The Early Education ― Program Leadership and Professional Learning for the 21st Century

Grounded in current research and theory, this practical guide gives program leaders and staff developers a roadmap for designing and implementing engaging professional development and coaching approaches. It focuses on early educator competencies essential for high-quality learning and teaching--executive functions, emotion regulation, relationship skills, and talk for learning. Illustrated with an extended vignette of an early learning center, the book highlights how addressing educators' professional needs is a pathway to children's cognitive, social–emotional, and academic growth. User-friendly features include 23 reproducible checklists, handouts, and self-study and planning tools. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Nonie K. Lesaux, PhD, is Academic Dean and the Juliana W. and William Foss Thompson Professor of Education and Society at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She leads a research program guided by the goal of increasing opportunities to learn for children and youth from diverse linguistic, cultural, and economic backgrounds. She has served on the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council’s Committee on the Science of Children Birth to Age 8, and currently serves as the chair of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care. With Stephanie Jones, Dr. Lesaux directs the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Stephanie M. Jones, PhD, is Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Anchored in prevention science, her research focuses on the effects of poverty and exposure to violence on the social, emotional, and behavioral development of children and youth. She has conducted numerous evaluations of programs and early education efforts, including the Head Start CARES initiative. She is a recipient of the Grawemeyer Award in Education for her work with Edward Zigler and Walter S. Gilliam on A Vision for Universal Preschool Education. With Nonie Lesaux, Dr. Jones directs the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Annie Connors, EdM, is a practitioner with over a decade of primary teaching experience in public schools. She is a literacy specialist and reading coach, specializing in providing direct instruction to students and professional development for educators. Currently a literacy specialist in the Greater Boston area, Ms. Connors has served as a literacy consultant to education publishers and research groups on a variety of programs and initiatives.

Robin Kane is Assistant Director of Professional Institutes and Partnerships at the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She provides professional development training and coaching to novice and experienced early educators. Most recently, she has worked on the development of early literacy curricula and interventions for an urban school district, and the design and implementation of innovative professional development programs for early education leaders. Ms. Kane founded a child development center in 1991, where she taught children and mentored teachers for over 23 years.