Maps and More: Additional Materials from Our Race-to-the-Top Analysis

Last week, the Early Education Initiative released a state-by-state analysis of early education infrastructure around the country. We cast some early predictions as to which states are best-positioned to meet the “core criteria” laid out in a new federal competition, the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge. Today we’re releasing an appendix* to our analysis that includes all the U.S. maps featured in our presentation along with the data underpinning them.

According to the competition’s guidelines, released by the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services last week, states will be able to earn points across a wide spectrum of early learning reform areas. Peer reviewers selected by the federal agencies will look for evidence that states have a demonstrated commitment to improving early learning, as well as their capability to implement reforms. Our analysis gives a snapshot of where states are now, and a sense of how far they’ll need to come in order to win a grant.

Let’s take a moment to focus on one of the maps that you’ll see in both the presentation and the materials in the appendix: the map of states that have a statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). Because the federal agencies put a lot of weight on the existence or development of these systems, states’ current records and plans on QRIS could be critical to their success in the competition. The application requires states to develop a statewide rating system that objectively scores all early childhood programs in the state and communicate that information to parents. It also says that the QRIS should provide incentives for programs to meet higher standards and allow parents to become better-informed consumers. This section of the federal application makes up nearly a quarter of the application’s total point value – 75 of 320 possible points. The data for this particular map comes from a Child Trends and Mathematica Policy Research study and more information can be found on the charts in the appendix and on our project’s main page, Already Ahead: Top Contenders in the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge.

For more information on how we arrived at our “top contender” list, check out our presentation below:

And don’t miss our ongoing coverage of the evolution of this Early Learning Challenge competition, with Early Ed Watch articles dating back to the first mention of the concept in early 2009.

*UPDATED 9/6/11: The appendix now includes information that was inadvertently left off the state investment chart in our analysis published on August 26.