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Research strongly supports investment in early childhood education.

As policymakers debate investing in quality early childhood education programs, they should note the widespread agreement among researchers about the value of such programs. An extensive body of research in education, developmental , neuroscience, medicine and economics shows that quality early childhood education programs produce better education, health, economic and social outcomes for children, families, and the nation. As researchers, we urge policymakers to make decisions based on the full body of scientific knowledge about early education and child development. We provide this research summary to support and guide future investment in quality early childhood education programs.

Quality early childhood education can reduce the achievement gap. Too many American children start school inadequately prepared to succeed. Gaps in cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional skills due to unequal opportunities become evident well before children enter kindergarten. The resulting achievement gap widens as children progress through school, despite strong efforts at remediation. The long-term consequences include high rates of school failure, grade repetition, inappropriate special education placements, and dropout; involvement in risky behaviors and crime; and, even higher risk for adult chronic disease including hypertension, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. These problems are not limited to the poor: many children who fail a grade and drop out are from middle-income families. The costs of remediation, social dependency, poor health, and lost productivity are very high to individuals and our nation.

Access to quality early childhood education is essential. The early learning programs and child care that many parents can afford are not of good enough quality to appreciably affect early disparities in development. Inequities in access to high-quality early education may actually make them worse. From actual observations of children’s experiences we know that much of the education and care provided in preschools, center-based settings, and child care homes is not of sufficient quality to produce strong outcomes for children. Inadequate quality characterizes the preschool experiences of children from both middle-class and lower-income families.

Develop the whole child with quality programs. Physical and emotional health, early learning, and socialization are key elements of healthy development that must be addressed in quality early childhood education delivered by well-trained teachers using proven curricula. Children benefit most when teachers engage in interactions that stimulate learning while being emotionally nurturing. These interactions foster engagement in and enjoyment of learning. Critical to assuring quality are continuous improvement systems that support teachers in the implementation of evidence-based curricula focused on specific areas of learning and socio-emotional development. In-classroom coaching and mentoring is a successful approach to providing this support. In addition, salaries commensurate with comparably prepared K-12 colleagues could stem the flight of teachers away from early childhood education.

Quality programs include health and home. Evidence-based health and parent engagement activities contribute to greater success. Early screenings and follow up promote healthy cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical development. By modeling positive parent-child interaction and offering parents opportunities to practice with feedback, programs can augment the positive effects of preschool on child development and later education achievement.

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Quality programs can be brought to scale. Large-scale public preschool programs have produced substantial impacts on children’s early learning. Recent analyses integrating evaluations of preschool programs find that children make substantive gains in cognitive abilities and later school success in preschool programs including Head Start and state/local pre-K programs. At-scale preschool systems including in Tulsa, Boston, and New Jersey have produced even larger gains in language and math above and beyond comparison group children, many of whom were in other center-based programs. Benefits to children’s socio- emotional development and health have been documented in programs that focus intensively on these areas.

Quality programs produce quality life outcomes. Early childhood programs produce larger long-term impacts on life achievement than on IQ and achievement tests. Studies often find some convergence in test scores between children who did and did not attend preschool after children enter school. Despite the convergence on tests of achievement between children who receive quality early childhood education and those who do not, evidence points to important effects in other areas over time. Children who attended preschool show reductions in special education and grade retention. Evidence from long-term evaluations of both small-scale, intensive interventions and Head Start find long-term effects on important societal outcomes such as high-school graduation, years of education completed, earnings, and reduced crime and teen pregnancy, even after test-score effects become indistinguishable. Research is now underway focusing on why these long-term effects occur even when test scores during the school years converge.

Quality early childhood education benefits children from diverse family backgrounds and circumstances. Quality early learning can benefit middle-class children as well as disadvantaged children; typically developing children as well as children with special needs; and dual language learners as well as monolingual English speakers. Although early research focused only on programs for low-income children, more recent research indicates that middle-class children can benefit substantially and these benefits outweigh costs for children from middle-income as well as those from low-income families.

Investing in quality early childhood education pays off. Rigorous cost-benefit analyses show that the economic benefits of early childhood education outweigh the costs of providing access to quality programs. Available benefit-cost estimates based on older, intensive interventions, such as the Perry Preschool Program, as well as contemporary, large-scale public preschool programs, such as the Chicago Child-Parent Centers and Tulsa’s preschool program, find that their benefits far exceed the costs.

