FirstSchool is a Pre-K through third grade initiative led by FPG and the School of Education at UNC-Chapel Hill. The FirstSchool Implementation involved a systems-based change process: the FirstSchool team worked with schools, districts, communities, states, and institutions of higher education to move toward a seamless approach for children ages 3 to 8. Our framework for school improvement addressed schools' ongoing struggles to produce equitable outcomes for African American, Latino, and low-income students; the increased presence of pre-kindergartens within public schools; the challenge of sustaining high instructional quality in every early childhood and elementary classroom; and the need for qualified, knowledgeable leadership that advocates for positive beginnings for young children. The project worked with four schools in North Carolina and four schools in Michigan to implement the FirstSchool process; assisted with the North Carolina Early Learning Challenge, guiding district participation; and conducted state and national outreach, dissemination, and professional development.
FirstSchool Implementation
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
01/01/2010 to 12/31/2013
$4,001,913
Christine Coster Harradine, Investigator
Adam L. Holland, Investigator
Gisele M. Crawford, Research Specialist