The Early Care and Education Teaching Workforce at the Fulcrum

In this important new book, Sharon Lynn Kagan and her colleagues focus on the nearly 5 million individuals who have the responsibility of caring for and educating nearly two-thirds of the American children under age 5 who spend time in nonparental care. Providing the most thorough synthesis of current research on the early care and education teaching workforce to date, the authors address frequently asked questions about teacher quality, teacher effectiveness, and the professional development necessary to achieve both and call for a series of bold changes that would transform the early care and education workforce. Featuring the voices of teachers, parents, and policymakers, vignettes help us understand the various layers involved in early care and education.

Sharon Lynn Kagan is the Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy, Co-Director of the National Center for Children and Families, and Associate Dean for Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University Kristie Kauerz is the Early Childhood/P-3 Policy Director for Colorado Lieutenant Governor Barbara O'Brien Kate Tarrant is a doctoral student and graduate research fellow at the National Center for Teachers and Families at Teachers College, Columbia University