Critics of greater investment ignore the full body of evidence. Critics often cite data out of context, cherry- picking findings that highlight minimal effects within the larger findings of overall benefits. In addition, they claim the need to wait for larger-scale studies over many years to prove long-term effectiveness, knowing full well that such experiments are not possible without significant government investment and decades of research. Existing research findings are sufficient to warrant greater investment in quality programs now. Additional investments in research are essential and will be most productive if used to monitor quality and guide ongoing improvement of programs and systems.

This statement draws heavily upon a more detailed report on the scientific basis for preschool policy by: Yoshikawa, H., Weiland, C., Brooks-Gunn, J., Burchinal, M. R., Espinosa, L. M., Gormley, W. T., Ludwig, J., Magnuson, K., Phillips, D., & Zaslow, M. (2013). Investing in our future: The evidence base on preschool education. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Society for Research in Child Development and New York: Foundation for Child Development.

Quality data for preschool programs nationally from: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2012. Table 61. Percentage distribution of quality rating of child care arrangements of children at about 4 years of age, by type of arrangement and selected child and family characteristics: 2005-06.

Scholars who would like to add their signature to the letter may click here.

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Founding Signatories

J. Lawrence Aber Douglas Clements Mark Greenberg Steinhardt School of Culture, Graduate School of Education Bennett Pierce Prevention Education, and Human University at Buffalo, The State Research Center Development University of New York Penn State University New York University Linda Darling-Hammond Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek W. Steven Barnett Graduate School of Education Department of Psychology National Institute for Early Stanford University Temple University Education Research Rutgers, The State University of Nell Duke Aletha Huston New Jersey School of Education Department of Human Development and Family Sciences Daphna Bassok University of Texas at Austin Curry School of Education Greg Duncan Department of Education Jacqueline Jones University of California, Irvine Incoming President William Beardslee Foundation for Child Development Harvard Medical School Linda Espinosa University of Missouri, Columbia Stephanie Jones David Berliner Graduate School of Education Mary Lou Fulton Institute and John Fantuzzo Harvard University Graduate School of Education Graduate School of Education University of Pennsylvania Laura Justice College of Education and Human Karen Bierman Philip Fisher Ecology Department of Psychology Department of Psychology The Ohio State University Penn State University University of Oregon Joan Lombardi Clancy Blair Ellen C. Frede Steinhardt School of Culture, Acelero Learning Sharon Lynn Kagan Education, and Human Teachers College Development Vivian Gadsden Columbia University New York University Graduate School of Education University of Pennsylvania David Kirp Barbara Bowman Goldman School of Public Policy Erikson Institute Eugene Garcia University of California, Berkeley Mary Lou Fulton College of Pia Britto Education Michael Lopez Child Study Center Arizona State University Abt Associates Yale School of Medicine Rochel Gelman Katherine Magnuson Jeanne Brooks-Gunn Center for Cognitive Science School of Social Work Teachers College & College of Rutgers, The State University of University of Wisconsin – Madison Physicians and Surgeons New Jersey Columbia University Kathleen McCartney Elizabeth Gershoff Smith College Laurie Miller Brotman School of Human Ecology Department of Population Health University of Texas Christine McWayne NYU Langone Medical Center Eliot-Pearson Department of Child William Gormley Study and Human Development Margaret Burchinal McCourt School of Public Policy Tufts University Frank Porter Graham Child Georgetown University Development Institute Alan Mendelsohn University of North Carolina at Robert Granger Department of Pediatrics Chapel Hill Independent Consultant NYU Langone Medical Center

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Pamela Morris Ruby Takanishi Steinhardt School of Culture, Arthur Reynolds New America Foundation Education, and Human Institute of Child Development Development University of Minnesota Deborah Vandell New York University Department of Education Julie Sarama University of California, Irvine Susan B. Neuman Graduate School of Education Steinhardt School of Culture, University at Buffalo, The State Shannon Wanless Education, and Human University of New York School of Education Development University of Pittsburgh New York University Jeffrey Sachs Earth Institute Christina Weiland Deborah Phillips Columbia University School of Education Department of Psychology Larry Schweinhart University of Michigan Georgetown University Jack P. Shonkoff Marcy Whitebook Cybele Raver Center on the Developing Child Center for the Study of Child Care Steinhardt School of Culture, Harvard University Employment Education, and Human University of California, Berkeley Development Catherine Snow New York University Graduate School of Education Hirokazu Yoshikawa Harvard University Steinhardt School of Culture, Craig Ramey Education, and Human Virginia Tech Carilion Research Deborah Stipek Development Institute Graduate School of Education New York University Irwin Redlener Stanford University National Center for Disaster Martha Zaslow Preparedness Columbia University

