Our blog

Too Small to Fail recently released a white paper on the importance of cultivating a child’s social-emotional development from birth. Too Small to Fail defines social-emotional development as a combination of the relationships we share with others, emotional awareness, and the ability to recognize, understand, express, and respond to feelings in socially appropriate ways. Social-emotional development […]

The VKRP, based at The University of Virginia expands the assessment of children entering kindergarten beyond literacy (PALS), to include school readiness domains of math, social skills and self-regulation. This data provides school divisions with a more comprehensive understanding of how kindergarten students are entering elementary schools (at the fourth to sixth week of school) […]

Have you heard about the Stanford University marshmallow study? Many years ago, children between the ages of three and five were offered a marshmallow and told if they did not eat it, they’d be given another one. Those children who took the marshmallow and could not delay gratification had a higher rate of behavioral problems […]

March Madness is over (thank goodness)! What a game last night!! North Carolina beat Gonzaga 71-65. It was a nail-biter for anyone who watched. As a die-hard Tar Heel fan, this game was tough to watch especially after Villanova’s buzzer beater win last year over the Heels. Marcus Paige said it best last night in […]

Reading is foundational to many jobs in today’s economy, and it will be increasingly critical for the jobs that sustain our economic growth. According to an analysis by economists at Georgetown University, reading comprehension ranks third in “high intensity” use of broad skills across all occupations. A 2016 study found that workers had to be […]

A report recently released by The Center for American Progress, “Child Care Deserts: An Analysis of Child Care Centers by ZIP Code in 8 States,” examines the location of child care centers and reveals that 42% of children under age 5 live in child care deserts. Eight states responded to the request to share administrative […]

The 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study finds American students underperforming their peers in several Asian nations. The U.S. was below the international average in math and about average in science and reading. “We’re losing ground — a troubling prospect when, in today’s knowledge-based economy, the best jobs can go anywhere in the world,” said […]

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced this week that Virginia will receive $17.5 million through the federal Preschool Expansion Grant. These funds will allow the Commonwealth to continue to serve at-risk four-year-olds in high-quality pre-kindergarten programs across the state. “Providing our children with high-quality preschool education is essential to giving every Virginia student the start he or she […]

The Trends in Maths and Science Study (TIMSS) released yesterday provides data on mathematics and science achievement of U.S. students compared to that of students in other countries. The most recent TIMSS data collection was in 2015 and included students in grades 4 and 8. In TIMSS 2015, more than 60 countries and other education systems, […]

The University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education is focusing on four major efforts to improve early education: 1.    Creating a First-of-Its-Kind Preschool 2.    Assessing Kindergarten Readiness Statewide 3.    Building Strategies for Early Childhood Reform Statewide in Louisiana 4.    Assessing Interactions in Kyrgyzstan’s Early Education Classrooms The US Secretary of Education, John B. King Jr., […]

Virginia’s Plan for Well-Being is a call to action for Virginians to create and sustain conditions that support health and well-being. The plan lays out 13 priority goals that address issues significantly impacting the health and well-being of the people of Virginia. Read more about the plan and how early education plays a role here.

The results of a recent evaluation of Tennessee’s statewide pre-k program by Vanderbilt University’s Peabody Research Institute provides an opportunity to understand why some early education programs are effective and others are not. What can we learn from this study that will help to inform the practice in early education programs? The Starting Early Policy Brief is a […]

A commission convened by the Aspen Institute will kick off a multi-year endeavor next month to explore how educators, policymakers, and researchers can more thoroughly incorporate students’ social and emotional development into the work of schools. The aim of the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development is to “advance a new vision for […]

In an open letter to the future President-elect, Robert Pianta,  dean of the Curry School of Education at The University of Virginia, is clear: early education should be a first-year priority. Pianta shares that the time has come to ensure that every poor preschooler in the United States is enrolled for two years of the best […]

The 2016-2018 biennial state budget included funding for the continued implementation of the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP).  In 2015, over 21 school divisions participated, and, this fall, the statewide rollout of VKRP will increase to 40 school divisions. The VKRP will focus on assessing kindergartners to determine their mathematics, social, and self-regulation skills, in […]