The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) is the nation's leading public policy center dedicated to promoting the economic security, health, and well-being of America's low-income families and children. Founded in 1989 as a division of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, NCCP is a nonpartisan, public interest research organization.

Abstract

This issue brief explores lessons from research and practice about the role of intentional curriculum and professional development and supports for teachers in closing the achievement gap in early literacy and math for low-income preschool-age children. The aim is to help policymakers and administrators integrate this emerging knowledge more rapidly into their decisions to support teachers. It is part of a series of reports from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) that address the question “What will it take to ensure that young low-income children succeed in the early school years?” In other issue briefs, NCCP has focused on the importance of strategies to promote the social and emotional competencies of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers known to be foundational for effective learning (see Pathways to Early School Success: Helping the Most Vulnerable Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families, and Resources to Promote Social and Emotional Health and School Readiness in Young Children and Families—A Community Guide, as well as other publications in the series: Promoting the Emotional Well-Being of Children and Families at www.nccp.org).