Alexandria, Va. – March 18, 2024 – Superintendents and other school system leaders enacting meaningful change to support and prepare their districts for success in early childhood education are gathering in Georgia, March 20-22, for the 2024 Spring Early Learning Cohort meeting, hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, and Gwinnett County Public Schools.

In partnership with Waterford.org, the National Head Start Association and Age of Learning, participating superintendents in the AASA Early Learning Cohort will engage in meaningful dialogue with their peers in an effort to discover innovative solutions and review emerging research to facilitate positive change in the nation’s schools.

“If school systems are going to create a foundation of success for every student, they must manufacture future-driven and forward-leaning approaches to effectively address the needs of children in their developing years, particularly our vulnerable populations,” said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. “The mental and social and emotional development of these students has never been more important. It’s critical that districts scale up learning opportunities as they strive to champion early learning policies and programs on their behalf. We thank Superintendent Watts and his team for serving as host site for this meeting.”

“Throughout decades of early learning research, we have discovered that the human brain is most receptive to knowledge acquisition between birth and three years of age,” said Dr. Calvin J. Watts, superintendent, Gwinnett County Public Schools. “Our early learning goal is to lead and support the education of young children, while also partnering with families for the purpose of providing each child with special needs a rich and challenging educational experience. As a result, we are deeply honored to serve as host site for the AASA Early Learning Cohort meeting.”

“The research is very clear that early learning builds a foundation for future success for students and it’s important as a nation that we invest in early learning,” said Peter Finch, superintendent, West Valley (Wash.) School District and co-chair of the AASA Early Learning Cohort. “Early learning is not just preschool. It’s using developmentally appropriate practices throughout a child’s early learning years of primary school and the connection between pre-school to kindergarten to first, second and third grades so that we can build a solid foundation for future success.” 

Key discussions throughout the meeting will focus on the following questions:  

• How do leaders ensure engaging learning in preK-3 classrooms/settings?
• How do leaders increase family capacity to support early learners?
• How do leaders involve their communities in early learning efforts?

 

In 2022, the AASA Early Learning Cohort released a first-of-its-kind toolkit aimed at supporting all providers of early learning, especially school districts, as they embrace the significant responsibility of providing early childhood education. The Early Childhood and Learning Toolkit is a resource offering actionable practices that provide educators with a gateway to explore and define ways to make a positive difference in the lives of the nation’s 50 million public school children and their families.

To learn more, visit the AASA Early Learning Cohort webpage. Superintendents and other school system leaders can also contact Mort Sherman, AASA senior associate executive director, at msherman@aasa.org, or Debbie Magee, AASA program director, at dmagee@aasa.org.