Consensus Study Report
NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-034971) and the National Academy of Sciences W. K. Kellogg Foundation Fund. Support for the work of the Board on Children, Youth, and Families is provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (79846). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-71401-3
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-71401-X
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27429
Library of Congress Control Number: 2024943316
This publication is available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242; http://www.nap.edu.
Copyright 2024 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and National Academies Press and the graphical logos for each are all trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. A New Vision for High-Quality Preschool Curriculum. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27429.
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Marcia McNutt is president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. John L. Anderson is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Victor J. Dzau is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.
Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.
Rapid Expert Consultations published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are authored by subject-matter experts on narrowly focused topics that can be supported by a body of evidence. The discussions contained in rapid expert consultations are considered those of the authors and do not contain policy recommendations. Rapid expert consultations are reviewed by the institution before release.
For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.
COMMITTEE ON A NEW VISION FOR HIGH QUALITY PRE-K CURRICULUM
SUE BREDEKAMP (Co-Chair), Early Childhood Education Specialist and former Director of Professional Development, National Association for the Education of Young Children
LINDA ESPINOSA (Co-Chair), Professor, College of Education, University of Missouri
DEANA AROUND HIM, Research Scholar, Child Trends, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
GARNETT BOOKER III, Early Childhood Practitioner, District of Columbia Public Schools
DOUGLAS CLEMENTS, Distinguished University Professor, Kennedy Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning, Morgridge College of Education, Marsico Institute for Early Learning, University of Denver
LILLIAN DURÁN, Professor, College of Education, University of Oregon
IHEOMA U. IRUKA, Research Professor, Department of Public Policy, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
SUSAN LEVINE, Rebecca Anne Boylan Distinguished Service Professor of Education and Society, Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago
JOAN LUBY, Samuel and Mae S. Ludwig Professor of Child Psychiatry, Washington University
CAMILLE MABEN, Former Executive Director, First 5 California (Retired)
DEBORAH PHILLIPS, Professor Emerita of Psychology and Affiliated Faculty, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University
CHRISTINA WEILAND, Associate Professor, Marsal Family School of Education, University of Michigan
VIVIAN WONG, Associate Professor, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
Study Staff
REBEKAH HUTTON, Study Director
NATACHA BLAIN, Senior Board Director
EMILY P. BACKES, Deputy Board Director
AMY STEPHENS, Associate Board Director, Board on Science Education
TARA NAZARI, Senior Program Assistant (as of January 2024)
LIBBY TILTON, Research Associate
MEREDITH YOUNG, Program Officer
NOTE: See Appendix C, Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflict of Interest.
BOARD ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES
JONATHAN TODRES (Chair), Georgia State University College of Law
RICHARD F. CATALANO, JR., University of Washington School of Social Work
TAMMY CHANG, University of Michigan
DIMITRI A. CHRISTAKIS, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, University of Washington
ANDREA GONZALEZ, McMaster University
NANCY E. HILL, Harvard University
CHARLES HOMER, Economic Mobility Pathways
MARGARET KUKLINSKI, University of Washington
MICHAEL C. LU, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
STEPHANIE J. MONROE, Wrenwood Group
STEPHEN RUSSELL, The University of Texas at Austin
NISHA SACHDEV, Premnas Partners, Washington, DC
JANE WALDFOGEL, Columbia University School of Social Work
JOANNA L. WILLIAMS, Rutgers University
Staff
NATACHA BLAIN, Senior Board Director
EMILY P. BACKES, Deputy Board Director
Reviewers
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by ROBERT C. PIANTA, School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, and
JEANNE BROOKS-GUNN, Columbia University, Teachers College. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
Acknowledgments
This report would not have been possible without the contributions of many people. First, we thank the sponsors of this study—the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences W. K. Kellogg Foundation Fund.
