Michael Little

Associations of state-funded prekindergarten with early elementary literacy and absences

Bratsch-Hines, M., Bastian, K., Little, M., Cohen-Vogel, L., Burchinal, M., & Peisner-Feinberg, E. (2025, January 1). Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 1.

Case for Closing Superintendent Gender Gap: Pre-K Commitment

White, R. S., McKenzie, L. C., Little, M. H., Rowan, R., & Drake, T. A. (2025, November 29). Educational Researcher.

Correction: Does the “Where” Matter? School-Based Pre-K Versus Center-Based Pre-K and its Link to Students’ Absenteeism

Gottfried, M., Kim, P., Little, M., Cohen-Vogel, L., & Peters, S. K. (2025, December 6). Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 12.

Data Assets in Early Education and Development

Does Going to School-Based Prekindergarten Predict Access to Disability Services in Elementary School?

Gottfried, M., Kim, P., Little, M., & Cohen-Vogel, L. (2025, August 3). Remedial and Special Education, Vol. 8.

Does Location Matter? School Pre-K Versus Center Pre-K and Its Link to Elementary School Absenteeism

Proceedings of the 2025 AERA Annual Meeting. Presented at the 2025 AERA Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.

Does the “Where” Matter? School-Based Pre-K Versus Center-Based Pre-K and its Link To Students’ Absenteeism

Early Childhood Education Journal, 11.

Examining the Early Childhood Teacher-to-Principal Pipeline and Its Implications for Leadership in the Early Grades

Annual meeting of the University Council for Educational Administration. Presented at the Annual meeting of the University Council for Educational Administration, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Is Second Grade a Zone of Instructional Development for Teachers? Rethinking Strategic Staffing With a Mixed-Methods Study of Elementary Principals’ Assignment Decisions

Cohen-Vogel, L., Brooks, C. D., Little, M., Drake, T. A., Domina, T., Springer, M. G., … Cadilla, V. (2025, August 30). Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Vol. 8.

Principal Leadership of Pre-K Programs in Elementary Schools: Evidence from North Carolina

Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Washington, D.C.

School- Versus Center-Based Pre-K: Are There Differences in Student Achievement, Executive Function, and Social–Emotional Outcomes?

Little, M., Gottfried, M., Cohen-Vogel, L., & Kim, P. (2025, August 21). Early Education and Development, Vol. 8.

The Critical Role of Educational Leaders in Supporting Early Childhood Education

NC State Leadership Academies MSA Year 1 Cohort. Presented at the NC State Leadership Academies MSA Year 1 Cohort, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.

After the Pandemic: Understanding the Potential of School-based Pre-Kindergarten for Four-Year-Olds

Oxford Education Research Symposium. Presented at the Oxford Education Research Symposium, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Does Location Matter? Prekindergarten Settings and Their Link to Elementary School Absenteeism

Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Washington, D.C.

Exploring the Theory of Preschool Skill Convergence Through a National Survey of Kindergarten Teachers

Little, M. (2024, November 4). Early Education and Development, Vol. 11.

Improving Early Grades Education Leadership in North Carolina Through a Networked Improvement Approach.

Annual meeting of the Association o Education Finance and Policy. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Association o Education Finance and Policy, Baltimore, MD.

Is skill heterogeneity in kindergarten classrooms associated with the persistence of pre-K gains? Evidence from the IES early learning network

Little, M., Bastian, K. C., Cohen-Vogel, L., Bratsch-Hines, M., Burchinal, P., & Peisner-Feinberg, E. (2024, January 1). Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 1.

Kindergarten Teachers’ Perspectives on the “Hotspot” Theory of Pre-K Skill Convergence and Fadeout

Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Washington, D.C.

Nationally-Representative Evidence on the Association Between School-Based Pre-K and Student Achievement, Executive Function, and Social-Emotional Outcomes in Elementary School

Annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Presented at the Annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.

New Research on Principal Leadership of Early Education

Northeast Leadership Academic Cumberland Cohort. Presented at the Northeast Leadership Academic Cumberland Cohort, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

Novice Teachers and Student Attendance in Early Elementary School

Gottfried, M., Little, M., & Ansari, A. (2024, March 30). Educational Policy, Vol. 3.

Preparing Early Education Leaders: An Analysis of UCEA Principal Preparation Programs

Educational Administration Quarterly, 9.

Principal Leadership of Pre-K Programs in Elementary Schools: Evidence from North Carolina

Educational Policy, 9.

Principal Leadership of Pre-K Programs in Elementary Schools: Evidence from North Carolina

[NC State University Policy Brief].

Racial Segregation in City and State-Funded Preschool Programs: A Systematic Review

Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Baltimore, MD.

Rebuilding After COVID-19: Does School-Based Pre-K Hold Promise?

Crane Research Forum. Keynote presented at the Crane Research Forum, The Ohio State University.

Superintendents’ Leadership of Early Childhood Education: A National Survey

Annual meeting of the University Council for Educational Administration. Presented at the Annual meeting of the University Council for Educational Administration, Los Angeles, CA.

