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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 psychology, 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 University of Michigan Development and Family Sciences Daphna Bassok University of Texas at Austin Curry School of Education Greg Duncan University of Virginia 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 Arizona State University 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 Delaware
Charles MacArthur, Professor, University of Delaware
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 Psychiatry 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, Brandeis University 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, Wellesley College
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, Clinical Psychology 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 psychologist, 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, Brown University
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 School Psychology, 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, Educational Psychology, 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 Developmental Psychology, 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