Resource Articles, Publications & Organizations
IDRA Publications
Community Engagement Series for Educators – Seven-part series designed for educators to give ideas to create a culture of engagement with parents and community as partners to ensure school success for all children. Also includes IDRA’s Six Goals of Educational Equity and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Principles of Effective Engagement ($15).
Community Engagement Review and Planning Guide – designed to help centers, schools and universities in planning and strengthening community engagement ($7 for sale; free online; also available in Spanish).
Family and Community Engagement Survey – can be used by teachers, administrators and parents to assess a school’s effectiveness in partnering with families and communities ($5 for sale; free online; also available in Spanish).
Promoting Student Leadership on Campus: A Guide for Creating a Culture of Engagement – includes student voices in the educational change process ($6 for sale; free online).
In Our Voices – a two-part video and discussion guide on the topics of access, leadership and community engagement ($35).
Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework™ – See how communities and schools can work together to strengthen their capacity to be successful with all of their students. Visit the book’s web page to get a table of contents, excerpt, related podcasts and other resources related to this book.
IDRA Articles
“Access, Equity and Excellence in Early Childhood,” by Rosana G. Rodriguez, Ph.D.
“Using Semillitas de aprendizaje™ in the Early Childhood Classroom,” by Juanita C. García, Ph.D., and Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D.
“Community Engagement Tool for Educators,” by Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., Juanita C. García, Ph.D., and Abelardo Villarreal , Ph.D.
“Expanding School Governance through Participatory Community Engagement,” by Abelardo Villarreal , Ph.D., and Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D.
“School and Community Capacity Building for Collaboration,” by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed.
“Incorporating Intangible Cultural Heritage into Curriculum,” by Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., and Juanita C. García, Ph.D.
“Benefits of Parent and Community Engagement – A Community of Learners Approach,” by Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D.
Resource Publications
2012: Birth to Five Policy Alliance
Birth to Five Policy Alliance invests in strategic and broad-based leadership to build new champions for early childhood policy, state-based advocacy, and knowledge development and dissemination including research and policy analysis. See a collection of advocacy resources.
2012: Early Ed Leaves Daycare in Its Dust
Education Nation, by NBC News, in 2012 focused on 10 interactive case studies of innovative education solutions. One of the segments presented a WKKF-supported case study featuring grantee Educare. This piece showcases the incredible return on investments and impact of high-quality early education.
2012: Expanding Access to Early Head Start: State Initiatives for Infants and Toddlers at Risk
This joint report by ZERO TO THREE and CLASP draws upon newly conducted research on state efforts to expand and enhance access to Early Head Start services for infants, toddlers and their families. The report describes the diverse strategies states are using to build upon Early Head Start and offers recommendations for states interested in expanding this proven program. The report builds on a previous paper, Building on the Promise: State Initiatives to Expand Access to Early Head Start for Young Children and their Families, released by the two organizations in 2008.
2012: Preparing Young Latino Children for School Success
Policy briefs from the National Council of La Raza that focus on best practices in early childhood education programs that serve young Latino children and English language learners. These are from the Preparing Young Latino Children for School Success series:
- Preparing Young Latino Children for School Success: Best Practices in Professional Development
- Preparing Young Latino Children for School Success: Best Practices in Student Assessments
- Preparing Young Latino Children for School Success: Best Practices in Language Instruction
- Preparing Young Latino Children for School Success: Best Practices in Family Engagement
2012: Promoting Young Children’s Learning in QRIS Standards
Practices for Promoting Young Children’s Learning in QRIS Standards, from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), examines the strength of supports for children’s early learning in 23 states’ Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) standards.
2012: Educational Alignment for Young Children: Profiles of Local Innovation
A new set of case studies published by the YEF Institute highlights an emerging city strategy for ensuring that more young children are poised for educational success: the alignment of early care and education programs with K-12 education systems. (National League of Cities)
2012: Early Childhood Educators Seek Consensus on School Readiness
Results of a survey on perceptions of school readiness prepared by The Source for Learning (SFL, www.sourceforlearning.org) and the National Head Start Association (NHSA, www.nhsa.org). The survey was conducted in preparation for a School Readiness Goals Summit to be held at the 39th annual NHSA Head Start conference in Nashville on April 16, 2012. The survey and the summit are part of a larger project to bring key stakeholders together to help craft a unified definition of school readiness.
2012: Early Childhood ‘Pay-For-Success’ Social Impact Finance: A PKSE Bond Example to Increase School Readiness and Reduce Special Education Costs
The field of “pay for success” social impact finance has been evolving for over a decade, and transactions are taking many forms. This paper reviews the economic research, statutory and contractual, and community involvement standards that would need to be met in order to apply social impact finance in early childhood programs.
2012: Preparing All Teachers to Meet the Needs of English Language Learners – Applying Research to Policy and Practice for Teacher Effectiveness
Jennifer F. Samson and Brian A. Collins summarize key findings drawn from the literature on promising practices that all teachers can employ when working with English language learners. Report released by the Center for American Progress.
2012: Supporting Our Youngest Children: Early Head Start Programs in 2010
This is the 11th brief in a series of CLASP analyses of Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) data. State factsheets presenting PIR data for all Head Start programs in a state are also available. This brief and the accompanying state fact sheets are available at: http://childcareandearlyed.clasp.org/.
2011: The State of Preschool 2011 Yearbook
This annual publication by the National Institute for Early Education Research tracks the funding, access, and policies of state-funded preschool programs since the 2001-2002 school year. The yearbook seeks to improve the public’s knowledge and understanding of state efforts to expand the availability of high-quality education to young children in the 21st century.
2011: Latino Access to Preschool Stalls after Early Gains
This analysis is by the New Journalism on Latino Children, a project of Berkeley’s Institute of Human Development in cooperation with the Latino Policy Forum and the Education Writers Association, funded by the McCormick Foundation. Related briefs are online at www.ewa.org.
2011: 10 Fundamentals of Coordinated State Early Care and Education Data Systems: Inaugural State Analysis
This brochure reports on the results of the Data Quality Campaign’s, in partnership with the Early Childhood Data Collaborative, survey of 48 states and the District of Columbia to track state progress toward implementing the 10 Fundamentals of Coordinated State ECE Data Systems.
Resource Organizations
National Association for the Education of Young Children – promotes excellence in early childhood education.
National Head Start Association – an untiring voice that will not be quiet until every vulnerable child is served with the Head Start model of support for the whole child, the family and the community and works for policy and institutional changes that ensure all vulnerable children and families have what they need to succeed.
Southern Early Childhood Association – committed to improving the quality of care and education for young children and their families through advocacy and professional development.
ZERO TO THREE – a national, non-profit organization that informs, trains and supports professionals, policymakers and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers.