The Research Behind AEII
AEII focuses on three key ingredients — curricula, teacher-child interactions, and instruction — that research shows are critical in promoting high-quality early learning experiences.
What Matters Most
High-quality birth-to-five education experiences have been shown to impact a range of future life successes, from an individual’s health and happiness to their future employment opportunities. But it’s not just about individual success. Economic research makes it clear that investments in early childhood education pay off for everyone. In the long term, we see better outcomes in education, health, economic productivity, and safer communities.
AEII focuses on three key ingredients — curricula, teacher-child interactions, and instruction— that research has shown are critical in promoting high-quality early learning experiences. Through a collaborative approach, AEII supports school leadership to assess how each of these ingredients is working and identify the types of professional development and resources that are needed to best equip teachers in supporting school readiness.
Three Key Ingredients
Teacher-Child Interactions
Teacher-child interactions that are effective, engaging, and supportive serve as the foundation for learning in early childhood. Children who experience high-quality teacher-child interactions show higher levels of social-emotional and academic development.
Evidence-Based Curricula
Using effective, evidence-based curricula helps ensure that children are afforded the opportunities, activities, and interactions within the classroom that support their learning in a developmentally appropriate way.
High-Quality Instruction
High-quality instructional practices focused on key content areas, such as early literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional learning, help children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. And, they are important for ensuring children are kindergarten ready.
A Focus on Professional Development
AEII works with education leadership to identify professional development needs so teachers have the training and resources they need to thrive.
There is no shortage of evidence that high-quality, targeted professional development experiences for teachers can improve classroom interactions, including the ways that teachers encourage children’s thinking, provide feedback, and develop children’s growing language skills.
But, it’s not just about children’s experiences. We know that when teachers have the resources, knowledge, and training they need, they’re more likely to excel at their work, feel connected to their students, and be motivated to stay in the field. See how AEII works to help preschool programs provide teachers with the training and resources they need to thrive!
When we make an investment in Virginia’s early childhood classrooms – in our teachers, our children, and our curriculum – everyone benefits.
