Clik here to view.
Podcast: What Makes a Toy Educational?
Why are so many toys today labeled "educational"? How could parents be more empowered to size up toys and choose the ones that will be best for their children's play and learning? In honor of holiday...
View ArticleUpcoming Webinar on Using Data on Children's Progress to Inform Teaching
Anyone who has grappled with questions of what to do with data from child assessments – whether based on observations of children's development over months or simple snapshots of early literacy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Brief: Reforming Head Start
As we've noted many times on Early Ed Watch, Head Start, the federal government's pre-K program, is at a crossroads. In the midst of budget threats and an ongoing debate over whether Head Start creates...
View ArticleThe Best Gift to Give a Kid For Christmas
December 4, 2012Lisa GuernseyDecember 4, 2012As children pine for toys they see in store circulars and on TV, parents want to please. But they also wonder: will this toy keep my child occupied or get...
View ArticleThe Half-Day Kindergarten-Common Core Mismatch
December 4, 2012Laura BornfreundDecember 4, 2012This fall, millions of 5-year-olds donned backpacks full of school supplies for the first time as they headed off to kindergarten. Depending on where...
View ArticleIn TIME: Background TV, Toys, and Toddlers
The holiday season can lead parents to fixate on finding the perfect toy. But it's worth thinking not only about the toy, but about the environment around it. In a piece for TIME's Ideas column this...
View ArticleNew Early Learning Challenge Winners Announced
Today the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services announced five winners for the second round of the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge: Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico,...
View ArticlePre-K in Mississippi and Oklahoma: A Study in Contrast
They are both red states with conservative legislatures. But when it comes to investments in pre-K, Mississippi and Oklahoma have taken entirely different approaches. While Oklahoma has invested in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Podcast: Apps, Reading, Head Start and Kindergarten
The Education Watch podcast this week covers a lot of ground that pertains to early education. We talk about a forthcoming Head Start brief, news from the U.S. Department of Education on Race to the...
View ArticleAt National Journal: Start Early to Get Kids Interested in STEM
Last week the National Journal Education Experts blog asked why more students aren’t pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering or math.In my response, I discuss the importance of getting...
View ArticleAt Education Week: The Mismatch Between Half-Day Kindergarten and the Common...
We’ve written before about kindergartners’ widely divergent school experiences, with some attending full-day kindergarten and others offered only half-day classes. Regardless of the amount of time...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Resources on Head Start
Yesterday the Early Education Initiative issued a new report by Maggie Severns, “Reforming Head Start.” In addition to this issue brief on Head Start “recompetition,” readers can also access our new...
View ArticleEducational Apps Alone Won’t Teach Your Kid To Read
December 13, 2012Lisa Guernsey Michael Levine, Joan Ganz Cooney Center December 13, 2012As touchscreen tablets become the hot holiday gift for children—even for tots still learning to walk and...
View ArticleQ & A with Jacqueline Jones
Jacqueline Jones, our country’s first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning, left her post at the U.S. Department of Education earlier this month. Early Ed Watch had the opportunity...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reforming Head Start
What ‘Re-competition’ Means for the Federal Government’s Pre-K Program December 11, 2012Maggie SevernsClick here to download PDFAs research continues to highlight the benefits of early childhood...
View ArticleSave the Date for January Event: Turnaround 2.0
Save the date for Turnaround 2.0: School Improvement Strategies that Tap the Potential of the PreK-3rd Grades, an event on January 14, 9-11 am, at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C. We...
View Article13 Issues That Dominated Early Ed News in 2012
Before taking a holiday break, Early Ed Watch has a tradition of looking back at the most significant issues we have covered over the past year. Many of these topics generate worry and a feeling of...
View ArticleFirst Thoughts on Study of Head Start's Impact on 3rd Graders
On a day that many educators and office workers are madly finishing tasks or already traveling to prepare for the holidays, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released results from a...
View ArticleFiscal Cliff Deal Postpones the Pain to Early Ed Under Sequestration
Congress pulled the country back from the edge of the fiscal cliff late Tuesday night when the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass an agreement urgently negotiated and passed by the Senate on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Early Ed’s 10 Hot Spots to Watch in 2013
Each January, Early Ed Watch predicts where we will see the most action, innovation and consternation in the year ahead. Here are the hot spots we see for 2013. Notable is the absence of the...
View Article
