EDUCATION POLICY

EARLY & ELEMENTARY EDUCATION POLICY

SHAYNA COOK AND LAURA BORNFREUND

STARTING YOUNG MASSACHUSETTS BIRTH–3RD GRADE POLICIES THAT SUPPORT CHILDREN’S LITERACY DEVELOPMENT

NOVEMBER 2015 EDCENTR.AL/STARTINGYOUNG #STARTINGYOUNG

About the Authors Shayna Cook is a program associate for Early & Elementary Education Policy at New America where she researches and reports on a wide array of policy issues, concerning birth through third grade. She recently graduated from American University with a master’s degree in education, focusing on policy and leadership. She holds a bachelor’s degree in classics from Howard University.

Laura Bornfreund is director of Early & Elementary Education Policy at New America. Before joining New America, Ms. Bornfreund consulted for a number of education policy organizations including the Forum for Education & Democracy, Institute for Educational Leadership, and Common Core. She began her career as a 4th grade teacher. Ms. Bornfreund holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Central Florida.

About New America New America is dedicated to the renewal of American politics, prosperity, and purpose in the Digital Age. We carry out our mission as a nonprofit civic enterprise: an intellectual venture capital fund, think tank, technology laboratory, public forum, and media platform. Our hallmarks are big ideas, impartial analysis, pragmatic policy solutions, technological innovation, next generation politics, and creative engagement with broad audiences. Find out more at newamerica.org/our-story.

Acknowledgments Several people helped to make this report possible. We appreciate the time, advice, input, expertise, and guidance of several individuals from Massachusetts: Marie Enochty, Sally Fuller, David Jacobson, Kelly Kulsrud, Carol Nolan, Amy O’Leary, Yvette Rodriguez, Sharon Scott-Chandler, Donna Traynham, and Karen Vogel. Additionally, thank you to our New America colleagues Amaya Garcia, Lisa Guernsey, Abbie Lieberman, and Lindsey Tepe who provided expertise and editorial insight. We would like to thank the Alliance for Early Success for their generous support of this work. The views expressed in this report are those of its authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Alliance for Early Success, their officers, or employees. The New America Education Policy Program’s work is made possible through generous grants from the Alliance for Early Success; the Foundation for Child Development; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund; the Heising-Simons Foundation; the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; the Joyce Foundation; the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; the Kresge Foundation; Lumina Foundation; the McKnight Foundation; the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation; the David and Lucile Packard Foundation; the J.B. & M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation; the Smith Richardson Foundation; the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation; and the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

Contents Introduction

4

Background on Massachusetts

10

Early Education Policies That Support Children’s Literacy Development

14

Recommendations

28

Final Thoughts

30

List of Interviews

32

Notes

33

Reforming Early Education, Birth Through Third Grade State and Local Reports

From 2015 through 2016, the Early Education Initiative will be producing a series of reports from states and localities across the United States to provide an inside look at efforts to support children’s learning from infancy and extending into the early grades. Access to the reports is available through Atlas (atlas. newamerica.org), the data and analysis tool designed for New America’s Education Policy Program. Reports are forthcoming, or have already been published, in the followin