PHILADELPHIA, PA – Debra Lawrence, Ph.D. assistant professor of education recently published a new book, “How Public Investment Contributes to Quality Early Childhood Programs: Lessons from Pennsylvania, US” (Scholars’ Press, 2013) Dr. Lawrence also contributed two chapters to another publication, “Learning from Head Start: A Teacher’s Guide to School Readiness”(R&L Education, 2013).
Adapted from her doctoral dissertation, “How Public Investment Contributes to Quality Early Childhood Programs,” discusses the Pennsylvania Keystone STARS program, a quality-rating and improvement system that she recommends being used as a model for other states and countries interested in improving the quality of care for young students.
“In the United States, we have inconsistent approaches to developing an early childhood system and helping families understand what quality really looks like,” Lawrence said. “If we’re ever going to get this system put together, we need to find a way to have a national standard for measuring quality.” Lawrence believes Pennsylvania’s system is the most “comprehensive,” and that it should be the model for a national system that leads to accreditation.
Scholars’ Press, an international publishing group that specializes in academic publishing, contacted Lawrence after finding her dissertation, which they felt would be of interest to the global community. The book is geared towards policy makers and other states and countries interested in designing a comprehensive early childhood education system.
Lawrence also contributed two chapters on classroom management and social and emotional development to “Learning from Head Start: A Teacher’s Guide to School Readiness.” Sid Gilford, an adjunct faculty member in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at the College, spearheaded the collaborative project. A diverse group of professors and other early childhood professionals from around the country contributed to the book. The book uses Head Start as a model for an effective early childhood program and is intended for teachers or directors of these programs.
Both titles are available through Scholars’ Press and R & L Education, as well as Amazon.com.
