June 2018

Greetings!

I am delighted to introduce the first edition of the ELN Focus, a monthly newsletter highlighting the Early Learning Network’s research activities and impacts.

The newsletter will also provide insights on how each partner university and organization contributes to our singular focus: to advance the understanding of policies and practices that narrow the achievement gap and maintain early learning success as children transition from preschool to third grade.

Our teams look forward to sharing more with you in the coming months.

Susan M. Sheridan, Ph.D.

George Holmes University Professor of Educational Psychology 

Director, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families & Schools

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

MDRC

Q&A with Jason Sachs

Jason Sachs, Ed.D.

Co-Principal Investigator, MDRC team

Executive Director, Early Childhood Education, Boston Public Schools

Boston Public Schools' Jason Sachs, who works with the MDRC-led research team, shares his perspective on the Early Learning Network as a public school administrator. 

Jason provides insight on the need to balance research with real-world demands, and the critical need to better understand policies and practices that improve outcomes for students, particularly those who are most vulnerable.

Read the full Q & A.

"I believe schools need to rethink how they teach

preschool through third grade students.

This study puts some of our assumptions to the test."

— Jason Sachs, Ed.D.

MDRC research program setting

Boston, Massachusetts

MDRC’s research studies take place in Boston Public Schools’ community-based pre-K programs and early elementary schools. The numbers below highlight the project's pre-K sample demographics.

The Early Learning Network, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences , leverages its expertise, resources and geographic diversity to help close the achievement gap and maintain early learning success as children transition from preschool to third grade. Together, network researchers from universities and organizations across the U.S. are examining current policies and practices, identifying malleable factors associated with early learning and achievement and developing tools to assess early learning instruction, interactions and environments. Learn more at earlylearningnetwork.unl.edu.

Connect with us