TY - JOUR
T1 - Embedding causal research designs in pre-K systems at scale
AU - Abenavoli, Rachel
AU - Rojas, Natalia
AU - Unterman, Rebecca
AU - Cappella, Elise
AU - Wallack, Josh
AU - Morris, Pamela
N1 - Funding Information:
In 2016–17, the partnership’s third year, the NYU and DOE teams worked closely to develop observational and survey-based measures of teacher practice to guide implementation of the PL tracks. The NYU team also received funding from the Foundation for Child Development to provide information on the teacher workforce (see the article in this issue by Jacqueline Jones). As part of this work, NYU examined how teachers with different training and experience were distributed across the city and collected data on teachers’ formal PL (training and coaching), informal PL (advice networks), and work climate (satisfaction,
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, Princeton University. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/3/1
Y1 - 2021/3/1
N2 - In this article, Rachel Abenavoli, Natalia Rojas, Rebecca Unterman, Elise Cappella, Josh Wallack, and Pamela Morris argue that research-practice partnerships make it possible to rigorously study relevant policy questions in ways that would otherwise be infeasible. Randomized controlled trials of small-scale programs have shown us that early childhood interventions can yield sizable benefits. But when we move from relatively small, tightly controlled studies to scaled-up initiatives, the results are often disappointing. Here the authors describe how their partnership with New York City’s Department of Education, as the city rapidly rolled out its universal pre-K initiative, gave them opportunities to collect experimental and quasi-experimental evidence while placing a minimal burden on educators. They argue that this type of research can answer the most pressing ECE questions, which are less about whether ECE can make a difference and more about the conditions under which early interventions are effective at scale. They offer three recommendations for researchers, policy makers, and practitioners who are considering partnership work: build a foundation of trust and openness; carefully consider whether rigorous causal research or descriptive research is the right choice in a given situation; and be flexible, seeking opportunities for rigorous research designs that may already be embedded in early childhood education systems.
AB - In this article, Rachel Abenavoli, Natalia Rojas, Rebecca Unterman, Elise Cappella, Josh Wallack, and Pamela Morris argue that research-practice partnerships make it possible to rigorously study relevant policy questions in ways that would otherwise be infeasible. Randomized controlled trials of small-scale programs have shown us that early childhood interventions can yield sizable benefits. But when we move from relatively small, tightly controlled studies to scaled-up initiatives, the results are often disappointing. Here the authors describe how their partnership with New York City’s Department of Education, as the city rapidly rolled out its universal pre-K initiative, gave them opportunities to collect experimental and quasi-experimental evidence while placing a minimal burden on educators. They argue that this type of research can answer the most pressing ECE questions, which are less about whether ECE can make a difference and more about the conditions under which early interventions are effective at scale. They offer three recommendations for researchers, policy makers, and practitioners who are considering partnership work: build a foundation of trust and openness; carefully consider whether rigorous causal research or descriptive research is the right choice in a given situation; and be flexible, seeking opportunities for rigorous research designs that may already be embedded in early childhood education systems.
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U2 - 10.1353/foc.2021.0000
DO - 10.1353/foc.2021.0000
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85111142239
SN - 1054-8289
VL - 31
SP - 97
EP - 117
JO - Future of Children
JF - Future of Children
IS - 1
ER -