From Policy to Practice

As many states expand the number of pre-K seats in public schools, policymakers are focused on better understanding the role of curriculum in ensuring high-quality early childhood education environments. By combining data from the National Institute for Early Education Research’s State of Preschool Yearbook with data from RAND's American Pre-K Teacher Survey, we investigated the role that state policies related to preschool curriculum play in public school pre-K teachers’ reported curricula use across the United States. We find substantial variation in the curricula teachers report using across states, and some differences across pre-K programs within states. In addition, specific state curriculum guidance appears to influence classroom curriculum use. When states required that teachers use specific curricula (rather than recommending curricula), teachers reported combining fewer curricula in their classrooms.