Additional Signatories

Alabama

Scott Snyder, Center Director and Associate Professor, Center for Educational Accountability, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Cora Causey, Instructor of Early Childhood/Elementary Education, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Lois Christensen, Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Kay Emfinger, PhD, Program Director, Early Childhood and Elementary Education, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Alaska

Wei Hsiao, Associate Professor Early Childhood Education, University of Alaska at Anchorage

Karen Roth, Early Childhood Program Chair, University of Alaska at Anchorage

Hattie Harvey, Assistant Professor, University of Alaska at Anchorage

Erin Kinavey Wennerstrom, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Special Education, University of Alaska at Anchorage

Arizona

Gustavo Fischman, Professor, Arizona State University EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Chris Herbst, Associate Professor, Arizona State University

Flora Farago, Graduate Student, Arizona State University

Carl Hermanns, Clinical Associate Professor, Arizona State University

Lucia Ciciolla, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology Arizona State University

Jeanne Wilcox, Professor, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University

Karen W. Burstein, Senior Scientist, Southwest Institute for Families and Children

David Yaden, Professor, University of Arizona

Melissa Barnett, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona

Arkansas

Brenda Leger, Chief Academic Office, Kaplan Early Learning

John Burgin, Early Childhood Program Coordinator, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

California

Peter Mangione, Co-Director, Center for Child & Family Studies at WestEd

Ida Rose Florez, Senior Project Director, Center for Child & Family Studies at WestEd

Laura Sakai, Senior Researcher, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California at Berkeley

Claudia G. Pineda, Assistant Professor, Child and Adolescent Studies Department, Cal. State University, Fullerton

Rashmita Mistry, Associate Professor, Department of Education, University of California at Los Angeles

JoAnn Farver, Professor & Chair, Department of Psychology University of Southern California

Nastassia Hajal, Postdoctoral Scholar, Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles

Sean F. Reardon, Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Education

Claude Goldenberg, Professor, Stanford University

Jelena Obradovic, Assistant Professor, Stanford University

Gary Orfield, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles

Catherine Coddington, Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Los Angeles

Jennie Grammer, Assistant Professor, University of California, Los Angeles

Carola Suarez-Orozco, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles

Karla Rivera-Torres, Graduate Student, University of California, Los Angeles

Sami Klebanoff, Doctoral Student, University of California, Los Angeles

Rachel Zwass, Teaching Assistant, Graduate Student Researcher, M.A., University of California, Los Angeles EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Ximena Dominguez, Senior Research Scientist, SRI International

Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, Dean, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies

John Piacentini, Professor, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

Carollee Howes, Professor, University of California at Los Angeles

Amanda Guyer, Associate Professor, University of California Davis

Dianne Thompson, Program Coordinator, Associate Instructor, University of California, Davis

Jade Marcus Jenkins, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Irvine

Anne Blackstock-Bernstein, PhD student, University of California, Los Angeles

Katherine M. Griffin, PhD Student, University of California, Los Angeles

Dean Coffey, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Southern California

Sandy Baba, Director of Curriculum and Professional Development, Institute for Human and Social Development

Colorado

Andrew Brodsky, President, Brodsky Research and Consulting

William Mathis, Managing Director, National Education Policy Center

Ed Wiley, Senior Manager, Seagate Technology

Kevin Welner, Professor, University of Colorado Boulder

William R. Penuel, Professor, University of Colorado Boulder

Kathy Escamilla, Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder

Alex Molnar, Research Professor, University of Colorado--Boulder

Sarah Enos Watamura, Associate Professor, University of Denver

Connecticut

Amanda Berhenke, Assistant Professor of Education and Psychology, Albertus Magnus College

Casey Cobb, Associate Dean & Professor, University of Connecticut

Chin Reyes, Associate Research Scientist, Zigler Center in Child Development & Social Policy, Yale University

Delaware

Roberta M. Golinkoff, Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Professor, University of

Charles MacArthur, Professor,

Allison Karpyn, Associate Director, Center for Research in Education and Social Policy, University of Delaware

Myae, Professor, University of Delaware

Mary Dozier, Professor, University of Delaware EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Jason Hustedt, Assistant Professor, University of Delaware

Florida

Linda Stiles, Speech and Language Pathologist, Department of Children Youth and Families

