dollar
Lynn A. Karoly, James H. Bigelow
Apr 26, 2006
Los Angeles Times
Published commentary by RAND staff: Benefits of Preschool Come with Every Dollar, in the Los Angeles Times.
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