The committee and project staff would also like to express gratitude to the numerous experts and consultants who contributed to the development of the report. We extend our deep gratitude to the authors of the committee’s literature review from School Readiness Consulting and Center on the Ecology of Early Development at Boston University: Angélica Montoya Ávila, Laura Hawkinson, Stephanie Curenton, Emily K. Miller, Mariam Dahbi, Sherrell House, Faith Tabifor, and Maya Manning. We thank Allison Friedman-Krauss for her work on a commissioned paper for the committee on state- and program-level selection. We thank Nathan James, Kimberly Hefling, and Catherine Ahmad for their insights and assistance with communications and dissemination of the report. Thanks are also due to the numerous experts who volunteered significant time and effort to address the committee during our public information-gathering and listening sessions: Doris Baker, Janet Bock-Hager, Catherine Goins, “Kate” Kezia Goodwin, Jennifer Grisham, Choquette Hamilton, Christopher Jones, Jennifer Keys Adair, Patricia Lozano, Lisa Lopez, Lisa Luceno, Scott Moore, Kim Nall, Sarah Neville-Morgan, Susan Sandall, Megan Vinh, Amanda Willford, and Osnat Zur. We thank Heather Kreidler for fact checking the report. Finally, we thank Rona Briere, Allison Boman, and John Hawkins for editing the report.
We would also like to thank the many staff members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine who provided invaluable support throughout this process: Natacha Blain for her oversight as director of the Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Faye Hillman and Javed Khan for their financial management assistance; Doug Sprunger and Jennifer Olsen for their assistance with communications and dissemination of the report; Emily Backes, Alexandra Beatty, and Patricia Morison for their insights on early drafts of the report; Bea Porter and Kirsten Sampson Snyder for their guidance throughout the report review process; and Clair Woolley for her assistance with the final production of the report. We would like to extend gratitude to the members of the project staff who worked directly with the committee over the course of the project—Rebekah Hutton, Amy Stephens, Tara Nazari, Libby Tilton, and Meredith Young—for their significant contributions to supporting the committee’s work.
Finally, the committee wishes to thank its co-chairs, Sue Bredekamp and Linda Espinosa, for their dedication to this work and the exceptional leadership and guidance that they have provided throughout this process.
3 The Science of Early Learning and Brain Development
NEUROBIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
HOW CHILDREN LEARN: THE SCIENCE OF EARLY LEARNING
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM: CULTURAL VARIATIONS IN LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND LEARNING
4 Developing High-Quality, Equitable Preschool Curricula
MOVING BEYOND FALSE DICHOTOMIES
CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH-QUALITY, EQUITABLE PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM
WHO DEVELOPS VARIOUS CURRICULUM TYPES AND APPROACHES
CURRICULUM FOR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING
CURRICULUM IN THE CONTENT DOMAINS
CURRICULUM TYPES AND APPROACHES
EDUCATIVE CURRICULA: TEACHING BOTH CHILDREN AND THEIR TEACHERS
DEVELOPING RESEARCH-BASED AND EMPIRICALLY VALIDATED CURRICULA: A FRAMEWORK
5 Optimizing the Learning Environment for Effective and Equitable Curriculum Delivery
OVERALL QUALITY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTINGS AND EFFECTIVENESS AND EQUITY OF CURRICULUM
THE EDUCATOR–CHILD RELATIONSHIP AS FOUNDATIONAL TO LEARNING
ADDRESSING PEER-RELATED ADVERSITY WITHIN THE CLASSROOM
EDUCATORS’ APPROACHES TO CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
FOSTERING INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
6 Specialized and Targeted Curricula and Practices to Support Children with Disabilities
THE NEEDS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CURRICULA DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES
7 High-Quality Early Childhood Curriculum for Multilingual Learners
SHIFTING FROM DEFICIT-BASED TO ASSET-BASED APPROACHES
CURRENT RESEARCH ON EARLY BILINGUAL DEVELOPMENT
RESEARCH-BASED PRINCIPLES FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CURRICULUM FOR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS
RESEARCH-SUPPORTED CURRICULUM, STRATEGIES, AND PRACTICES FOR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS
ASSESSMENT PRACTICES FOR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS
TEACHER COMPETENCIES FOR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS
8 State- and Program-Level Curriculum Decision Making and Selection
HOW ARE CURRICULUM DECISIONS MADE?
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION AND ADOPTION
WHAT CURRICULA DO STATES APPROVE AND SUPPORT?
IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON SUPPORTS FOR CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION
FIDELITY OF CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION
WHO ATTENDS PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS WITH CURRICULUM SUPPORTS?
