“American public policy has to shift to acknowledge that the core skills needed for success in life are formed before children enter school.”
- James Heckman, Nobel prize-winning economist, The American Family in Black and White: A Post-Racial Strategy for Improving Skills to Promote Equality, February 2011
"[T]he time has come to begin to close the gap between what we know (from systematic scientific inquiry across a broad range of disciplines) and what we do (through both public and private sector policies and practices) to promote the healthy development of all young children."
- The Science of Early Childhood Development (2007), p. 13, National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. http://www.developingchild.net
In the Spotlight
PreK-3 News
Being an Effective Pre-K-3rd Grade Principal
Click Here, March 24, 2021, webinar presented by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National P3 Center.
Cultivating Pre-K Through Third Grade Leaders Across Systems in Minnesota
Click Here, New America
Building Strong Readers in Minnesota: PreK–3rd Grade Policies That Support Children’s Literacy Development
Click Here, New America Foundation
Presentation, YouTube
Case Studies of Schools Implementing Early Elementary Strategies: Preschool Through Third Grade Alignment and Differentiated Instruction
Click Here, U.S. Department of Education
Growing the Village: Aligning Pre-K to Third Grade for All Minnesota Children
Click Here, MinnPost
Starting Early: Education from Prekindergarten to Third Grade
Click Here, The Future of Children, 26(2), Fall 2016.
Birth–3rd and Leadership: Steve Tozer’s Message to the Birth–3rd Community
Click Here or go to The Birth Through Third Grade Learning Hub at http://birth-third.net/
The Power of a Good Idea: How the San Francisco School District is Building a PreK-3rd Grade Bridge
Click Here, or go to https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/the-power-of-a-good-idea/ by Paul Nyhan, New America Foundation.