Research Connections’ librarians have curated this page to include publications that may be of particular interest to child care and early education policymakers, professionals supporting the workforce, and researchers. The publications were selected because they align with federal priorities, seasonal priorities, current events, or national interest. Many of the highlighted publications have been featured in Research Connections newsletters.
Could strong positive relationships between students and teachers help mediate expulsion risks? This study examines the relationship between preschool children’s inhibitory control and their risk of expulsion. Findings indicate that better inhibitory control is associated with a lower risk of…
This review covers more than 40 studies on professional development approaches for managing classrooms and providing behavioral support skills. Findings show most studies focus on educators from Head Start and public preschools. Professional development approaches included strategies for…
Could participation in high-quality ECE equip children who are at risk for educational failure with skills on par with their more advantaged peers? This study examines children randomly assigned as infants to participate in an enhanced Early Head Start–Head Start program. The study finds…
How does a teacher’s education matter? This study looks at the education levels of assistant teachers in prekindergarten classes to determine whether education levels play a role in the assessment scores of at-risk children. The findings indicate that, although the education levels of lead…
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the ability to directly assess children. Using data from Head Start, this report examines whether an alternate measure—teacher reports—can be used reliably when direct assessments are unavailable. The findings indicate that teacher reports have strong associations…
Child care is increasingly unaffordable for many American families. This study looks at child care centers’ participation in child care subsidy systems which help families with low incomes access child care. The authors use nationally representative data from the 2012 National Survey of Early…
Reading difficulties that “begin early in life are devastatingly stable across a child’s school career.” This study examines the results of a pilot program that delivered language instruction to preschool children who were eligible for free or reduced lunches at their program. The project…
Child care closures during the COVID-19 pandemic exposed many families with young children to challenging situations. This study looks at whether child masking prevented child care program closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from all 50 states found that child masking early in the…
This report from the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Innovation in Development, Engagement, and Learning Systems provides an evaluation of 2019 QRIS policies from 39 states. The report was developed for Maryland and provides information relevant for the Maryland EXCELS program in addition…
In the U.S., 91 percent of families with a child under age 5 have a working parent. This report (from the Committee for Economic…
Distance learning became a day-to-day reality for many ECE programs across the country during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study provides a glimpse into how ECE teachers transitioned to virtual learning early in the COVID-19 pandemic. It does this by examining the…
This report provides details about the Implementation and Cost of High-Quality Early Care and Education (ECE-ICHQ) project. The project was designed to develop measures that help key ECE leaders understand best practices and the cost of improving quality in center-based ECE. The report, though…
Does attending state-funded prekindergarten have positive results for children in late elementary grades? The data from this randomized control study show negative results for children’s achievement and behavior through the sixth grade after participating in the state-funded preschool program in…