9 Examining Variation in Curriculum Effects
IDENTIFYING SOURCES OF EFFECT VARIATION
WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-STUDY APPROACHES FOR EXAMINING SOURCES OF EFFECT VARIATION
REPRESENTING SOURCES OF EFFECT HETEROGENEITY FOR GENERALIZED FINDINGS
10 Conclusions, Recommendations, and Research Needs
KEY CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Appendix A Existing Curricula Identified by the Committee’s Commissioned Literature Review
Boxes, Figures, and Tables
BOXES
S-1 Vision for High-Quality Preschool Curricula
4-1 Indigenous Curricula and Pedagogy
4-2 Children Discovering Their World
5-1 Key Features of Effective Professional Learning for Instructional Practices
5-2 African-Centered Curricula and Pedagogy
7-1 Dual Language/Multilingual Curricula and Pedagogy
7-2 Summary of Research Findings for Multilingual Learners from Birth to Age 5
7-3 African American English (AAE): An Example of Variation in the English Language
7-4 Heritage Language Revitalization Programs
8-1 State-Developed Curricula: STREAMin3
8-2 Multitiered Systems of Support
FIGURES
3-2 Learning by observing and pitching in
8-1 Percent of state-funded preschool programs meeting the Curriculum Supports benchmark each year
8-2 Multitiered system of supports inclusive of all students
10-1 A continuous improvement model for advancing implementation of the committee’s recommendations
TABLES
4-1 Characteristics of High-Quality, Equity-Driven Preschool Curriculum
4-2 Preschool Curriculum Types and the Teacher’s Role in Implementation
4-3 Goals of Curriculum Research
4-4 Categories and Phases of the Curriculum Research Framework
8-2 Percentage of State-Funded Preschool Programs Using Each Comprehensive Curriculum
8-3 Subject-Specific Curricula Used in State-Funded Preschool
Preface
More than 50 years of research demonstrates the lasting positive effects of high-quality early childhood programs for success in school and later life. This report is a clarion call to preschool educators, researchers, policy makers, and families to reconsider what we mean by “high-quality” for all children, and specifically what is meant by high-quality, effective, equity-driven preschool curriculum, particularly for Black, Latine, and Indigenous children; multilingual learners; children with disabilities; and those living in poverty. While we know high-quality preschool programs have many documented benefits for all young children, there is compelling evidence that access to high-quality, effective early learning experiences may be limited, inadequate, and in some cases inappropriate based on factors such as a child’s race, location, gender, home language, identified disability, and socioeconomic background. As a result, there are far too many missed opportunities for every child to reach their full potential.
The charge to this committee was to help redress these inequities by developing a new vision for high-quality preschool curriculum. All the committee members have been personally committed to more equitable early childhood education through their educational experiences, practical and professional values, and research and policy work. Guided by their professional knowledge, personal experiences, and aspirations for a more just and equitable early education system, the committee set out to review the research, weigh the evidence, and integrate multiple perspectives to offer a vision of preschool curriculum that would enhance education and improve outcomes for all preschoolers.
The research presented in this report clearly shows that, historically, early childhood curricula have not been centered on equity. In practice, equity does not mean equal or the same treatment of every child. We believe equity means that all children have a fair opportunity to thrive; this requires valuing all individuals, languages, cultures, and populations equally, fully recognizing systemic racism and oppression, rectifying historical and contemporary structural biases and injustices, and providing resources and supports accordingly.
Although every 3- and 4-year-old child deserves joyful, engaging, safe, enriching, and affirming preschool experiences, many are denied the power and promise of preschool experiences that foster holistic and healthy development and learning for all children, regardless of place or socioeconomic background; affirm children’s full identities, including race, culture, home language, gender, and ability; and recognize and build on their strengths while providing the supports they need to develop and learn optimally. Indeed, it is not possible to achieve equitable child outcomes by the end of preschool by teaching all children in the same way at the same time or offering them the same experiences. Rather, achieving equity may require adapting experiences depending on children’s prior learning, abilities, strengths, and needs to enable them to achieve desired learning and developmental goals. Appropriate, engaging content and effective learning experiences may not be the same for every child. For example, to achieve the goal of early literacy, Black, Latine, and Indigenous children will need books that reflect their identity and their cultural and linguistic knowledge. Similarly, emergent bilingualism is an equitable goal for children who speak a language other than English or in addition to English in the home. Children with disabilities need individualized, tailored goals and may require specialized adaptations and supports, unique resources, specific teacher competencies, and increased levels of intensity.
