Improving children's preparation for school success has become a national priority. For decades, researchers have tried to identify the characteristics of early childhood education (ECE) classrooms that can make the greatest difference for participating children. To date, however, the research hasn't offered clear guidelines for how best to promote school readiness in early childhood classrooms. Growing public investments in ECE, especially prekindergarten (pre-k), make understanding of how different research findings fit together increasingly important. This "NCRECE In Focus" offers teachers and administrators direction in this regard by looking at how two prominent "puzzle pieces" fit together.