Kristen Kemple, Professor, University of Florida

Rebecca Bulotsky Shearer, Associate Professor, University of Miami

Lucia Walsh, Graduate Student, University of Miami

Ilene Berson, Professor, University of South Florida

Georgia

Bonney Reed-Knight, Postdoctoral Fellow, Emory University

Yanghee Kim, Associate Professor, Kennesaw State University

Elizabeth DeBry, Professor, University of Georgia

Anne Shaffer, Associate Professor, University of Georgia

Kacy Welsh, Senior Lecturer

Hawaii

Leah Muccio, Assistant Professor

Idaho

Deb Carter, Professor, Boise State

Illinois

Julie Spielberger, Research Fellow, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

Daniel Berry, Assistant Professor, College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Christopher Lubienski, Professor, Department of Education Policy, University of Illinois

Christine Li-Grining, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago

Marie Masterson, School of Education, Dominican University

Tracy Moran, Assistant Professor, Erikson Institute

Luisiana Melendez, Associate Clinical Professor, Erikson Institute

Tonya Bibbs, Assistant Professor, Erikson Institute

Geoffrey Nagle, President, Erikson Institute

Jon Korfmacher, Associate Professor, Erikson Institute

Jie-Qi Chen, Professor, Erikson Institute

Pamela Epley, Assistant Clinical Professor, Erikson Institute EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Marc Atkins, Professor and Director, Institute for Juvenile Research, University of Illinois at Chicago

Terri Sabol, Assistant Professor, Northwestern University

P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, Frances Willard Professor of Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University

Penelope Peterson, Professor and Dean, Northwestern University

Sandra Waxman, Professor, Northwestern University, Institute for Policy Research and Department of Psychology

Margery Wallen, Director, Policy Partnerships, Ounce of Prevention Fund

Julia Henly, Associate Professor, University of Chicago

Dana Suskind, Professor, Surgery and Pediatrics, University of Chicago

Kate Zinsser, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago

Timothy Shanahan, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Chicago

William Trent, Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Kristen L. Bub, Associate Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Brooke Fisher, Research Program Associate, Illinois

Indiana

Kelly Donahue, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine

Douglas R. Powell, Distinguished Professor, Purdue University

James Elicker, Associate Professor, Purdue University

Jennifer Dobbs-Oates, Clinical Assistant Professor, Purdue University

Iowa

Charles Bruner, Executive Director, Child and Family Policy Center

Larissa Samuelson, Professor, DeLTA Center, University of Iowa

Carla Peterson, Professor, Iowa State University

Jessica Pleuss, Assistant Professor, Morningside College

Megan Foley Nicpon, Associate Professor, The University of Iowa

John Spencer, Professor, University of Iowa

Nathaniel Klooster, Graduate Student Research Assistant, University of Iowa

Susan Wagner Cook, Assistant Professor, University of Iowa

Betty Zan, Associate Professor, University of Northern Iowa

Kentucky

Jill Jacobi-Vessels, Assistant Professor, University of Louisville EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Louisiana

Teresa K. Buchanan, Associate Professor, Louisiana State University

Angela Keyes, Associate Professor/Co-Project Director Quality Start Child Care Rating and Improvement System, Tulane University

Sherryl Scott Heller, Director, Fussy Baby Network New Orleans and Gulf Coast, Tulane University

Charles H. Zeanah, Jr., Professor of and Pediatrics, Tulane University School of Medicine

Maine

Charles Dorn, Associate Professor of Education & Chair, Bowdoin College

Julie Dellamattera, Associate Professor, The University of Maine

Maryland

Kathryn Van Eck, Leadership in Education for Adolescent Health (LEAH) Fellow, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics

Kristin Voegtline, Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Sarika S. Gupta, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University

Nathan Fox, Professor, University of Maryland

Brenda Jones Harden, Associate Professor, University of Maryland

Christy Tirrell-Corbin, Director, Early Childhood Education, University of Maryland

Natalie Slopen, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland College Park

Natasha Cabrera, Professor

Massachusetts

Todd Grindal, Associate, Abt Associates, Inc.

Catherine Darrow, Associate, Abt Associates, Inc.

