ERIC ED451959: Achieving Quality Early Childhood Education pdf

ERIC ED451959: Achieving Quality Early Childhood Education

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Description of the Book:

Based on the view that major changes in the social and economic context in the United States require major policy changes related to early childhood education, this paper examines the factors supporting public policy changes and how advocates for change in early childhood education might incorporate effective strategies. The paper is presented in two parts. Part 1 reviews the research on state policy settings and the factors that tend to support policy change. This part focuses attention on the ways that state policymakers appear to learn from what is going on elsewhere and incorporate new ideas into their policy agendas. Several strategic implications for advocates of policy change are presented, such as brainstorming a list of potential obstacles to the introduction of a policy innovation or shaping the debate so the public will support change. Part 2 of the paper takes these general strategic implications and considers their relevance to efforts to achieve early childhood education for all in the United States.

Ways that advocates might usefully build on various promising initiatives and ideas are suggested. The paper maintains that advocates for change must constantly build their knowledge concerning what works and what does not work, understanding the organizational and political strengths and weaknesses of alternative strategies for securing quality early education for all children. It is argued that advocacy efforts blending policy proposals with development of model programs can help forge good relations among people with apparently divergent interests and thereby set the stage for new advocacy coalitions. (Contains 19 references.) (KB

• Creator/s: ERIC
• Date: 2001-03
• Year: 2001
• Book Topics/Themes: ERIC Archive, Advocacy, Change Strategies, Day Care, Diffusion (Communication), Early Childhood Education, Educational Quality, Innovation, Linking Agents, Public Policy, Resistance to Change, Mintrom, Michael

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