eNotes
June 9, 2017In this Issue:
- Do academic preschools yield stronger benefits? Cognitive emphasis, dosage, and early learning Source: The Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
- School Improvement Starts Before School: Under ESSA, States Can Start Re-Orienting Districts Towards the Early Years (Early Ed in ESSA: Helping Every Child Succeed - Blog Series) Source: Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes and New America
- U.S. Department of Education Launches Revamped IDEA Website Source: U.S. Department of Education - Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (Blog)
- Hispanic Children's Participation in Early Care and Education: A Look at Utilization Patterns of Chicago's Publicly Funded Programs Source: National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families
- Intervention IDEAs for Infants, Toddlers, Children, and Youth Impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
1. Do academic preschools yield stronger benefits? Cognitive emphasis, dosage, and early learning
According to a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Development Psychology (Vol. 52, Sept.-Oct.2017), positive benefits can be measured on the average child's cognitive advancement after 5-6 months of attending an academically-oriented preschool. These effects display stronger impacts than prior studies with national samples, where researchers did not focus on academic intensity, specifically, as a feature of classroom quality.
2. School Improvement Starts Before School: Under ESSA, States Can Start Re-Orienting Districts Towards the Early Years (Early Ed in ESSA: Helping Every Child Succeed - Blog Series)
According to a recent entry from the blog series Early Ed in ESSA: Helping Every Child Succeed (May 2017), K-2 years have historically been ignored in state accountability systems. ESSA gives states new flexibility to focus dollars on early learning, and this means new approaches for measuring accountability and school improvement systems, and addressing different needs for K-2. These additional resources are provided at the end of the article:
- Valuing the Early Years in State Accountability Systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act
- Incorporating Early Learning Strategies in the School Improvement Grants (SIG) Program
- Center on School Turnaround: School Quality Indicators Scan
- Learning Policy Institute: Pathways to New Accountability Through the Every Student Succeeds Act
3. U.S. Department of Education Launches Revamped IDEA Website
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services blog has announced the redesigned IDEA website offering improved site navigation, expanded search capabilities, links to resources for specific audiences, and links to expanded content, such as a list of frequently-used acronyms and terms related to individuals with disabilities. See revamped website (June 2017) here.
4. Hispanic Children's Participation in Early Care and Education: A Look at Utilization Patterns of Chicago's Publicly Funded Programs
A recent report (April 2017) from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families states that 83 percent of low-income Hispanic children participated in some form of publicly funded center or home-based early childhood education; a rate similar to that of their non-Hispanic peers and higher than previous studies report. This increase suggests that educational achievements for low-income Hispanic children will greatly impact the social and economic well-being of the country, and more research-based information is needed to support the needs of this growing population.
This brief is part of a series that focuses on research to help us better understand the early care and education experiences of Latino children.
5. Intervention IDEAs for Infants, Toddlers, Children, and Youth Impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)
This topical issue brief on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders from OSEP (Jan. 2017) outlines the different FASDs, discusses prevention, and provides behavioral and academic interventions for families, infants and preschool-aged children. Additional resources are also provided.