Product Review

In this important new book, Sharon Lynn Kagan and her colleagues focus on the more than 2 million individuals who care for and educate nearly two thirds of the American children under age 5 participating in nonparental care. Providing the most thorough synthesis of current research on the early care and education teaching workforce to date, the authors address frequently asked questions about teacher quality, teacher effectiveness, and the professional development necessary to achieve both. They conclude with a call for bold changes that would transform the early care and education workforce. Relying on empirical data and overviews of dozens of initiatives and programs that address early care and education teachers, the book provides a breadth and depth of analysis of issues surrounding the early care and education teaching workforce.