The results of a recent evaluation of Tennessee’s statewide pre-k program by Vanderbilt University’s Peabody Research Institute provides an opportunity to understand why some early education programs are effective and others are not. What can we learn from this study that will help to inform the practice in early education programs? The Starting Early Policy Brief is a must read. It walks us through the Tennessee evaluation findings and recommends a three-pronged research agenda that will help us to better understand:
- What skills are truly important for long-term success;
- Classroom practices that are linked to those skills; and,
- How to measure to determine if a classroom is high quality and remains high in the long run.