Early Ed Watch

A Blog from New America's Early Education Initiative

How the Common Core Standards Could Help Restore the Curriculum

  • By
  • Laura Bornfreund
May 14, 2012

More than 80 percent of elementary school teachers, grades 3 through 5, report that they are spending more learning time on math or language arts at the expense of other subjects. This is one of the most disconcerting findings from a recent survey of 1,000 3rd through 12th grade public school teachers commissioned by Common Core, a DC-based non-profit that promotes content-rich curricula and instruction.

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Podcast: Turning Around Elementary Schools

  • By
  • Maggie Severns
May 14, 2012
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Two years ago, the federal government began distributing $3 billion in stimulus funds to some of the nation's lowest performing schools through the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program. With SIG funds, states are expected to rapidly transform schools according to program guidelines put out by the Department of Education.

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Cities Focus on the PreK-3rd Continuum

  • By
  • Laura Bornfreund
May 10, 2012

This week the National League of Cities (NLC) released a set of case studies on five cities that are trying to create a seamless educational pipeline for children from birth through third grade: Boston, Hartford, San Antonio, San José and Seattle. The preK-3rd efforts in these cities are led by mayors in partnership with local school districts and community-based organizations.

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New Debate Over the Importance and Feasibility of Universal Pre-K

  • By
  • Laura Bornfreund
May 8, 2012

GOOD magazine asked Dana Goldstein, a Schwartz fellow here at New America, to contribute a policy proposal to its “Campaign for Big Ideas.” In her piece, Goldstein argues for universal access to pre-kindergarten for every 3- and 4-year-old across the country.

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New Article on Preparing Teachers for the Early Grades

  • By
  • Laura Bornfreund
May 7, 2012

This month’s issue of Educational Leadership magazine, published by ASCD, features an article I wrote, “Preparing Teachers for the Early Grades.” In it I share findings and recommendations from my policy paper, “Getting in Sync: Revamping Licensing and Preparation for Teachers in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and the Early Grades.”

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Congress Kickstarts 2013 Appropriations Process, but Is Still Far from Completion

  • By
  • Clare McCann
May 3, 2012

Congress made some first moves last week toward approving a budget for fiscal year 2013, but it is still far from certain that legislators will even pass a budget this year or at least before the November elections. Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have now released their overall funding targets for fiscal year 2013, as well as appropriations subcommittee allocations.

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Getting Picky: What Can Young Kids Really Learn From Interactive Media?

  • By
  • Lisa Guernsey
May 2, 2012

If young children are going to use and consume electronic media, which is better: playing an interactive app or watching a video? In a piece for Slate today, I describe results from an experiment at Georgetown University that tries to answer that question. The short answer is that an interactive touch-responsive game may promote more learning, at least with 2-and-a-half-year-olds. But the caveats are many.

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Podcast: Going Beyond Third-Grade Retention to Help Struggling Readers

  • By
  • Lisa Guernsey
April 30, 2012
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Early educators and child advocates continue to stress the importance of children learning to read by the end of third grade.  Legislators in several states are signaling their interest in this too by proposing third-grade retention policies that keep children from graduating to fourth grade until they can pass a reading test. Is this a smart approach?

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A Conversation on ‘Play Dough or iPads’ in Early Ed

  • By
  • Lisa Guernsey
April 27, 2012

A recent podcast on BAM Radio delves into some important questions about the implications of the new technology statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  The podcast, titled “Play Dough or iPads in Early Education?,” featured the leaders of AEYC chapters from Florida, Texas, and Ohio, as well as myse

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The Dept. of Ed’s Advice on Using Title I Funds for Preschool

  • By
  • Laura Bornfreund
April 25, 2012

School districts have always been allowed to use federal Title I funds to establish preschool programs for disadvantaged children, and in fact they can use these dollars to support children beginning at birth.  But because Title I is part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act ( ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind, it is most often used to fund K-12 programs. Some school district leaders may not even know that these funds can be used for programs before kindergarten or may be unsure about what is and is not allowed.

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