What do we know about principals are early education leaders? A review of recent and ongoing research

California Department of Education. Presented at the California Department of Education, Sacramento CA.

Does Attending School-Based Prekindergarten Improve Kindergarten Outcomes for Students with Disabilities?

Annual meeting of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Atlanta, GA.

Early Education Leadership in North Carolina

Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.

Enhancing Early Education Principal Leadership in North Carolina

University of Florida’s Early Childhood Policy Centers Collaborative. Presented at the University of Florida’s Early Childhood Policy Centers Collaborative.

Is 2nd grade the zone of instructional development for teachers? A sequential mixed methods study of teacher assignment

Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Denver, CO.

Is Skill Heterogeneity in Kindergarten Classrooms Associated with the Persistence of Pre-K Gains? Evidence from the IES Early Learning Network

Annual meeting of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Arlington, VA.

Nationally Representative Evidence on the Association Between Preschool and School-Based Parental Involvement in Elementary School

Little, M., & Gragson, A. (2023, April 25). Educational Policy, Vol. 4.

School District Supports for Early Education Principal Leadership: A Mixed Method Analysis

Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Denver, CO.

School-Based Pre-Kindergarten: Can Eliminating a Common Transition Point Improve School Readiness for Students with Disabilities?

Annual meeting of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Arlington, VA.

State leaders in early childhood education: Perspectives on instructional policy supports and alignment

Little, M., & Gragson, A. (2023, January 1). Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 1.

Student-Teacher Ethnoracial Matching in the Earliest Grades: Benefits for Executive Function Skills?

Gottfried, M., Little, M., & Ansari, A. (2023, March 16). Early Education and Development, Vol. 3.

The Alignment Agenda: Examining the Movement to Bridge the Early Childhood and K–12 Sectors

Little, M. (2023, January 1). AERA Open, Vol. 1.

This is the Way to go to School”: A Descriptive Analysis of Who attends Pre-K in Elementary Schools and Who Stays

Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Denver, CO.

What Shapes Educators' Early Childhood Leadership Practice? A Mixed-Methods Study of North Carolina School Leaders

Proceedings of the 2023 AERA Annual Meeting. Presented at the 2023 AERA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

What Shapes Principals’ Early Education Leadership Practices? A Mixed-Methods Study of North Carolina School Leaders

Leadership and Policy in Schools, 11, 1–22.

Governing early learning among the American states

Griffard, M. R., Sadler, J., Little, M., & Cohen-Vogel, L. (2022, September 6). Children and Youth Services Review, Vol. 9.

Impacts of a Parent-Implemented Language Intervention on Children's Language Development Within Home Visiting

Pentimonti, J., Attaway, D. S., Little, M. H., Holod, A., Buysse, V., Walker, D., & Bigelow, K. (2022, August 18). Infants & Young Children, Vol. 8.

Teacher-child racial/ethnic match from prekindergarten through first grade: Understanding early exposure and outcomes

Bratsch-Hines, M., Cohen-Vogel, L., Little, M., Lindsay, C. A., & Carr, R. (2022, December 14). Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 12.

Transition Practices of Rural Pre-K and Kindergarten Teachers and Their Relations to Children’s Academic and Social Skills

Garber, K. L., Foster, T. J., Little, M. H., Cohen-Vogel, L., Bratsch-Hines, M., & Burchinal, M. R. (2022, January 20). Early Education and Development, Vol. 1.

When School Doesn’t Start at Age 5: Elementary Principal Leadership of Pre-K Programs in Schools

Elementary School Journal, 123(1), 176–202.

A Missed Opportunity? Instructional Content Redundancy in Pre-K and Kindergarten

Cohen-Vogel, L., Little, M., Jang, W., Burchinal, M., & Bratsch-Hines, M. (2021, January 1). AERA Open, Vol. 7, p. 233285842110061.

Nationally Representative Evidence on the Association Between Preschool and Executive Function Skills Throughout Elementary School

Little, M. (2021, January 1). AERA Open, Vol. 1.

Educators’ views on the location of Pre-K programs and its relation to features of P-3 alignment: An exploratory study

Little, M. (2020, September 11). Children and Youth Services Review, Vol. 9.

Moving Kindergarten Entry Assessments from Policy to Practice Evidence from North Carolina

Little, M., Cohen-Vogel, L., Sadler, J., & Merrill, B. (2020, February 12). Early Education and Development, Vol. 2.

The Adoption of Public Pre-Kindergarten among the American States: An Event History Analysis

Cohen-Vogel, L., Sadler, J., Little, M. H., Merrill, B., & Curran, F. C. (2020, October 31). Educational Policy, Vol. 10.

“Quality” assurance features in state-funded early childhood education: A policy brief

Merrill, B., Cohen-Vogel, L., Little, M., Sadler, J., & Lee, K. (2020, April 3). Children and Youth Services Review, Vol. 4.

Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest

Little, M. In The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program. https://ies.ed.gov/use-work/regional-educational-laboratories-rel/southwest