1. QRIS and Beyond Improving Quality for the Neediest Kids
Supported by the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative
Al Castle Camille Catlett Reyna Hernandez

2. Before entering kindergarten, the average cognitive scores of preschool-age children in the highest socio-economic are 60% above the average scores of children in the lowest socioeconomic group.
(Lee & Burkham, 2002)
Disparities in child outcomes between poor, at-risk, and more advantaged children are evident in cognitive, social, behavioral, and health outcomes as early as 9 months and grow larger by 24 months of age.
(Halle, Forry, Hair, Perper, Wandner, Wessel, & Vick, 2009)

3. Nearly seven out of every 1,000 pre-kindergarteners are expelled each year—an estimated 5,117 preschoolers in all. The rate is 3.2 times higher than the national expulsion rate for children in grades K-12. (Gilliam, 2005) Boys are expelled 4.5 times more than girls; and African-Americans are twice as likely to be expelled as Latino and Caucasian kids and more than five times as likely as Asian-American kids. (Gilliam, 2005)

4. In 2007, 52% of second grade students and 63% of third grade students in California did not achieve grade-level proficiency in English-language arts. ELLs faced an even larger deficit with upwards of 85% not achieving proficiency in the third grade.
(Closing the achievement gap for dual language learners)
English language learners may learn to read best if taught both in their native language and English from early in the process of formal schooling. (August & Shanahan, 2006)

5. These are the children whose capability our early childhood systems and educators should be supporting.

6. These are the national graduation rates
Graduate rates (2005) well below for:
Racial-ethnic minorities
Males
Especially males from historically-underserved groups
EPE Center, 2008

7. Improving Quality What you do really matters
Children form academic trajectories early in their school careers that tend to be stable and difficult to change over the course of their schooling (Alexander & Entwisle, 1993) Children’s negative perceptions of competence and attitudes become stronger and harder to reverse as children progress through school (Valeski & Stipek, 2001)

8. Improving Quality What you do really matters
“If a bad year is compounded by other bad years, it may not be possible for the student to recover” (Hanushek, 2010) An effective teacher can have a stronger influence on student achievement than poverty, language background, class size, and minority status (Aaronson, Barrow, Sander, 2007; Darling-Hammond, 2000; Jacob, Lefgren, & Sims, 2008; Kane & Staiger, 2008; Nye, Konstantopoulos, & Hedges, 2004; Rivkin, Hanushek,& Kain, 2005; Rockoff, 2004; Rothstein, 2010)

9. Improving Quality
Culturally responsive interactions between personnel and young children are more likely to support progress toward children’s mastery of language, literacy, science, and math skills
(Au & Jordan, 1981; Boykin, 1986; González et al, 1993; Roseberry, Warren & Conant, 1992; Tharp, 1991, 1992)

10. Improving Quality
High-quality, culturally responsive early learning environments are critical to closing the achievement gap between children living in poverty, especially children of color, and their peers.
(Whitebrook, Gomby, Bellm, Sakai, & Kipnis, 2009, p. 1)

11. Framework
CONTEXT
Successfully building a political context leads to resources that
COMPONENTS
Establish effective programs and services
CONNECTIONS
Create better linkages between components
INFRASTRUCTURE
Create supports that enable programs to operate effectively
SCALE
The system can produce broad impacts for system beneficiaries
From “A Framework for Evaluating Systems Initiatives,” Julia Coffman

12. Theory of Change Menu for Systems Initiatives
SCALE
INFRASTRUCTURE
CONNECTIONS
COMPONENTS
CONTEXT
Activities
Improving the political context so it produces the policy and funding changes needed to create and sustain the system
Establishing high-performance programs and services within the system that produce results for system beneficiaries
Creating strong effective linkages across system components that improve results for system beneficiaries
Developing the supports systems need to function effectively and with quality
Ensuring a comprehensive system is available to as many people as possible so it produces broad and inclusive results
Outcomes
Recognition of system need
Policy changes
Political will
Public Engagement
New or expanded programs
Improved program quality
Shared goals, standards
Cross-system training
Referrals/ follow-ups
Cross-system governance
Leveraged use of funding
Mechanisms for two- way communication
System spread, depth, sustainability
Shifts in system ownership
From “A Framework for Evaluating Systems Initiatives”, Julia Coffman

13. Professional Development
Research suggests that both preservice and inservice EC teacher preparation has failed to prepare educators who can effectively teach children for whom English is a new language or second dialect, children of color, and children from economically marginalized communities (Ray, Bowman, & Robbins, 2006) )

14. Improving Quality What you do really matters
Support evidence-based models to re-design higher education programs Re-educate faculty in areas of need conducted over several years Pilot models that are shared across institutions and state lines Intentionally recruit and retain more diverse faculty and faculty with specialized knowledge Develop legislation and policies that require cultural competency education for all early childhood personnel