The Ready, Set, Go! Play and Learn program at Earl Boyles Elementary School gives children from birth to age 3 and their caregivers opportunities to learn in a child-centered and culturally responsive environment. The program, in its second year at Earl Boyles, builds parenting and social and emotional skills, and strengthens relationships between families and schools. Judy Strand, the CEO of Metropolitan Family Service, which runs the program, highlights the results of the program, while Program Coordinator Maria Perdomo explains, “We notice how the children have been improving in their skills—social/emotional skills, cognitive skills—and how the parents are improving how they connect with their children and support them with positive discipline.”

The Early Link Podcast

Ready, Set, Go! Early Learning from Birth to 3

Dr. Pedro Noguera is an acclaimed sociologist whose research and scholarship focuses on how schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, as well as by demographic trends in local, regional, and global contexts. He is the distinguished professor of education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and faculty director for the Center for the Transformation of Schools at UCLA. In this interview, we discuss the lack of progress in closing achievement gaps in American schools that, according to Noguera, are the result of “wide gaps in educational opportunities that exist and correspond to the neighborhood you live in and often the racial and socioeconomic background of children and their families.” We spend time discussing the problem with “silver bullet” solutions, the key ingredients for school transformation, and the implications for education policy. We also unpacked what implementing universal preschool must look like, and what “high-quality” classrooms have in common.

On Transforming Education with Dr. Pedro Noguera

The Early Link Podcast, brought to you by Children's Institute based in Portland, Oregon, highlights national, regional, and local voices working in the field of early care and education. Written, hosted, and produced by Rafael Otto.

On Transforming Education with Dr. Pedro Noguera

Children's Institute

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