Curriculum—what and how children learn in a program—is a critical determinant of the quality and effectiveness of a preschool program. While considerable evidence exists on the lasting positive effects of high-quality preschool programs in general, we now have a growing body of research focused on the key role and efficacy of specific curricula. However, curriculum implementation often varies considerably, depending on teacher qualifications, levels of support, and relationships with children; the quality of the learning environment; the individual strengths and backgrounds of the children; and their social, cultural, and linguistic contexts. Although this report is highly evidence based, the committee confronted the reality of the difficulty of finding research conducted on specific components of curriculum essential to achieving equity, such as cultural and linguistic relevance. For some crucial constructs, including child agency, racial identity and pride, and attitudes toward school and learning, the research methods
and tools needed to reliably capture their contributions to children’s learning have not yet been fully developed. Similarly, more study is urgently needed for highly valued goals, including anti-bias/anti-racist, inclusive curriculum and pedagogy. There is also limited research on curricula that meaningfully address the developmental needs of children with disabilities to support inclusion.
A well-planned, research-based, and preferably validated curriculum provides an essential scaffold that can guide early childhood educators on what to teach and when; how to engage children; and how to support adaptation for individual, cultural, and linguistic diversity. This scaffolding is particularly important if educators have had minimal teacher preparation; lack deep content knowledge; have little classroom support; or teach in classrooms in which the children have a wide range of abilities, cultures, and languages.
This report calls on early childhood educators, program leaders, and decision makers at every level to reject long-held deficit perspectives of young children, particularly Black, Latine, and Indigenous children, multilingual learners, children with disabilities, and children living in poverty. Only by embracing children’s individual, cultural, and linguistic strengths and assets can we achieve a new vision of high-quality, equity-driven preschool curriculum for every 3- and 4-year-old child.
We want to express our sincere thanks to the committee members for their deep commitment and sustained and expert contributions to this report. The conduct of this study was a highly collaborative process that required each member to listen, reflect, and compromise at times to achieve consensus on the vision set forth in this report and its application. The challenge of fairly including multiple areas of expertise and perspectives into one coherent report was heightened by the post-COVID-19 logistics of conducting the committee’s work virtually. Particularly at this moment in history, the urgency of the issues being addressed continually inspired the committee to move forward with the hope of a better future for children and families, especially those from marginalized communities who are frequently not embraced and supported.
Having been colleagues and friends for almost 40 years, it was our pleasure and privilege to co-chair this committee and guide its work on one of the most important challenges facing the nation and early childhood education programs today.
Sue Bredekamp, Co-Chair
Linda Espinosa, Co-Chair
Committee on a New Vision
for High Quality Pre-K Curriculum
This page intentionally left blank.
Acronyms and Abbreviations
| AAE | African American English |
| ABA | applied behavior analysis |
| ACSES | Assessing Classroom Sociocultural Equity Scale |
| AEPS | Assessment, Evaluation, and Programing System |
| AMS | American Montessori Society |
| ASI | Assembly Line Instruction |
| C4L | Connect4Learning |
| CBO | community-based organization |
| CCPSN | Carolina Curriculum for Preschoolers with Special Needs |
| CLASS | Classroom Assessment Scoring System |
| COI | Cycle of Inquiry |
| CRF | Curriculum Research Framework |
| DEC | Division for Early Childhood |
| DLL | dual language learner |
| DTT | discrete trial training |
| ECE | early childhood education |
| ECERS | Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale |
| ECSE | early childhood special education |
| EHA | Education for All Handicapped Children Act |
| ELLS | Enhanced Language and Literacy Success |
| GAE | General American English |
| HELP | Hawaii Early Learning Profile |
| HSELOF | Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework |
| ICPS | I Can Problem Solve |
| IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act |
| IEP | Individual Education Program |
| IES | Institute of Education Sciences |
| IFSP | Individualized Family Service Plan |
| KEEP | Kamehameha Early Education Program |
| LOPI | Learning by Observing and Pitching In |
| MTSS | multitiered systems of support |
| MTSS-R | MTSS-Reading in Early Elementary School |
| NAECS | National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education |
| NAEYC | National Association for the Education of Young Children |
| NIEER | National Institute for Early Education Research |
| NRC | National Research Council |
| OWL | Opening the World of Learning |
| PATHS | Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies |
| PCER | Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research |
| pre-K | prekindergarten |
| PRT | pivotal response treatment |
| REDI | Head Start Research-Based Developmentally Informed |
| RCT | randomized controlled trial |
| SEER | Standards for Excellence in Education Research |
| SEL | social-emotional learning |
| STAR | Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research |
| STEM | science, technology, engineering, and mathematics |
| STSA | story telling and story action |
| VOLAR | Vocabulary, Oral Language, and Academic Readiness |
