Early School Success 2023-2024 Evaluation Report: Key Insights & Impact

Early School Success 2023-2024 Evaluation Report: Key Insights & Impact

What is Early School Success?

At Children’s Institute, we believe that every child deserves a strong start in school. In 2019, Children’s Institute launched the Early School Success (ESS) initiative to help Oregon schools create smooth and supportive learning experiences for students from preschool through fifth grade. Five years after its implementation, we collaborated with Education Northwest to complete an evaluation and we are excited to share what we’ve learned about how ESS is improving classrooms, supporting teachers, and helping students thrive.

Overview

About the Evaluation Report

Purpose

The Early School Success evaluation examined:

  1. How ESS is implemented across participating districts and schools.
  2. Educator and administrator perspectives on its benefits for student engagement, systemic change, and instructional alignment.
  3. Opportunities for growth and expansion to ensure long-term success.
Methodology

The evaluation used a mixed-methods approach, combining:

  1. Quantitative data analysis to measure student engagement and instructional impact.
  2. Qualitative insights from interviews and focus groups with educators, administrators, and ESS implementation teams.
  3. Case studies of implementation across different school contexts

Key Findings

The report’s key findings show that Early School Success—through evidence-based strategies, cross-district collaboration, and professional developmenthas led to measurable improvements in early learning environments. The outcomes below highlight how ESS has supported positive change for students, educators, and school communities. 

Increased student engagement, regulation, and peer relationships

Educators observed greater student engagement while implementing ESS strategies like playful inquiry, loose parts, and movement-based learning. These approaches supported academic growth in vocabulary, oral language, writing, and math while also fostering social-emotional development. Students who previously faced challenges became more engaged, built confidence, and strengthened peer relationships.  Administrators noted that ESS classrooms promote problem-solving and a sense of belonging, contributing to fewer behavioral incidents.

Strengthened educator collaboration and support

Educators reported feeling more confident and appreciating how their professional expertise was honored and valued. The ESS framework encouraged risk taking, skill-building, and teamwork, creating a culture of trust and shared learning. Educators also embraced an inquiry-based mindset, making small but meaningful shifts in their teaching practices.

Improved classroom instruction and alignment

ESS teams that included educators across grade levels was integral in expanding successful strategies, strengthening instructional alignment from preschool through elementary grades. Educators elevated playful inquiry as an equity-driven practice, sparking deeper conversations about culturally responsive teaching. Districts strengthened alignment from preschool through fifth grade by expanding professional learning opportunities and integrating ESS insights into broader curriculum discussions and equity initiatives.

Stronger Family-School Partnerships

ESS strategies helped deepen connections between schools and families. As students became more engaged, families reported greater trust and partnership with educators. Schools introduced new approaches like empathy interviews, positive notes sent home, and learning activity kits to foster a home-school connection. One school reported a notable increase in attendance at family engagement events, and an administrator reflected on how powerful it was for parents to better understand their children’s experiences and share their own goals.

Inclusive and supportive school culture

ESS has helped cultivate a school culture centered around joy, equity, and inclusion. Educators applied an equity lens to data collection, using insights to tailor strategies for students adjusting to new cultural and linguistic environments. Many shared that ESS has broadened their perspective on learning, enabling them to better support students who may not have had positive school experiences in the past.

Next steps

The 2023-24 ESS evaluation highlights meaningful progress in student engagement, instructional quality, and educator collaboration. While there is more work ahead, these early successes underscore the value of intentional, research-based strategies to strengthen early learning. This progress reflects the commitment of educators, families, and school leaders. As the ESS initiative evolves, we will continue to build on this momentum to ensure early learning systems remain responsive, equitable, and student-centered. Together, we are laying the foundation for every child to get the strong start they deserve!

Paula Hyatt on how Ashland Invests in Families, Kids, and the Economy

Paula Hyatt on how Ashland Invests in Families, Kids, and the Economy

Summary

In this episode of The Early Link Podcast, we explore what the city of Ashland, Oregon is doing to improve access to child care and early learning in the city and the region. Ashland is located in Southern Oregon, not far from the California border, and has a population of about 22,000 residents. It is known for being one of the best small towns in America and for the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival. But in this interview, we’ll raise some visibility for the work happening in the city to support young children and their families. Paula Hyatt, an Ashland city councilor, has taken a lead role in this work. With a background in finance and banking, national defense and healthcare, she’s been keenly interested in the importance of a diversified economy and the need to bring people together to create solutions for kids and working families.

“So why did the council do that? Why did we feel that that was a good use of our resources? It’s largely because when you do these investments, you are investing in families, but you’re also investing in your local economy. If you have folks who have quality care for their kids, they can pursue the employment they’re seeking, they can pursue higher education, which in turn means there’s a greater labor pool for folks to hire from, less turnover for employers. So, it tends to be symbiotic in that it helps the families, but it also helps our local business.”

 

More about The Early Link Podcast

The Early Link Podcast highlights national, regional, and local voices working in early childhood education and the nonprofit sector. The podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Rafael Otto, Children’s Institute’s director of communications.

Listen to more episodes of the Early Link Podcast here or stream on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Apple Podcasts.

Nevin Van Manen on Community and Citizenship in Grants Pass

Nevin Van Manen on Community and Citizenship in Grants Pass

Summary

We visited Grants Pass, Oregon recently and spoke with Nevin Van Manen, the principal at Highland Elementary about school culture, and community, and what it means to be from Grants Pass, from Oregon, and from the United States. Special thanks to Adam Davis from Oregon Humanities for co-hosting this interview, and to the students and educators we’ve spoken with in Grants Pass who we’ve spoken with in recent months.

