Report Shows Benefits of Rich Pre-K Curriculum

As the Obama administration turns its attention to expanding access to quality preschool education, a new Shanker Institute report shows that the efficacy of preschool programs, both in stimulating children’s cognitive development and effectively reducing the achievement gap, can be significantly improved if programs are aligned with new research about how children learn in the academic areas of oral language, literacy, math, and science.

(To order, e-mail: vthomas@ashankerinst.org. Cost: $3.00/copy incl. S&H. Ten or more copies:  $2.00 + S&H.)

Democracy Web: Comparative Studies in Freedom

The Albert Shanker Institute and Freedom House teamed up to create Democracy Web, an online resource for teachers of government, civics, history, geography, and social studies. The site consists of an interactive map of the world and a study guide, offering an overview of the basic architecture of democracy, historical background information, and a framework for comparing the state of political rights and civil liberties in different countries around the world.