New Federal Research Project on Building a Strong Early Ed Workforce

What knowledge and skills do teachers of young children, from preschool through third grade, need to best serve their students? Through a new, 18-month study of the pre-K-3^rd teaching force, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services are working with the National Academy of Sciences, to answer this big question.

At an early childhood stakeholders meeting last month held by the Administration for Children and Families at HHS, officials said that using developmental science, researchers will map the needs of young children and attempt to answer questions about what their educators should know and be able to do.

In our report, “Getting in Sync: Revamping Licensure and Preparation for Teachers in Pre-K, Kindergarten and the Early Grades,” I explain that today’s system is not set up to ensure that teachers in pre-K through the third grades are well-prepared to work with young children. Because children in these grades are still developing foundational skills, knowledge of child development is especially critical. These instructors must learn about family engagement and the science of early-childhood development (including a focus on social-emotional growth), and must gain experience in how to meet the demands of the Common Core State Standards and provide effective instruction in subjects such as early literacy, the building blocks of mathematics and early science.

Staff members at HHS and the Department of Education are in the process of developing the specific questions they want researchers to answer through the new study, and work is projected to get underway in early summer. We are looking forward to seeing the findings in about two years.