Penny Hauser-Cram, Professor, Boston College

Mariela Paez, Associate Professor, Boston College

Kyle DeMeo Cook, Graduate Student Research Assistant, Boston College

Jacqueline Prince Sims, Graduate Student Research Assistant, Boston College

Dana Thomson, Graduate Research Assistant, Boston College

Amanda Tarullo, Assistant Professor, Boston University

Catherine Caldwell-Harris, Associate Professor, Boston University

Pamela Joshi, Senior Scientist, EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Lindsay Fallon, Assistant Professor, Bridgewater State University

MaryCatherine Arbour, Associate Physician for Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University

Barbara Beatty, Professor, Department of Education,

Tama Leventhal, Associate Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University

Paul L. Harris, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University

David Takeuchi, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Graduate School of Social Work, Boston College

Richard Weissbourd, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Soojin Oh, Doctoral Student, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Center on the Develolping Child

Charles Nelson, Professor, Harvard Medical School

Margaret Sheridan, Assistant Professor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

Günther Fink, Associate Professor, Harvard School of Public Health

Dana Charles McCoy, Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University

Brenda Phillips, Research Associate, Harvard University

Jocelyn Bonnes Bowne, Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University

Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Professor Emerita, Lesley University

Charles Homer, Chief Executive Officer, National Institute for Children's Health Quality

Donald Wertlieb, Professor emeritus Tufts University, Partnership for Early Childhood Development & Disability Rights

Claire E. Hamilton, Chair, Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, UMass/Amherst

David Henry Feldman, Professor and Chair, Tufts University

Rachel Chazan Cohen, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Brenda K. Bushouse, Professor, University of Massachusetts

Sally Galman, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Nancy Folbre, Professor emerita, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Lisa Scott, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Darrell Earnest, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Ysaaca Axelrod, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Laura Valdiviezo, Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Nancy M Marshall, Senior Research Scientist, WCW, Wellesley College

Joanne Roberts, Senior Research Scientist, Wellesley College Centers for Women EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Nina Aronoff, Associate Professor, Wheelock College

Diane Levin, Professor, Wheelock College

Catherine Donahue, Associate Professor, Wheelock College

Dr. Ellie Friedland, Associate Professor Early Childhood Education, Wheelock College

Eleonora Villegas-Reimers, Associate Professor, Wheelock College, Boston

William R. Beardslee, MD, Psychiatrist; Senior Researcher

Carolyn Layzer, Senior Associate

Joshua D. Sparrow, MD, Director, Strategy, Planning and Program Development, Brazelton Touchpoints Center & Associate Clinical Professor, Harvard Medical School

T. Berry Brazelton, MD, Founder, Brazelton Touchpoints Center & Professor Emeritus, Harvard Medical School

Michigan

Nichole Paradis, Endorsement Director, Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health

Laura Scharphorn, Research Associate, Center for Early Education Evaluation at HighScope

Nicole Talge, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University

Cortney Bamberger, Graduate Student, Eastern Michigan University

Cheryl Polk, President, HighScope Educational Research Foundation

Kristin Rispoli, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University

Ryan P. Bowles, Associate Professor, Michigan State University

Aviva Dorfman, Associate Professor, School of Education and Human Services, University of Michigan-Flint

Frederick Morrison, Professor, University of Michigan

Timothy Bartik, Senior Economist, Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

Carolyn Dayton, Assistant Professor & Associate Director, IMH Program, Wayne State University

Regena Nelson, Professor, Western Michigan University

Kanishka Misra, Assistant Professor

Minnesota

Sharon Berry, Director of Training, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of MN

Richard Lee, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota

Judy Temple, Associate Professor, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota

Arthur J.Rolnick, Senior Fellow, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota

Stephanie Carlson, Professor, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Elizabeth Seebach, Associate Professor, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Pinar Karaca-Mandic, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota

Sammy Perone, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Minnesota

Aaron Sojourner, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management

Emily McTate, Post-doctoral Fellow, Instructor in Psychology

Mississippi

Beverly Alford, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Mississippi

Carey Bernini Dowling, Instructional Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi

Missouri

Sarah Huisman, Associate Professor and Director of Early Childhood Program, Fontbonne University

Susan Claflin, Associate Professor, Missouri Western State University

Bruce Biddle, Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri

Michael Amlung, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Missouri

Kathy Thornburg, Researcher

Nebraska

Lisa Knoche, Research Associate Professor, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools

Susan Sheridan, Professor and Director, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools/University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Brandy Clarke, Research Assistant Professor, The Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Victoria Molfese, Professor, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Juan Casas, Professor, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Kathleen Rudasill, Associate Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

