What is quality in early education classrooms, and how can we make sure that more children\u2014especially those from low-income families\u2014experience it? Our own and others\u2019 research shows that classroom interactions between teachers and their students provide the strongest indicators of quality.<\/p>\n
In the past two decades, the United States has made an unprecedented public investment in early education. As a result, more young children attend pre-kindergarten than ever before. Yet the achievement gap between low- and middle-income children has hardly budged. A big part of the problem is that preschool programs\u2014not to mention early elementary classrooms\u2014vary widely in quality. Overall, they aren\u2019t intensive enough in the quality they provide. The strongest preschool programs do significantly reduce achievement gaps. However, there are too few examples of such superior programs and far too many examples of programs with modest effects that wane as children grow older.<\/p>\n
To fulfil pre-kindergarten\u2019s promise of narrowing persistent achievement gaps, we need to strengthen teachers\u2019 skills to interact with their students more effectively. We also need to ensure that students encounter such interactions throughout their journey from pre-kindergarten through the early elementary years.<\/p>\n
Diffuse or Indirect Measures of Quality<\/h2>\n
Preschool program quality is often measured by structural qualities<\/em>\u2014 such as length of the school day, class size, and staff qualifications. These features are certainly important. Research has shown, for example, that class sizes above 20 are associated with poorer outcomes for children. We also know that children enrolled in full-day preschool programs learn more than those enrolled in shorter programs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe evidence suggests that it\u2019s time to shift our attention to children\u2019s and teachers\u2019 everyday experiences in classrooms, and to put those experiences at the core of what we mean by quality in early education.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Yet full-day programs with small class sizes and well-qualified staff don\u2019t guarantee positive outcomes for children. Even in classrooms that meet all of those structural standards, teacher-student interaction is highly variable and low-quality, less-stimulating instruction is common, according to observational studies of programs from preschool to third grade.<\/p>\n Quality is also commonly measured by observing assorted features of the classroom environment<\/em>, ranging from playground equipment to hygiene and interactions among staff, children, and parents. In the U.S., the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale\u2013Revised Edition (ECERS\u2013R), which includes dozens of such classroom features, is a standard measure of preschool quality. Past research has shown that higher ECERS\u2013R scores are modestly associated with better outcomes for children.<\/p>\n Yet, that association has weakened as programs have invested and improved in the aspects of quality defined by ECERS\u2013R. There is very little evidence of an association between overall ECERS\u2013R scores and children\u2019s learning outcomes, according to recent research. However, some elements of quality measured by ECERS\u2013R do<\/em> predict children\u2019s outcomes\u2014those related to teacher-student interactions, report latest studies.<\/p>\n Finally, most U.S. states also rate preschool programs using aggregate indexes known as quality rating and improvement systems <\/em>(QRIS). These combine various quality indicators to create a composite score, usually represented by some number of \u201cstars\u201d. Here again, research does not support the underlying assumption that programs with high QRIS ratings will produce better outcomes for children.<\/p>\n
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