California recently received a highly competitive Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) federal grant to improve the quality of early learning programs and close the achievement gap for vulnerable young children. Over the next three years, California, led by local efforts in 16 counties in collaboration with the California Department…

Every year, under the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), millions of children with disabilities receive special services designed to meet their unique needs. Early intervention services are provided through the state to infants and toddlers with disabilities under three years of age and their families. For…

As part of a larger longitudinal study, scores of 239 children (ages 1 to 4) with disabilities on the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) were compared with scores on the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement (Revised) 1 to 3 years later. The BDI scores from children at or above age 2 predicted later achievement scores (mean correlation .74).…

This initial issue of "Early Edition" launches the first edition of Tennessee's newsletter dedicated to the implementation of programs and services for young children with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The period of early childhood is the foundation for all future learning and achievement for…

This report describes several aspects of families' experiences in beginning early intervention services using data from the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS). Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, NEILS is following a nationally representative sample of 3,338 infants and toddlers and their families from the time they…