New Hampshire

Patricia Cantor, Professor, Plymouth State University

Eun Kyeong Cho, Associate Professor, University of New Hampshire

New Jersey

Jim Squires, Senior Research Fellow, National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Kimberly Brenneman, Director, Early Childhood STEM Lab, National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Shannon Riley-Ayers, Assistant Research Professor, National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Alissa Lange, Assistant Research Professor, National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Milagros Nores, Researcher, National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Janet Currie, Professor, Princeton University

Lorenzo Moreno, Visiting Lecturer in Public Affairs, Princton University

Susan Golbeck, Associate Professor, Rutgers University

Stephanie M. Curenton, Professor, Rutgers University

Catherine Lugg, Professor, Rutgers University

Lori Connors-Tadros, Project Director, Rutgers University

Alisa Belzer, Associate Professor, Rutgers University

Dorothy Strickland, Professor Emerita, Rutgers University

Sharon Ryan, Professor of Early Childhood Education, Rutgers University

Beth Rubin, Associate Professor, Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education

Jennifer Austin, Associate Professor, Rutgers University, Newark

New Mexico

Betsy Cahill, Associate Professor, New Mexico State University

Jennifer Benson, PhD student, University of New Mexico

New York

Lisa McCabe, Research Associate, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, Cornell University

Tatyana Kleyn, Associate Professor, City College of New York

Sherry M. Cleary, Executive Director, City University of New York

Kimberly Noble, Assistant Professor, Columbia University

Llenell Paz, Researcher, Columbia University / Pace University

R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez, Assistant Research Professor, Department of Population Health, NYU Langone Medical Center

Spring Dawson-McClure, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health, NYU Langone Medical Center

Toni Porter, Principal, Early Care Amanda Education Consulting

Deborah Rosenfeld, Research Associate, Education Development Center, Inc. EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Marion Goldstein, Research Associate, Education Development Center, Inc.

Ashley Lewis Presser, Senior Research Associate, Education Development Center, Inc.

Regan Vidiksis, Research Associate, Education Development Center's Center for Children and Technology

Joshua L. Brown, Associate Professor, Fordham University

Donald Hernandez, Professor, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York

Lisa Gennetian, Senior Research Scientistor, Institute for Human Development and Social Change, New York University

Lynn Cohen, Professor, LIU/Post

Michelle Maier, Research Associate, MDRC

Zoila Tazi, Associate Professor, Mercy College

Marjorie Rhodes, Assistant Professor, New York University

Fabienne Doucet, Associate Professor, New York University

Maia Connors, Doctoral Candidate, New York University

Erin O'Connor, Associate Professor, New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development

Barbara Schwartz, Associate Clinical Professor, New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development

Marta Tienda, Professor, Princeton University

Bernice Reinharth, Ph.D, clinical , Private Practice

Patsy Cooper, Professor, Queens College, CUNY

Allison Friedman-Krauss, Doctoral Student, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development New York University

Jorge Saenz De Viteri, Early Childhood Education Specialist, STG International Inc.

Henry, Levin, Teachers College, Columbia University

Susan Recchia, Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University

Sharon L. Kagan, Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University

Dina López, Assistant Professor, The City College of New York, CUNY

X. Christine Wang, Associate Professor, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Maria Hantzopoulos, Assistant Professor of Education, Vassar College

Erin McCloskey, Associate Professor, Vassar College

Colette Cann, Assistant Professor, Vassar College

Donald J. Yarosz, Ed.D. Faculty, Walden University EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Shira Mattera, Research Associate

Colleen Gibbons, law student

Chrishana M. Lloyd, Senior Research Associate

Cynthia Lamy, Researcher

North Carolina

Lisa Schell, Parent Educator, Burke Co. Public Schools

Diana Leyva, Assistant Professor, Davidson College

Kenneth Dodge, Professor, Duke University

Karen Appleyard Carmody, Assistant Professor, Duke University

Helen Ladd, Professor, Duke University

Clara Muschkin, Assistant Research Professor, Duke University

Mary Knight-McKenna, Associate Professor, Elon University

Sam Oertwig, Scientist, FirstSchool, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Sharon Ritchie, Senior Scientist, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Diane Early, Scientist, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Noreen Yazejian, Research Scientist, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Samuel L. Odom, Director, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Richard M Clifford, Senior Scientist Emeritus, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Sandra Soliday Hong, Fellow, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Robert Carr, Graduate Research Assistant, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Terri Barrett, Professor, Lenoir-Rhyne University

RM Schell, PhD, BCBA-D, Director of Psychology, Riddle Developmental Center

Anna Gassman-Pines, Assistant Professor, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University

