The Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy at the University of Washington draws on the scholarly work of four different universities, including Stanford, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania. The purpose of their research is "to identify ways that leaders, policymakers, teacher developers, and the reform community can support teachers' work and careers." Researchers...

This year's Quality Counts report (last mentioned in the January 12, 2001 Scout Report) focuses on the importance of high quality learning experiences for children prior to their K-12 school years. The benefits of offering quality education at this early point can be substantial; children perform with better cognitive skills during later educational stages. Not simply an endorsement of improved...

What, pray tell, might the so-called "dismal science" of economics have to say about public investment in early childhood programs? Quite a bit, as it turns out. This report from the RAND Corporation takes an economic perspective on such investments, and its intent is to provide policymakers with a primer about "how economic analysis can help set agendas for early childhood policy and identify the...

Released in December 2000 by the National Center for Education Statistics, "this report attempts to answer two basic sets of questions about children's knowledge and skill acquisition during the kindergarten year." The report presents and analyzes data on improvements in math and reading skills for children pre- and post-kindergarten in specific cognitive skills such as letter recognition,...