Not To Be Missed: Chris Martes in Commonwealth Magazine
Don’t miss the recent article in Commonwealth Magazine by Chris Martes, president and CEO of Strategies for Children: “A Chance to Lead on Early Education.” As Martes says, From the White House to business boardrooms to the offices of scores of Republican and Democratic mayors, governors, and members of Congress, we’re seeing historic momentum on…
Why Some Teams Are Smarter Than Others?
Are some teams “smarter” than others? Researchers at MIT and Carnegie Mellon say yes. They have found three characteristics that distinguish smarter teams. You may be surprised by the results, which make a strong case for well-structured, interactive meetings guided by discussion protocols that create a level playing field for rich conversations.
Executive Function & 21st Century Skills
Lisa Kuh, Somerville’s Director of Early Education, has started the Somerville Early Education blog. For a good introduction and number of helpful links, see two posts Lisa wrote on Executive Function & 21st Century Skills: Executive Function & 21st Century Skills – Part 1: Making Choices and Environmental Design Executive Function Part 2: Tools to…
Education Week and the New America Foundation On the Primary Years Agenda
For external perspectives on “The Primary Years Agenda: Strategies to Guide District Action,” see: Districts Play a Key Role in Building Quality Early Childhood Programs (Education Week) Who Knows What’s Happening? Creating Pre-K through 3rd Alignment (New America Foundation) Happy Holidays!
Understanding Last Week’s News
In addition to the good coverage over at Eye on Early Education, see EdCentral’s Early Ed Update for a helpful round-up of commentary on the White House Summit and the Preschool Development Grants.
“Collective Seeing, Learning, and Doing”
I have occasionally referred to the Collective Impact Model, a powerful approach cross-sector collaboration used by many communities across the country, including Pittsfield. The approach is based on the five conditions shown in the graphic above. The Collective Impact Forum has recently shared a great collection of resources in its Top Reads and Resources for…
Joint Sub-Committee on Birth–3rd Alignment Approved Last Night
Last night at a joint meeting of the Boards of the Department of Early Education and Care and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Boards approved motions to create a joint sub-committee on Birth-3rd Alignment. The Sub-Committee will focus on alignment and coordination and include two members from each Board and one staff…
Live Streaming Event: The Leading Edge of Early Childhood Education
I just learned that tomorrow’s convening at Harvard, The Leading Edge of Early Childhood Education: Linking Science to Policy for a New Generation of Pre-Kindergarten, will be live-streamed at this URL. The event includes an impressive roster of presenters and discussants (LeadingEdge_flyer).
Texting Parents to Help Language Skills
From a recent story in the New York Times: A new study shows that mobile technology may offer a cheap and effective solution. The research, released by the National Bureau of Economic Research this month, found that preschoolers whose parents received text messages with brief tips on reading to their children or helping them sound out…
Kind Summary of the Primary Years Agenda by Eye on Early Education
For a summary of my recent Kappan article, “The Primary Years Agenda: Strategies to Guide District Action,” see Birth to Third Grade: Seizing the Opportunities at Eye on Early Education. The Kappan piece will be available for free through December.