Policy makers, educators, and researchers complain that math learning in preschool is often disconnected from math learning in the early elementary grades. This disconnect can lead to students experiencing uneven instructional practices, which can compromise their learning. The goal of the COHERE project is to identify policies and practices that are associated with high quality, continuous math education from preK through the early primary grades. Specifically, the COHERE team is collaborating with two diverse districts in California to document their efforts to create policy alignment and continuity, and measure how these efforts influence students’ learning opportunities, experiences, and ultimately math proficiencies from preschool through grade 2.
Publications
Effects of a state prekindergarten program on children’s achievement and behavior at sixth grade
Authors: Durkin, K., Lipsey, M, Farran, D. & Wiesen, S.
2022 in Developmental Psychology
Early developmental competencies: Or why pre-K does not have lasting effects
Authors: Farran, D.
2022 in Defending the Early Years
Making pre-K work: Lessons from the Tennessee study
Authors: Hirsh-Pasek, K., Farran, D., Burchinal, M. & Nesbitt, K.
2022 in Brookings Blog
Educational infrastructure and instructional coaching: A study of coaching practice in two school districts
Authors: Stein, A.
2022 in Doctoral dissertation, Northwestern University
Understanding kindergarten readiness
Authors: Whyte, K. L. & Coburn, C.
2022 in Elementary School Journal
Instructional policy from pre-K to third grade: The challenges of fostering alignment and continuity in two school districts
Authors: Stein, A. & Coburn, C.
2021 in Educational Policy
PreK-3 alignment: Challenges and opportunities in California
Authors: Koppich, J. E. & Stipek, D.
2020 in Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE
Examining and developing fourth grade children’s area estimation performance
Authors: Eames, C. L., Clements, D. & Sarama, J.
2020 in School Science and Mathematics
Prevent fadeout
Authors: Stipek, D.
2020 in Principal Magazine
Examining PITCH in the context of K-3: Student mathematics performance
Authors: Day-Hess, C., Clements, D., Bush-Mecenas, S. & Coburn, C.
2020 in DREME Network
PreK–3 alignment challenges and opportunities in California
Authors: Koppich, J. & Stipek, D.
2020 in Policy Analysis for California Education
Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood education redefined: The case of math
Authors: Stipek, D. & Johnson, N.
2020 in Advancing Knowledge and Building Capacity for Early Childhood Research
Preschool mathematics intervention can significantly improve student learning trajectories through elementary school
Authors: Dumas, D., McNeish, D., Sarama, J. & Clements, D.
2019 in AERA Open
Predicting success on high stakes math tests from preschool math measures among children from low-income homes
Authors: Fyfe, E. R., Rittle-Johnson, B. & Farran, D.
2019 in Journal of Educational Psychology
Blog posts

California’s Transitional Kindergarten: The Connective Tissue Between Preschool and Kindergarten
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School Leaders Are Key to Connecting Preschool with Elementary School Education
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PreK-12 Is the New Reality: How Do We Make It Work?
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On Child Care, Newsom and His Budget Could be Bolder
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Mathematics Instruction in Preschool and Kindergarten: Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other!
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Should Children Be Ready for Kindergarten—Or Should Kindergarten Be Ready for Children?
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Fostering PreK–Elementary Alignment of Math Teaching and Learning
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Play, Mathematics, and False Dichotomies
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