Topic: Education

Strengthening Math Skills of Children from Low-Income Backgrounds

High-quality math instruction aligned across pre-K and kindergarten can provide a significant boost to children from low-income families, and close the achievement gap with their higher-income peers, according to a new study published by education and social policy research organization MDRC. Continue Reading

Barbara Chow Co-Authors Article About Funder Collaborations

Why do some funder collaborations flourish, and others flounder? That’s the key question behind, “Funder Collaborations – Flourish or Flounder?” The article, co-written by Barbara… Continue Reading

Tulsa’s Pre-K Students Show Positive Academic Outcomes Through Middle School

A new report released by Georgetown University shows that students in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who attended a high-quality pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) program displayed positive academic effects that… Continue Reading

An Advocacy Framework for Young Dual-Language Learners in California

Young dual-language learners represent 60 percent of the 0-5 population in California, and most of the state’s English learners can be found in the early elementary grades.To help advance advocacy on behalf of young dual-language learners in California, the Heising-Simons Foundation has helped launch California’s Gold: Capitalizing on California’s Diversity Today, for a Brighter Tomorrow, an advocacy framework and resource website authored by Dr. Marlene Zepeda and written after extensive consultation with the early childhood education field. Continue Reading

Introducing Two New Members of the Education Team

I am so pleased to announce the addition of two new members to the Foundation’s Education team: Kendra Rogers, program officer, and Sarah Lerner, program associate. Continue Reading

Interactive Data Tool: 10 Characteristics of Preschool-Age Children

With support from the Heising-Simons Foundation’s Education program, Urban Institute has developed an interactive tool that shows national, state, and local characteristics of 3- to 5-year-olds, including whether the children are enrolled in preschool, whether their families are low income, or whether their parents are immigrants. With key data points on immigration status, language spoken at home, and parental English proficiency, this tool paints a more dynamic picture of the linguistic and cultural diversity of the preschool-age population. Continue Reading

Tips and Resources From the Family Engagement Impact Project

This summer marks the conclusion of the Family Engagement Impact Project (FEIP), an investment by the Heising-Simons Foundation’s Education program totaling more than $3 million to better coordinate family engagement efforts across organizations. The project supported multiple collaborations between school districts, community organizations, and early childhood providers. Through this investment, FEIP sought to improve some of the ways communities, professionals, and parents engage in children’s learning, and to promote positive educational outcomes for low-income immigrant children from birth through age 8. Continue Reading

Guest Post: An Unprecedented Look at Early Childhood Home Visiting

The 2017 Home Visiting Yearbook presents, for the first time, the most comprehensive picture available of home visiting on the national and state levels. Continue Reading

Attendance Matters: Q&A with Dr. Todd Rogers

Dr. Todd Rogers is a behavioral scientist who leads The Student Social Support Research and Development Lab (S3 R&D Lab) at Harvard University. S3 R&D Lab develops and… Continue Reading

The Effects of Transitional Kindergarten on California’s Students

Students who attend California’s transitional kindergarten (TK) program enter kindergarten with stronger math and literacy skills than students who did not attend TK, according to a new study released today by grantee American Institutes for Research (AIR). Continue Reading