Sharon Palsha, Clinical Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Deborah J. Cassidy, Professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Frances A, Campbell, Senior Scientist, University of NC at Chapel Hill EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Danielle Crosby, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Pam Winton, Senior Scientist and Research Professor

Allison B Landy, State Programs Director

Jeff Rosenberg, Early Childhood Educator/Administrator

Edward Fiske, Education writer

North Dakota

Kristen Votava, Graduate Director of Early Childhood Education,, University of North Dakota

Grace Onchwari, Associate Professor, University of North Dakota

Ohio

Sindhia Swaminathan, Graduate Student, Bowling Green State University

Eileen Anderson-Fye, Robson Associate Professor of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University

Karl Wheatley, Associate Professor, Cleveland State University

Dinah Volk, Professor, College of Education, Cleveland State University

Jaclyn M. Dynia, Senior Researcher, Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy

Martha Lash, Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education, Kent State University

Kenneth Cushner, Professor, Kent State University

Belinda Zimmerman, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and Literacy, Kent State University

Susan Mauck, Graduate Research Associate, Quantitative Research in Educational Studies Ohio State University

Jessica Logan, Research Scientist, The Ohio State University

Kelly Purtell, Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University

Victoria Carr, Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati

Mary A. Fristad, Professor

Helene Arbouet Harte, Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati, Blue Ash College

Oklahoma

Diane M. Horm, GKFF Endowed Chair, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa

Oregon

Laura Lee McIntyre, Professor, College of Education, University of Oregon

Beth Stormshak, Professor, College of Education, University of Oregon

Andy Garbacz, Assistant Professor, College of Education, University of Oregon EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Andrew Mashburn, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Portland State University

Jacqueline Bruce, Research Scientist, Oregon Social Learning Center

Bridget Hatfield, Assistant Professor, Oregon State University

Megan McClelland, Katherine E Smith Healthy Children and Families Professor, Oregon State University

Leslie Leve, Professor, University of Oregon

Ilana Umansky, Assistant Professor, University of Oregon

John M Love, Independent Consultant, Retired

Pennsylvania

Richard Fiene, Retired HDFS/Psychology Professor, Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Penn State University

Robert Nix, Research Associate, Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Penn State University

Marsha Weinraub, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Temple University

Dominic Gullo, Professor of Early Childhood Education, Drexel University

David Bennett, Professor, Drexel University

Kara E. McGoey, PhD, Associate Professor, Duquesne University

Michael Robb, Director of Education and Research, Fred Rogers Center, St. Vincent College

Junlei Li, Professor, Fred Rogers Center, St. Vincent College

Brook Sawyer, Assistant Professor, Lehigh University

Kristin A Buss, Professor, Penn State University

Carolyn J. Griess, Lecturer, Penn State Harrisburg

Mark Feinberg, Research Professor, Penn State University

Sukhdeep Gill, Associate Professor, Penn State University

Suzy Scherf, Professor, Penn State University

Cristin Hall, Assistant Professor, Penn State University

Barbara Schaefer, Associate Professor of Education, Penn State University

Paul Morgan, Associate Professor of Education, Penn State University

Claudia Mincemoyer, Professor, Penn State University

Janet Welsh, Senior Research Associate, Penn State University

Keith Nelson, Professor, Penn State University

Cynthia Stifter, Professor, Penn State University

Lynn Hartle, Professor, The Penn State University, Brandywine EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Gregory M. Fosco, Asistant Professor, The Pennsylvania State University

Cynthia Huang-Pollock, Associate Professor of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University

Amy Marshall, Associate Professor of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University

Ginger Moore, Associate Professor, The Pennsylvania State University

Toscha Blalock, Research Specialist, University of Pennsylvania, Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE)

Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Shannon Wanless, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Afton Kirk, Graduate Student Researcher, University of Pittsburgh

Michelle Sobolak, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh

Anna Guerrero, Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Patricia Crawford, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Cindy J. Popovich, Faculty Higher Education, University of Pittsburgh

Hila Lutz, Student

Ken Smythe-Leistico, Assistant Director

Roger D. Phillips, Developmental Psychologist & Evaluation Consultant, Independent Researcher/Evaluator

Rhode Island

Lewis Lipsitt, Professor Emeritus of Psychology & Medical Science,

Paul Bueno de Mesquita, Professor, Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies

Paul LaCava, Associate Professor, Rhode Island College

Susan Zoll, Assistant Professor and Director, Institute for Early Childhood Teaching and Learning, Rhode Island College

Judi Stevenson-Garcia, Education Specialist, Rhode Island Department of Education

South Carolina

Doyle Stevick, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policies, University of South Carolina

South Dakota

Andrew Stremmel, Professor, South Dakota State University

Tennessee

Mimi Engel, Assistant Professor, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University

David Dickinson, Professor, Vanderbilt University

Texas EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Marni Axelrad, Associate Professor, Board Certified Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital

Karin Price, Associate Professor, Baylor College of Medicine; Texas Children's Hospital

Lauren Decker, Senior Researcher, Edvance Research, Inc.

