Start with Equity: From the Early Years to the Early Grades

2020

Authors: Dr. Shantel Meek, Linda Smith, Dr. Rosemarie Allen, Dr. Evandra Catherine, Dr. Kelly Edyburn, Dr. Conor Williams, Dr. Richard Fabes, Dr. Kent McIntosh, Dr. Eugene Garcia, Dr. Ruby Takanishi, Lisa Gordon, Dr. Oscar Jimenez-Castellanos, Dr. Mary Louise Hemmeter, Dr. Walter Gilliam and Dr. Ryan Pontier

Millions of young children are disproportionately underserved, over-punished, and barred from high-quality education in American schools.

The Children’s Equity Project and the Bipartisan Policy Center have come together to create an actionable policy roadmap for states and the federal government—as well as for candidates at all levels of government vying for office—to take meaningful steps to remedy these inequities in early learning and education systems.

In brief - Harsh Discipline and its Disproportionate Application

In brief - Inclusive Learning for Children with Disabilities

In brief - Equitable Access to High-Quality Learning Opportunities for DLLs and ELs

Developed with support from the Heising-Simons Foundation, this policy agenda was informed by two convenings of more than 70 experts from universities, think tanks and organizations. The resulting report, Start with Equity: From the Early Years to the Early Grades highlights the grave inequities that have long pervaded the education system and affect the lives of millions of children from historically marginalized communities, using the lens of three policy areas: disproportionate application of harsh discipline practices; lack of inclusion of students with disabilities in general classrooms; and inequitable and inadequate access to dual language programming.

In addition to analyses of existing data and a review of the latest research, this report also includes concrete recommendations for policymakers at the federal, state and local levels so that they can take immediate, meaningful steps toward dismantling these inequities for good.

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Executive Summary

Suggested citation:

Meek, S.E., Smith, L., Allen, R., Catherine, E., Edyburn, K., Williams, C., Fabes, R., McIntosh, K., Garcia, E., Takanishi, R., Gordon, L., Jimenez-Castellanos, O., Hemmeter, M., Gilliam, W., Pontier, R. (2020). Start with Equity: From the Early Years to the Early Grades. The Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University. Retrieved from: https://cep.asu.edu/resources/start-with-equity

About the Start with Equity Report

Start with Equity: From the Early Years to the Early Grades examines inequities in early learning and elementary education and identifies opportunities to create more equitable learning environments for young children. Developed by the Children’s Equity Project and the Bipartisan Policy Center, the report brings together data, research, policy analysis, and recommendations focused on children from birth through age five and the early elementary grades.

The report focuses on three areas of education policy that can have a significant impact on children’s access to high-quality, inclusive learning opportunities: the disproportionate use of harsh discipline, the segregation of children with disabilities in learning settings, and inequitable access to bilingual learning opportunities for dual language and English learners.

Together, these issues highlight different ways children can be excluded from educational opportunities, whether through removal from a learning environment, separation from their peers, or limited access to instructional approaches that support their learning and development.

Three Key Areas of Early Childhood and Education Equity

Harsh Discipline and Exclusionary Practices

Young children’s educational experiences can be disrupted when discipline practices remove them from classrooms and other learning environments. Start with Equity examines the data, research, and policy landscape surrounding harsh discipline and its disproportionate application in early childhood programs and schools.

The report considers how policies and practices can reduce unnecessary exclusion from learning environments while supporting educators, children, and families.

Inclusive Education for Children With Disabilities

Children with disabilities benefit from meaningful opportunities to learn alongside their peers and participate fully in educational environments. The report examines the segregation of children with disabilities in early learning and elementary education and explores the policies and practices that influence access to inclusive learning opportunities.

This section provides policymakers, educators, researchers, and advocates with information they can use to better understand barriers to inclusion and opportunities to strengthen educational systems for children with disabilities.

Dual Language Learners and English Learners

The report also examines access to high-quality bilingual and dual language learning opportunities for dual language learners and English learners. Its analysis considers the data, research, and policy landscape surrounding language learning and identifies opportunities to expand access to educational approaches that support multilingual children.

An Actionable Child Equity Policy Agenda

Start with Equity goes beyond identifying disparities. The report combines existing data, research, and policy analysis to develop recommendations for improving early learning and education systems. Its policy agenda includes recommendations for federal, state, and local policymakers seeking to address barriers to opportunity and strengthen learning environments for historically marginalized children.

The recommendations can also serve as a resource for educators, researchers, advocates, early childhood leaders, and organizations working on issues related to early childhood education equity, exclusionary discipline, disability inclusion, bilingual education, dual language learners, and educational opportunity.

Why Start With the Early Years?

The report focuses on the period from birth through age five and the early elementary grades because experiences during these years can have long-lasting effects on children. It argues that improving equity in early learning and education requires understanding where barriers exist, examining what research says about effective approaches, and translating that evidence into policies that expand opportunity.

By examining the data, research, and policy landscapes together, Start with Equity provides a framework for understanding how education systems can better serve children and families and where policy changes may help create more inclusive learning environments.

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The report reviews the state of the equity data, research, and policy landscapes from the early years to the early grades in key areas - including discipline, inclusion of children with disabilities, and dual language learning. It establishes an actionable, concrete policy road map for states and the federal government that can begin to bridge longstanding opportunity gaps and improve the learning conditions of children from historically marginalized communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Start with Equity: From the Early Years to the Early Grades is a Children’s Equity Project and Bipartisan Policy Center report examining equity in early childhood and elementary education. It reviews data, research, and policy and presents recommendations for improving learning opportunities for young children.

The report focuses on three primary areas: harsh discipline and its disproportionate application, inclusion of children with disabilities in learning settings, and access to bilingual learning opportunities for dual language and English learners.

The report focuses on early learning from birth through age five as well as the early elementary grades, kindergarten through fifth grade.

The report can be useful for policymakers, educators, early childhood leaders, researchers, advocates, and organizations interested in early childhood education equity, disability inclusion, discipline policy, and multilingual learners.

Yes. In addition to reviewing existing research, data, and policy, the report presents an actionable child equity policy agenda with recommendations aimed at federal, state, and local policymakers.

Start with Equity: From the Early Years to the Early Grades