This guide aims to support state education agencies and early education partners develop coherent, research-based policy by guiding thinking, discussion, data collection, and gap analyses of current practices and policies that can lead to more intentional decision making relative to young dual language learners (DLL) and English learners (EL).

We are pleased to provide the latest edition of CEELO’s 2019 Directory of State Early Learning Contacts which contains updated information for state contacts in the birth through third grade system in each state. We aim to re-verify and re-publish the Directory once a year to ensure the information is current. In January of 2019, the contacts in each state received an e-mail requesting a review of their state information. Updates were compiled and changes were entered to create this latest iteration of the Directory. We received a high response rate and have made changes as indicated; however, if you know of additional changes or corrections, please forward these to info@ceelo.org.

During 2017 – 2018, CEELO conducted a professional learning community (PLC) to support leadership development among newly appointed, high-level leaders of early education in state education agencies. The goal of the PLC was for participants to increase awareness, gain critical knowledge and develop leadership skills needed to guide highly effective offices of early learning within state education agencies. This is a summary of the activities and findings from the report.

This report highlights presentations, discussions and resources from the Cost of Quality Early Learning Think Tank, held May 16-17, 2018 in Chicago. The meeting provided an opportunity for state and local leaders, advocates, and national experts engaged in cost studies of early learning programs to take stock of what they are learning about collecting, analyzing and using cost data to inform and drive policy decisions about financing high-quality early learning programs. Participants gained a deeper, shared understanding of both political and strategic approaches needed to make a substantive impact on advancing the field toward adequate and stable funding of high-quality early learning programs, though many unanswered questions remain.

Recognizing the ultimate goal of PreK-3rd grade systems is to improve child outcomes and close achievement gaps, the New York school districts highlighted in this report have selected a range of priorities and approaches that reflect the unique district context, initiatives, priorities, and stakeholder perspectives. Each district has made progress in the implementation of their PreK-3rd grade plans. The report provides an analysis of information collected from the PreK-3rd grade teams and reveals cross-cutting lessons learned.

State Education Agencies (SEAs) across the country are working to directly impact early childhood teaching and learning in local education agencies (LEAs). To do this, the SEA must rely on local change agents to increase classroom quality across a state. The work presented in this paper set out to build the capacity of educators, teachers and leaders in New Jersey to spearhead change in LEAs with the support of the SEA.

This brief focuses on three key topics for early learning in ESSA: setting clear goals and policy priorities for early learning, integrating early learning into school improvement, and supporting early childhood educator development. Based on a review of submitted state ESSA plans, the brief provides examples from state plans that highlights a variety of approaches from different state education agencies and identifies areas for further growth and attention in implementation.

This report is the result of a request from two states for technical assistance to support the selection and revision of the state’s Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEA’s). Given that this is a national topic of interest, the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) summarized what we gathered to provide other states with this relevant and useful information.

This report includes a review of current research on the impact and prevalence of suspension and expulsion in early childhood programs and a summary of key federal and national policy on suspension and expulsion in early childhood programs. It also provides an overview of emerging state policy, descriptions of effective approaches for prevention, and considerations for states in developing policy in this area.

This policy report focuses on the state education agency (SEA) role in supporting P-3 system building at the state and local levels. Included in the report are case studies of three states that have devoted significant attention and resources to P-3 efforts: Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Each of these states has developed statewide P-3 policy initiatives regarding standards, assessments, and instruction as well as targeted programs to support local P-3 community partnerships. The paper presents a number of themes and patterns that emerged from the comparison of the three states and concludes with 9 recommendations to help guide P-3 system-building.

This report provides policymakers with a review of published research on ECE workforce education and credentials as well as research on the current status of ECE wages, recruitment and retention challenges, and promising practices. It summarizes trends in state requirements regarding ECE teachers with bachelor’s degrees and specialized certification, licensure, or endorsements of pre-K teachers. The paper includes recommended actions and strategies, based on research and state suggestions, regarding approaches that states can use to recruit and retain teachers with bachelor’s degrees and ECE credentials.

This policy brief focuses on approaches to family engagement in state funded pre-K programs. It discusses why family engagement is important, describes approaches to developing program guidance, and offers strategies to support effective implementation.