Cynthia Osborne, Associate Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT Austin

Linda McSpadden McNeil, Professor, Rice University

Dena Buchalter, Licensed Specialist in , Sheldon Independent School District

Jill A Smith, Assistant Professor, University of Houston-Clear Lake

Esther J. Calzada, Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin

Susan Landry, Professor, University of Texas Houston Health Sciences Center

Utah

Mark S. Innocenti, Director, Research & Evaluation, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Utah State University

Seung-Hee Son, Assistant Professor, , University of Utah

Lori Roggman, Professor, Human Development, Utah State University

Ann M. B. Austin, Professor, Utah State University

Vermont

Lori Erbrederis Meyer, Assistant Professor, University of Vermont

Dianna Murray-Close, Associate Professor, University of Vermont

Jeanne Goldhaber, Associate Professor Emerita, University of Vermont

Nancy Smith, Administrator

Virginia

Chloe Gibbs, Assistant Professor, Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

Claire Cameron, Research Scientist, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia

Jason Downer, Research Associate Professor, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia

Jessica Whittaker, Research Assistant Professor, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia

Sara Rimm-Kaufman, Professor, Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching & Learning, University of Virginia

Christine Harris-Van Keuren, Senior Research Scientist, Educational Policy Institute

Adam Winsler, Professor, Applied , George Mason University

Robert Pianta, Dean and Professor, University of Virginia EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Amanda Williford, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia

Bridget Hamre, Research Associate Professor, University of Virginia

Eileen Merritt, Assistant Professor, University of Virginia

Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch, Research Assistant Professor, University of Virginia

Mable Kinzie, Professor, University of Virginia

Tina Stanton-Chapman, Associate Professor, University of Virginia

Lauren Stark, Research Assistant, University of Virginia

Amanda Schwartz, Educational Consultant

Washington

Richard N Brandon, Director; Sr. Research Fellow (Retired), Human Services Policy Center, University of Washington

Holly Schindler, Assistant Professor, University of Washington

Kristie Kauerz, Research Assistant Professor, P-3 Policy and Leadership, University of Washington, College of Education

Carlos Anguiano, Graduate Student, Washington State University, Pullman

Washington, D.C.

Laura Hawkinson, Researcher, American Institutes for Research

Taryn Morrissey, Assistant Professor, American University

Elaine Weiss, National Coordinator, Broader, Bolder Approach to Education

Emma Garcia, Economist, Economic Policy Institute

Cindy Hoisington, Learning and Teaching Division, Education Development Center, Inc.

Sandra Bishop-Josef, Researcher, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids

Maxine Freund, Associate Dean for Research & Professor, George Washington University School of Education

Sara Anderson, Postdoctoral Fellow, Georgetown University

Toby Long, Associate Professor, Georgetown University

Hakim Rashid, Professor, Howard University

Louisa Tarullo, Associate Director of Research, Mathematica Policy Research

Kimberly Boller, Senior Fellow, Mathematica Policy Research

Sally Atkins-Burnett, Senior Researcher, Mathematica Policy Research

Sandra Barrueco, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, The Catholic University of America

Erica Greenberg, Research Associate, The Urban Institute

Ajay Chaudry, Author EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

Wai-Ying Chow, Research Scientist

Florencia Lopez Boo, Senior Economist

West Virginia

Melissa Sherfinski, Assistant Professor, West Virginia University

Wisconsin

Jessica Quindel, Assistant Principal, Milwaukee Public Schools

Beth Graue, Professor, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Wisconsin Madison

International

Steven Ludeke, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Masatoshi Jimmy Suzuki, Associate Professor, Hyogo University of Teacher Education, Japana

Florrie Ng, Professor, Japan

Rebecca Chelimo, Lecturer, Kenya Institute of Special Education, Kenya

Noor Jung Shah, Lecturer, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Patrick McIver, Asst. Professor, Catholic University of Daegu, South Korea

Maregesi Machumu, Lecturer, Tanzania