@article{little_gragson_2023, title={Nationally Representative Evidence on the Association Between Preschool and School-Based Parental Involvement in Elementary School}, ISSN={["1552-3896"]}, DOI={10.1177/08959048231167169}, abstractNote={ Increasing school-based parental involvement—which has links to improved student outcomes like academic achievement—is a core area of focus in many preschool programs. Yet, little research to date has examined what the association is between attending preschool and school-based parental involvement in early elementary school. This study addresses this gap by drawing on nationally-representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 2010 to 2011 ( N = 18,174) to examine the association between preschool attendance and measures of school-based parental involvement in early elementary school. The findings reveal consistent positive associations between preschool attendance and school-based parental involvement. There is little evidence of variation in associations based on the type (e.g., private and Head Start) or location (e.g., center-based and school-based) of the preschool program. }, journal={EDUCATIONAL POLICY}, author={Little, Michael and Gragson, Austin}, year={2023}, month={Apr} }
 @article{little_gragson_2023, title={State leaders in early childhood education: Perspectives on instructional policy supports and alignment}, volume={63}, ISSN={["1873-7706"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.12.016}, abstractNote={States may regulate instructional policies—standards, curricula, assessments, and professional development—of early childhood education programs with the goal of improving student learning outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to report findings from a national survey (61 respondents from 30 states) and follow-up interviews (N = 12) on how state early education leaders think about key issues related to instructional policy supports. Notable findings include broad support from state leaders for using a combination of global and content-specific curricula and for developing consistency in curricula regulations across disparate early childhood programs. State leaders also report moderate alignment among the instructional policy supports investigated. Understanding the views of these state leaders is important given the latitude the departments and agencies they represent have in shaping instructional policy of early education programs.}, journal={EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY}, author={Little, Michael and Gragson, Austin}, year={2023}, pages={288–298} }
 @article{drake_little_cohen-vogel_gragson_cadilla_2023, title={What Shapes Principals' Early Education Leadership Practices? A Mixed-Methods Study of North Carolina School Leaders}, volume={11}, ISSN={["1744-5043"]}, DOI={10.1080/15700763.2023.2277270}, abstractNote={Principals can play an important role in the effectiveness of early education programs and early grade levels in their school. The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between principals’ backgrounds and their self-assessed early education leadership practices. Using a mixed-methods approach that draws on surveys and interviews from school leaders in North Carolina, we found that principals often lacked experience or training in early education. We also identified factors (e.g., training in early education) that predicted higher self-assessed early education leadership practices. We conclude by discussing the implication of these findings for research, policy, and practice.}, journal={LEADERSHIP AND POLICY IN SCHOOLS}, author={Drake, Timothy A. and Little, Michael and Cohen-Vogel, Lora and Gragson, Austin and Cadilla, Victor}, year={2023}, month={Nov} }