The Institute of Education Sciences (IES), consisting of four centers, is the arm of the U.S. Department of Education that focuses on funding education research and evaluation. The research and evaluation aim to address questions of importance to education practitioners, policymakers, students, and families. Two IES Centers provide investigator-initiated discretionary grants to researchers, including those that focus on early learning:
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations.
The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) conducts unbiased large-scale evaluations of education programs and practices supported by federal funds; provides research-based technical assistance to educators and policymakers; and supports the synthesis and the wide spread dissemination of the results of research and evaluation.
Early learning work at IES includes the following programs and studies:
- NCER’s Early Learning program funds research on prekindergarten children (age 3–5 years) in center-based settings.
- NCSER’s Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education program funds research on infants, toddlers, and young children (birth — 5 years) with or at risk for disabilities.
- NCES’s early learning research activities include the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) program and the National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES).
- NCEE’s early learning activities are conducted under several programs, including the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) program, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), and evaluation studies.
Case Studies of Schools Implementing Early Elementary Strategies: Preschool Through Third Grade Alignment and Differentiated Instruction (2016) presents findings from a descriptive study that examined the implementation of these two strategies in five programs. PPSS previously released a literature review that covered preschool through third grade alignment and differentiated instruction. Case study data -- collected between November 2015 and January 2016 -- included interviews with 93 program staff, observations of program activities selected by principals, and review of program documents at nine schools.
- Full Report: PDF (1.43 MB)
- Results in Brief: PDF (363 KB)
Case Studies of the Early Implementation of Kindergarten Entry Assessments (2016) presents findings from a descriptive study that examined the development and early implementation of Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs) in 12 districts across four Race To the Top-Early Learning Challenge grantee states (Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington) in the 2014-15 school year. The study consisted of document reviews, telephone interviews with state agency respondents and local preschool directors, and in-person interviews with district administrators, principals, kindergarten teachers, and other KEA assessors.
- Full Report: PDF (1.97 MB)
- Results in Brief: PDF (507 KB)
Preschool Through Third Grade Alignment and Differentiated Instruction: A Literature Review (2016) presents the results of a literature review on two strategies (preschool through third grade [P-3] alignment and differentiated instruction) that have the potential to help children maintain the benefits of preschool attendance. The literature review discusses approaches to P-3 alignment, the quality of studies on P-3 alignment, findings on the effectiveness of differentiated instruction, and the quality of studies on differentiated instruction. The findings are based on articles published between January 2003 and July 2014.
- Full Report: PDF (1.8 MB)
- Results in Brief: PDF (427 KB)
The Integration of Early Childhood Data: State Profiles and a Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education (2016) covers key considerations when states integrate data and highlights progress in eight states that are actively developing and using early childhood integrated data systems (ECIDS). The report discusses technical assistance and other resources available to states as they develop their ECIDS.
- Full Report: PDF (1.6 MB)
State Administration of the Even Start Family Literacy Program (2003) is based on a survey of state Even Start coordinators during the 2001-02 school year, as well as case studies in 12 states. The report describes Even Start administration at the state level and factors that facilitate or impede program improvement activities conducted by state coordinators. The report is intended to help federal staff better target their guidance and technical assistance to states and provide state coordinators with descriptions of program administration practices in other states as a self-assessment guide.
- Highlights: PDF (125 KB)
- Complete Report: PDF (834 KB)
Third National Even Start Evaluation: Program Impacts and Implications for Improvement (2003). This report presents descriptive information on Even Start Family literacy programs and participants based on Even Start Performance Information Reporting System (ESPIRS) data from 1997-98 through 2000-01 for the universe of Even Start projects. In addition, the report presents findings from the Even Start Experimental Design Study (EDS), which randomly assigned families to either participate in Even Start or be in a control group, and discusses program impacts based on pretest and posttest data collected from the 18 EDS projects.
- Complete Report website
IES Research Network to Improve Early Childhood Education
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has funded the Early Learning Network that will develop reliable information and useful tools to improve early childhood education across the country. The main focus of the network is to identify malleable factors associated with children's school readiness and achievement as they move from preschool to the early elementary school grades.