NIEER


National Institute for Early Education Research  (http://www.nieer.org/)

The National Institute for Early Education Research  conducts and communicates research to support high-quality, effective early childhood education for all young children. The Institute offers independent research-based advice and technical assistance to policy makers, journalists, researchers, and educators.

NIEER publishes Preschool Policy Matters, a set of research briefs, which address early childhood education issues such as class size, preschool attendance, Head Start teachers, and outcomes and assessments. The site also presents fact sheets on some of these issues and covers special education, culturally responsive education, and issues faced by English Language Learners.

Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study: Fifth Grade Follow-Up

   In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court took an unprecedented step and ordered the state to provide high-quality Pre-Kindergarten programs to all 3- and 4-year-old children in 31of the state’s highest poverty districts, also known as Abbott districts after the long-running Abbott v. Burke school finance case. Since then New Jersey has committed to providing preschool for all children in poor districts and all poor children living in non-poor districts.

 If New Jersey stands by its pledge to ensure preschool teachers are well qualified,highly-trained professionals then the state must stand by its teachers and help them reach their fullest potential. Using New Jersey statewide assessment and school placement data provides strong evidence that the Abbott Preschool program has produced persistent, meaningful gains in achievement for children in the state’s most disadvantaged communities. Achievement gains were particularly large for children who attended the program for two years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Establishing Professional Contact

This assignment is proving to be a challenge. I sent emails to the International Step by Step Association in the Netherlands, Macedonia and Santo Domingo. I still have not received a response

 I did send email to the Canadian Child Care Federation and received a response today. I have to share that truly put a smile on my face.  I am keeping my fingers crossed  that I receive a notice on the others. I received the NIEER newsletter today. I was surprised to skim through some of the articles, and one of the articles was about the Governor's and  Pre-K Budget.  That topic is a big concern for us here in New Jersey due to the fact the our Governor doesn't seem to favor early childhood education that well.  That was a topic of discussion today when the Master Teachers came to our school.  When they go to meetings in Trenton, the share a lot with us informally.