Research

Previous Event

Education

Creating a Research Agenda to Improve Preschool Quality and Equity

Virgin Hotels Nashville, 1 Music Square W, Manor Ballroom, Nashville, TN 37203
November 13, 2023 - November 14, 2023

Overview

This invite-only convening will bring together practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and funders to define a preschool research agenda and foster new partnerships. Practitioners will highlight the research they need to inform policy and practice. Researchers will then interpret these open questions into a research agenda, and policymakers will discuss how evidence produced through this collaborative can inform their decision making. 

The goals of this kickoff are threefold:

  • Reach consensus on important, unanswered research questions
  • Connect researchers and practitioners to form new partnerships
  • Lay the groundwork for a new, practitioner-led research collaborative

All times in Central Time.

Supported By

Agenda

November 13, 2023November 14, 2023
RegistrationWelcomePressing questions from the practitioner lensSmall group discussions: topics of interestDinner
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Registration

4:15 – 4:45 pm

Session Overview

Doors open at 4:15pm

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Welcome

4:45 – 5:00 pm

Session Overview

Blueprint will outline the motivation and goals for the kickoff and for the collaborative more generally.

Speakers

Parag Pathak
Director

Blueprint Labs

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Pressing questions from the practitioner lens

5:00 – 6:15 pm

Session Overview

Guiding questions: 1) Have you participated in research in the past? What was beneficial and what do you wish had gone differently? 2) What do you not know about preschool policy and practice, but would like to know? 3) What new practices or initiatives are you trying out that you think merit further study? 4) How can we effectively solicit input from families, staff, educators, and other community stakeholders? 5) What do we need to be able to answer if we move toward universal preschool? What story do we want to tell?

Speakers

Alfreda Clark
Center Director

West Lakes Early Learning Center

Elsa Holguín
President & CEO

Denver Preschool Program

Chara Fisher Jackson
Executive Director & CEO

Cincinnati Preschool Promise

Kristin Spanos
CEO

First 5 Alameda County

Josh Wallack
Lead Advisor

One for All Strategies

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Small group discussions: topics of interest

6:15 – 7:00 pm

Session Overview

Participants will discuss their own research questions of interest. Takeaways will be compiled and presented the next morning.

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Dinner

7:00 – 8:00 pm

BreakfastWelcome and Call to OrderWhat we know about preschool from lotteriesHow can practitioners’ questions be shaped into a research agenda?BreakWhat questions are we missing in the state/federal landscape? A policymaker perspective.LunchCrafting an inclusive research agendaMatchmaking sessionClosing
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Breakfast

7:30 – 8:30 am

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Welcome and Call to Order

8:30 – 8:45 am

Session Overview

Blueprint will share a summary of Day 1 sessions, including a session featuring practitioners’ perspectives on research and small group conversations.

Speakers

Parag Pathak
Director

Blueprint Labs

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What we know about preschool from lotteries

8:45 – 9:15 am

Session Overview

Jesse Bruhn will share a review of lottery-based studies.

Speakers

Jesse Bruhn

Blueprint Labs

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How can practitioners’ questions be shaped into a research agenda?

9:15 – 10:30 am

Session Overview

Having heard practitioners’ questions and white paper findings, researchers will begin to interpret open questions into a research agenda. Guiding questions include: 1) Based on what you’ve heard from practitioners, what do you think are the highest priority topics to address? 2) What are other pressing topics that you think are worthy of study? 3) What kind of study design and methods can we use to address these questions? 4) What do you believe are the biggest barriers researchers will face in conducting this type of research? 5) Tell us about your experience conducting research on preschool, or education more broadly. How can your work inform (or has it informed) policy? What are the challenges in doing that?

Speakers

Lea Austin
Executive Director

Center for the Study of Child Care Employment

Margaret (Peg) Burchinal
Research Professor

University of Virginia

Kalena Cortes
Verlin and Howard Kruse '52 Founders Professor

Texas A&M University

Jorge Luis García
Assistant Professor

Clemson University

Chloe Gibbs
Assistant Professor

University of Notre Dame

Milagros Nores
Co-Director for Research

National Institute for Early Education Research

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Break

10:30 – 10:45 am

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What questions are we missing in the state/federal landscape? A policymaker perspective.

10:45 am – 12:00 pm

Session Overview

Guiding questions include: 1) How have you used (or how do you hope to use) research to inform policymaking? 2) What do you not know about the preschool sector but would like to know? 3) What new initiatives do you have that you think are worthy of further study? 4) What barriers do you face to using and participating in research? More generally, how do you think research can be used to inform state and federal policymaking?

Speakers

Lauren Hogan
Managing Director of Policy and Professional Advancement

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

Kathy Hollowell-Makle
Executive Director

District of Columbia Association for the Education of Young Children

Sarah Neville-Morgan
Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction

Opportunities for All Branch at the California Department of Education

Nina Philipsen
Senior Social Science Research Analyst

Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation

Lisa Roy
Executive Director

Colorado Department of Early Childhood

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Lunch

12:00 – 12:45 pm

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Crafting an inclusive research agenda

12:45 – 1:30 pm

Session Overview

Guiding questions include: 1) Can you share about your engagement in research-practice partnerships? What went well, what was challenging? 2) How could research be helpful or useful to your communities? What barriers do you face to using research? 3) Who do you believe are the main audiences this research should support? How can we ensure their voices are reflected in the research agenda? 4) How can we bring diverse stakeholders into the research process? Which stakeholders should we prioritize in our outreach?

Speakers

Alexandra Figueras-Daniel
Assistant Research Professor

National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)

Alissa Mwenelupembe
Managing Director of Early Learning

National Association for the Education of Young Children

Jason Sachs
Deputy Director, Early Learning

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Meghan Salas Atwell
Senior Director of Applied Research

National Association for the Education of Young Children

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Matchmaking session

1:30 – 2:45 pm

Session Overview

Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers will have the opportunity to connect and discuss potential areas of collaboration.

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Closing

2:45 – 3:00 pm

Session Overview

Attendees will participate in a closing activity.

Speakers

Jason Sachs
Deputy Director, Early Childhood

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

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Directions

The Virgin Hotel is located at 1 Music Square W, Nashville, TN 37203. The event will be held in the Manor Ballroom on the second floor.

Hotel Information

The event will take place at the Virgin Nashville hotel. We have a room block available to book here. Room block rooms MUST be booked by October 23, 2023. If you prefer to call to book your room, please mention you are with MIT Blueprint Labs.