“Citizenship is how we treat one another. It’s how we are to each other, it’s how we help each other. Even if I don’t disagree, if you’re need of help, I’m going to help you. For some of our kids who struggle with all the horrible things that people are going through like poverty, the hope is can we break that cycle somehow… can we break the cycle of feeling like you’re just stuck in this.”

 

More about The Early Link Podcast

The Early Link Podcast highlights national, regional, and local voices working in early childhood education and the nonprofit sector. The podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Rafael Otto, Children’s Institute’s director of communications.

Listen to more episodes of the Early Link Podcast here or stream on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Apple Podcasts.

Exploring the World of Sound with Hayes Greenfield

Exploring the World of Sound with Hayes Greenfield

Summary

Can you imagine a world without sound? Can you imagine a classroom of young learners exploring sound to spark creativity, learning, and play? In this segment, host Rafael Otto talks with Hayes Greenfield, the founder of Creative Sound Play, a sound-based, generative learning system for preschool students and teachers. He is also an award-winning musician, film composer, and sound artist. He has been working with young people in many ways for the past 30 years, and that includes working as a teaching artist in public and private K-12 schools. He currently teaches at places like the National Head Start Association and the Global Childhood Academy. 

“When we start to become sensitive and aware and invite sound in – all of a sudden sound becomes this incredible system that you can work with and engage children with because everybody can make sound.” – Hayes Greenfield

Tune in and share!

 

More about The Early Link Podcast

The Early Link Podcast highlights national, regional, and local voices working in early childhood education and the nonprofit sector. The podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Rafael Otto, Children’s Institute’s director of communications.

Listen to more episodes of the Early Link Podcast here or stream on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Apple Podcasts.

A New Vision for High-Quality Preschool Curriculum Report

A New Vision for High-Quality Preschool Curriculum Report

Early childhood is a period of great developmental changes, setting the foundation for later learning and development.
– National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Decades of research have highlighted the significant benefits of high-quality preschool education. Yet, there remains a gap in understanding the effectiveness of preschool curricula, particularly for children who are historically (and currently) underserved. In the United States, preschool programs vary widely, with curriculum being essential in creating joyful and affirming early learning environments. Even with efforts to provide supportive settings, current preschool curricula often fall short in enhancing children’s math, early literacy, and science skills, and fail to adequately support multilingual learners’ emerging bilingualism.

What's in the report?

The report outlines and emphasizes key recommendations, focusing on equity and justice-focused principles in shaping new preschool curricula development. It underscores the value of acknowledging and celebrating each child’s unique identities and strengths to fully unleash the potential of preschool education.

How can we improve the preschool landscape?

The early childhood system is complex, with diverse program offerings resulting in very different preschool experiences for children. Those furthest from opportunities often face barriers to accessing high-quality learning opportunities. When accessible, these children are frequently enrolled in underfunded programs with lower-quality instruction.

Preschool curriculum plays a key role in shaping the quality of instruction, classroom environment, and early childhood development. It outlines children’s learning objectives, uses intentional teaching methods, and determines necessary educational resources.

Research indicates that well-implemented preschool curricula can significantly reduce disparities in math, language, literacy, and social-emotional skills among children entering kindergarten. These disparities, especially for Black and Latine children and economically disadvantaged children, underscore the urgent need for effective preschool education. However, many studies focus solely on English-speaking children, overlooking the linguistic strength and potential of multilingual learners.

What should a high-quality preschool curriculum include?

High-quality preschool curricula should ensure that children have access to diverse learning experiences, offer engaging content to spark their curiosity and excitement for learning. It should also include adaptable teaching methods that cater to their strengths and individual needs.

Research indicates that a high-quality preschool curriculum should:

    • Integrate diverse perspectives, experiences, cultures, languages, strengths, and needs of children, families, and workforce settings.
    • Focus on engaging children and promoting their agency through meaningful content.
    • Create and implement well-designed learning experiences with clear objectives, responsive teaching strategies, ongoing assessments, and personalized support based on children’s abilities, backgrounds, interests, and dispositions.
    • Align curriculum with children’s learning processes and proven research methods, affirm children’s cultural and linguistic identities, and provide effective support for children with disabilities.
    • Demonstrate measurable benefits in both school performance and overall life outcomes for children and families served.

Looking forward

Recommendations for advancing the vision

  • Equity-driven preschool curricula: Guidance for content design, development, selection, and implementation
  • Empowering educators: Supports and professional development for equitable and effective curriculum implementation
  • Investing in equity: Funding mechanisms, policy strategies, and innovations to support selection and implementation of effective preschool curricula
  • Bridging the knowledge gap: Creating an evidence base to advance curriculum development and implementation

Priorities for the future

Although we have ample evidence of the positive effects of high-quality preschool, there is limited understanding of the impact and effectiveness of the curriculum.

This report recommends a comprehensive research plan to gather evidence on preschool curricula, standardize evaluation methods, and conduct large-scale studies involving multiple research teams.

While high-quality curricula alone cannot address all early education challenges, they play a vital role in improving the quality of children’s classroom experience. High-quality preschool curricula facilitate equitable, safe, healthy, affirming, and enriching learning environments, supporting children’s success in school and beyond.

This report was long overdue, and I am hopeful and excited about what more is to come in terms of implementing the recommendations. I hope that the federal government, philanthropists, and states will find ways to ensure that we advance preschool curriculum to meet the needs of our youngest learners.
– Marina Merrill, Director of Research & Strategy, Children’s Institute