School Readiness and Later Achievement - Researchers reviewed data from six large, longitudinal, correlational studies to examine the extent to which early cognitive skills, attention skills, and social-emotional development are related to subsequent math and reading skills. In all but one of the studies, behavioral problems were not significantly related to later test scores, leading the authors to conclude that "only three of the school-entry skill categories predict subsequent reading and math achievement: reading/language, math, and attention." Early social-emotional development is very possibly related to other important educational or behavioral outcomes that this study did not examine....

PK-3: What Is It and How Do We Know It Works - This brief argues that by adopting a broader view of early childhood education to encompass a period of pre-k-3rd grade, policy makers can earn better returns on their pre-kindergarten investments. (Bill Graves, Foundation for Child Development, May 2006)...

Preliminary Rural Analysis of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - This report shows that rural children are more likely than their peers in non-rural communities to be placed in special education in kindergarten. (National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives, May 2005)...

School Readiness: Closing Racial and Ethnic Gaps - This issue of The Future of Children focuses on school readiness as a way to understand racial and ethnic gaps in education outcomes. A related brief can be found here: http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/docs/15_01_PolicyBrief.pdf. (Brookings Institution and Princeton University, Spring 2005)...