Abstract
Federal, state, and local government, together with communities, parents, teachers, school administrators and the private sector all have a shared responsibility in ensuring quality early education experiences for all children. From the first public early learning initiatives to those of today, the influence of policymakers is interwoven throughout the history of early childhood education. While policy is ultimate made by the legislature, the voice of the education expert is essential in informing decision-making. The voice of the early childhood professional is not always audible in these decisions. It is through this lens that this chapter explores state and federal policies affecting early childhood education over the last several decades. Beginning with the federal implementation of Head Start in 1965 through the standards-based curricula of the 2010s, to the policies of 2020, an examination of each underscores the importance of advocacy by the early childhood professional. It considers legislation that has impacted early childhood teachers and children, and discusses the influence that educators may or may not have had in influencing these programs and policies. It includes a discussion of Head Start and Early Head Start, as well as the key initiatives of No Child Left Behind, the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge, the Common Core State Standards, and Universal Pre-Kindergarten. The standards movement and assessment in early childhood are also reviewed, with consideration of the perspectives of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Defending the Early Years organization.
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Nerren, J. (2020). An Educated Nation: Governmental Policy and Early Childhood Education in America. In: Donovan, J., Trimmer, K., Flegg, N. (eds) Curriculum, Schooling and Applied Research. Palgrave Studies in Education Research Methods. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48822-2_4
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