State and Federal Policy Reports on Pre-K

In order to develop effective and beneficial early education programs and provide the funding, resources, and services necessary to implement them successfuly, state and federal governments adopt policy regulations to provide guidelines for new and existing initiatives.   Such policies are regularly analyzed and refined to provide the best services possible for children and their families.  Below is a listing of some of the most influential policy reports on key inititaves nationwide.

Building a 21st Century Economy: The Case for Investing in Early Education Reform (Early Education Initiative, New America Foundation) This policy brief makes the case for fundamental change in U.S. early education policies, looking specifically at prekindergarten through third grade, and offers recommendations for reform based on the need for children to succeed in a global economy.

Effects of Kindergarten Retention Policy on Children's Cognitive Growth in Reading and Mathematics (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and the University of Michigan) This report analyzed data from the US Early Childhood Longitudinal Study and found little evidence of benefits connected to grade retention in relation to achievement in reading and mathematics.

Up and Running: A Compendium of Multi-Site Early Childhood Initiatives (State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network, Iowa) This is the second edition of the compendium, which is designed to help those interested in school readiness become familiar with the range of efforts around the country to improve children's development in the early learning years.

What is the Penny Buying for South Carolina? (South Carolina State Board of Education) This longitudinal study found that children who attended the state's pre-kindergarten program performed better academically years later than peers who did not attend the program.

The Economics of Investing in Universal Preschool Education in California (The RAND Corporation) This study aims to inform current discussions on prescool education costs and benefits by conducting an anlysis of the economic returns from investing in high-quality preschool education in the state of California.

Getting Ready: Findings from the National School Readiness Indicators Initiative (Rhode Island Kids Count)  Nased on the experience of 17 states, this report identified a core set of common indicators that can be used to measure progress toward school readiness and early school success.

The State of Preschool: 2004 State Preschool Yearbook (National Institute for Early Education Research, NIEER) The Yearbook seeks to improve knowledge and understanding of state efforts to expand the availability of high-quality education to young children in the 21st century.

Next: The Economic Benefits of Pre-K