Project Activities
The research team conducted three interconnected, exploratory studies.
- In Study 1, the researchers conducted a descriptive analysis of systems-level policies and practices that support learning and school achievement.
- In Study 2, the researchers conducted a classroom observation study to identify malleable factors that are associated with children's school readiness skills and school achievement.
- In Study 3, the researchers identified malleable factors associated with early learning and school achievement by following a group of children longitudinally from pre-k through third grade.
The research team also worked with the Assessment Team to develop a new classroom observation tool that can be used to assess structural and process features of pre-k and kindergarten to third grade classrooms.
Structured Abstract
Setting
This project took place in Fairfax County Public Schools, a large school district in Northern Virginia.
Sample
For Study 1, the sample included prekindergarten center and elementary school administrators, prekindergarten and K-3 teachers and parents. For Studies 2 and 3, the study sample included two groups of children, a Sampling Study group and a Population Study group. For the Sampling Study, the study sample included 1,498 children enrolled in public school and community-based public pre-k classrooms. At kindergarten entry, 1,247 children who did not attend preschool were recruited to participate in the study. For the Population Study, the entire cohort of children who entered kindergarten in Fairfax County Public Schools (approximately 13,000 students) were included in the study and followed through the early elementary grades (K-3).
The study is examined existing policies and programs. No intervention was introduced for the project.
Research design and methods
For Study 1 (descriptive study of systems-level policies and practices), the researchers conducted interviews and focus groups with center and school administrators, and with parents in years 1 and 2. They also conducted document analysis and observations.
For Study 2 (classroom observation study), the researchers conducted observations of teacher-child interactions and class time and content instruction in pre-k and K–2 classrooms. Due to the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic during the students’ 2nd grade year, classroom observations were not conducted. The study was extended through 4th grade and student and teacher surveys were used to learn more about classroom processes and experiences for third and fourth grade. Teachers completed one to two surveys each year to report on school and classroom practices, with additional reporting on COVID-19 impacts beginning in 2nd grade classrooms. Center and school administrators and parents completed surveys to report on school climate, specific transition practices for students and families, supports for dual language learners, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Study 3 (longitudinal study), the researchers followed two overlapping cohorts of children. One cohort included a random subsample of children who either experienced public pre-k or were eligible for public pre-k but were not enrolled in any center-based pre-k program in the year before kindergarten entry (part of the Sampling Study). The second cohort included the entire population of children who enrolled in kindergarten in 2016–2017 (Population Study). For the Sampling Study, the researchers studied all children who enrolled in school-based or community-based pre-k classrooms in year 1 of the study. At kindergarten entry (year 2), the researchers recruited non-attenders and followed both groups of children to fourth grade. The research team conducted direct assessments of children and classroom observations and collected teacher- and parent-level data. For the Population Study, the researchers obtained student-level data from the school district.
Control condition
Due to the nature of the research design, there was no control condition.
Key measures
Observational measures included the Classroom Assessment Scoring System Pre-K and K–3 (CLASS Pre-k and CLASS K–3), the Classroom Snapshot, and a modified version of NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development Classroom Observation System (COS) and ORCE. Other measures included the Five Essentials Survey (pre-k and K–12 versions) and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K) teacher report of content and coverage. Direct assessments of child outcomes included the Picture Vocabulary, Letter-Word Identification, Quantitative Concepts and Applied Problems subscales of the Woodcock-Johnson-IV or the Spanish equivalents of the Bateria Woodcock-Munoz, and the Backwards Digit Span. Teacher report measures included a questionnaire about teachers' background and ongoing professional development and the Social Skills Improvement System. School district collected data included the WIDA Access Placement Test (kindergarten) and WIDA Access (K–3), measures of English language proficiency in the areas of listening, reading, writing, and speaking; the Virginia Standards of Learning tests (third grade); and other school records information (e.g., grade retention). Additional teacher, parent, and administrator reports on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were also collected beginning in the spring of 20202.
Data analytic strategy
For Study 1, the researchers used qualitative methods to analyze documents, interview data, focus group summaries, and observations. For Study 2, the research team conducted quantitative analyses to examine associations between the classroom processes, school- and classroom-level characteristics and children's academic and social behavioral skills. For Study 3, researchers used multilevel mixed-effects models to account for the nesting of children within classroom and classrooms within schools. They examined associations between pre-k participation and children's school readiness skills at kindergarten entry. They also examined learning trajectories of achievement and social behavioral outcomes in grades K–4, grade 3 and 4 scores on the state Standards of Learning test, and other relevant K–4 outcomes (e.g., grade retention, special education placement). Finally, the research team examined moderators such as family demographic factors, child characteristics and school readiness skills, and classroom experiences. Analyses related to COVID experiences and impacts were conducted using the same approaches as described above.
Key outcomes
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
The research team produced study findings and databases to inform future policy and practice in early childhood programs and early elementary school classrooms. The researchers disseminated the study findings in print and electronic formats, including collaborative websites and in-person presentations to a wide range of audiences.
Project website:
Publications:
ERIC Citations: Publications from this project available in ERIC can be found here.
Select Publications:
Stephens, C. M., Pianta, R.C., Whittaker, J.E., & Vitiello, V.E. (2025). Developmental Assets at Preschool Entry that Support Dual Language Learners' Academic Development through the First Grade. Early Education and Development, 1-24.
Whittaker, J. E., Hofkens, T., Vitiello, V. E., Pianta, R. C., DeCoster, J., & Ansari, A. (2024). Patterns of children's readiness at school entry and their association with kindergarten academic and social-emotional outcomes: Do classroom interactions matter? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 66, 112-123.
Ansari, A., Zimmerman, K., Pianta, R. C., Whittaker, J. V., Vitiello, V.E., & Ruzek, E. A. (2023). The First-Grade Outcomes of Pre-K Attendees: Examining Benefits as a Function of Skill Type, Environments, and Subgroups. American Educational Research Journal.
Vitiello, V., Nguyen, T., Ruzek, E., Pianta, R., & Whittaker, J. (2022). Differences between Pre-K and Kindergarten Classroom Experiences: Do They Predict Children's Social-Emotional Skills and Self-Regulation across the Transition to Kindergarten? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 59, 287-299.
Ansari, A., Pianta, R. C., Whittaker, J. E., Vitiello, V., & Ruzek, E. (2020). Persistence and convergence: The end of kindergarten outcomes of pre-k graduates and their non-attending peers. Developmental Psychology, 56(1), 2027-2039.
Pianta, R. C. Whittaker, J. E., Vitiello, V., Ruzek, E., Ansari, A., Hofkens, T., & DeCoster, J. (2020). Children's school readiness skills across the pre-K year: Associations with teacher-student interactions, teacher practices, and exposure to academic content. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 66(1), 1-10.
Vitiello, V. E., Pianta, R. C., Whittaker, J. E., & Ruzek, E. (2020). Alignment and misalignment of classroom experiences from pre-k to kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 52, 44-56.
Ansari, A., Pianta, R. C., Whittaker, J. V., Vitiello, V. E., & Ruzek, E. A. (2019). Starting early: The benefits of attending early childhood education programs at age 3. American Educational Research Journal, 56(4), 1495-1523.
Pianta, R. C., Whittaker, J., Vitiello, V., Ansari, A. & Ruzek, E. (2018). Classroom process and practices in public pre-k programs: Describing and predicting educational opportunities in the early learning sector. Early Education and Development, 29(6), 797-813.
Additional project information
This project is a research team in the Early Learning Network.
Related projects
Questions about this project?
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