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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 […]

A commission convened by the Aspen Institute will kick off a multi-year endeavor next month to explore how educators, policymakers, and researchers can more thoroughly incorporate students’ social and emotional development into the work of schools. The aim of the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development is to “advance a new vision for […]

In an open letter to the future President-elect, Robert Pianta,  dean of the Curry School of Education at The University of Virginia, is clear: early education should be a first-year priority. Pianta shares that the time has come to ensure that every poor preschooler in the United States is enrolled for two years of the best […]

The 2016-2018 biennial state budget included funding for the continued implementation of the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP).  In 2015, over 21 school divisions participated, and, this fall, the statewide rollout of VKRP will increase to 40 school divisions. The VKRP will focus on assessing kindergartners to determine their mathematics, social, and self-regulation skills, in […]

School Division Leaders: Space is limited for the 2016-2017 Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program! The 2014 VKRP pilot project discovered that 34 percent of children in the Commonwealth arrive at kindergarten unprepared in one or more critical learning domains (literacy, math, self-regulation, and social skills). In 2015, Virginia initiated a statewide implementation of the VKRP in […]

Calling all school divisions!  UVA CASTL is recruiting school districts to participate in Virginia’s Kindergarten Readiness Project (VKRP) this fall!  See below for an announcement from UVA CASTL with all the details: In the fall 2014, sixteen school divisions partnered with UVA & E3 in piloting an expanded assessment of children’s kindergarten readiness skills, to […]

  ….take a look at what’s been happening in early education! BUDGET Legislative Department: Continuation of the “Money” Committees’ VPI Study The Chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees shall each appoint up to five members from their respective committees to a Joint Subcommittee to provide recommendations on reforming the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI).  The Join […]

Now is the time to put Virginia’s children at the top of your list!  Last fall, 34% of Virginia’s children entered our kindergarten classrooms ready to fail.[1] Children who enter kindergarten behind their peers rarely catch up; instead the achievement and readiness gaps widen over time.  These children are more likely to fall behind grade-level […]

Virginia’s goal should be high quality for kids. When it comes to outcomes for our children, it’s all about high quality.  Expanding mediocre programs that are underfunded and inadequately monitored is NOT good for children. Check out David Kirp’s editorial piece in the NYT on the recent Vanderbilt study on Tennessee’s preschool program. It turns out that […]

The statewide rollout for Virginia’s Kindergarten Readiness Project has begun!  See below for all the details from UVA CASTL and learn how your school district can take part in the next phase! In the fall 2014, sixteen school divisions partnered with UVA & E3 in piloting an expanded assessment of children’s kindergarten readiness skills, to compliment […]

  Last week, The Brookings Institute released a paper on the importance of focusing on social and emotional development to ensure children’s academic success.  In the paper, author Hugh Price, calls for a new educational paradigm that focuses on both the academic AND social development of struggling students noting, “Students who struggle perpetually in school […]

  A recent article in The Washington Post  cited a new study published in Nature Neuroscience which found that poor children have smaller brains than their more affluent peers.  The study examined nearly 1,100 children ranging in age from 3-20 and found that the brains of children from families who earned less than $25,000 a year had surface […]

Entering kindergarten is a major milestone for every child and, for many, can be an adjustment. To help make the transition a little bit easier, our friends at the Suffolk Early Childhood Development Commission (ECDC) recently put together two videos to help equip and prepare both parents and children as they get ready to head to kindergarten […]

Earlier this month, The University of Virginia Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (UVA CASTL) released their final report as part of Virginia’s Kindergarten Readiness Project (VKRP), a two-year study commissioned by the Virginia Legislature and E3: Elevate Early Education. VKRP implemented and evaluated a comprehensive readiness assessment, which provides the Commonwealth, districts, schools […]

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Virginia has been awarded a $17.5 million federal Preschool Expansion Grant that will allow the Commonwealth to serve as many as 1,600 additional at-risk four-year-olds in new, high-quality preschool classes. In addition, the grant will fund enhanced services to approximately 1,400 children in existing pre-kindergarten classrooms.“Expanding preschool […]