Walter S. Gilliam, PhD
Biography
Research & Publications
News
Appointments
Biography
Walter Gilliam is the executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute and the Richard D. Holland Presidential Chair in Early Childhood Development at the University of Nebraska. He is a tenured professor at the Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and a professor adjunct at the Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, where he previously was the Elizabeth Mears & House Jameson Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology and director of Yale’s Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy.
He is vice president of ZERO TO THREE; a past president of Child Care Aware of America; board treasurer for the Irving Harris Foundation; a director for First Children’s Finance, All Our Kin, and the National Workforce Registry Alliance; a former senior advisor to the National Association for the Education of Young Children; and a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Gilliam was co-recipient of the prestigious 2008 Grawemeyer Award in Education for the coauthored book, A Vision for Universal Preschool Education. His research involves early childhood education and intervention policy analysis (specifically how policies translate into effective services), ways to improve the quality of PreKindergarten and child care services, the impact of early childhood education programs on children’s school readiness, and effective methods for reducing classroom behavior problems and preschool expulsion, as well as issues of COVID-19 transmission, vaccination, and health and safety promotion in early childhood settings. His scholarly writing addresses early childhood care and education programs, school readiness, and developmental assessment of young children.
Gilliam has led national analyses of state-funded PreKindergarten policies and mandates, how PreKindergarten programs are being implemented across the range of policy contexts, and the effectiveness of these programs at improving school readiness and educational achievement, as well as experimental and quasi-experimental studies on methods to improve early education quality. His work frequently has been covered in major national and international news outlets for print (e.g., New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, LA Times), radio (e.g., NPR), and television (e.g., CNN Headline News, NBC TODAY Show, CBS Early Show, ABC Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, FOX News). Gilliam has actively provided consultation to state and federal decision-makers in the United States and other countries (such as the People’s Republic of China and the United Arab Emirates) and frequently provides testimony and briefings before Congress on issues related to early care and education.
Education & Training
- Research Postdoctoral FellowshipYale University School of Medicine (1999)
- Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical PsychologyYale University School of Medicine (1997)
- Internship in Clinical PsychologyYale University School of Medicine (1996)
- PhDUniversity of Kentucky (1996)
- MSEdUniversity of Kentucky (1993)
Activities
- Early childhood development: An investment and an opportunity for Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2013-2016)Building a comprehensive early childhood development infrastructure for Abu Dhabi and the UAE
- Early Education PolicyChina 2011Consultation with Ministry of Education regarding national early education policy
- Early child development and education policyIsrael (2009-2010)Invited presentation
- Early Childhood Education PolicySingapore 2009Invited presentation at the National Child Education Conference and Exposition
- Early Child Development Policy ConsultationBulgaria (2008-2009)Consultation regarding national policies to support young children's development
- Early EducationJapan 2008Release of the book, A Vision for Universal Preschool Education, in Japanese
Honors & Recognition
Award | Awarding Organization | Date |
---|---|---|
First for Kids Award, Priscilla Canny Research Award | Connecticut Voices for Children | 2008 |
Grawemeyer Award in Education | Grawemeyer Committee, University of Louisville | 2008 |
Professional Service
Organization | Role | Date |
---|---|---|
National Workforce Registry Alliance | Board of Directors | 2021 - Present |
National Advisory Council, Rollins Center for Language and Literacy | Member | 2020 - Present |
National Early Education Council, Jumpstart | Member | 2019 - Present |
National Research Council, Parents as Teachers | Member | 2019 - Present |
All Our Kin | Board of Directors | 2017 - Present |
First Children's Finance | Board of Directors | 2017 - Present |
Irving Harris Foundation | Board of Directors | 2015 - Present |
ZERO TO THREE | Board of Directors | 2012 - Present |
Journal of School Psychology | 2011 - Present | |
Connecticut Early Childhood Education Cabinet, Connecticut Governor’s State Advisory Council (SAC) | Data Systems Workgroup | 2011 - Present |
Child Care Aware of America | Board of Directors | 2010 - 2021 |
NHSA Dialog: A Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field | 2009 - Present | |
National Research Council, National Academies | Review Committee, Developmental Outcomes & Assessments for Young Children | 2008 |
National Association for the Education of Young Children | Advisor | 2007 - 2009 |
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences | Early Childhood Technical Working Group | 2007 |
Connecticut Early Childhood Research and Policy Council | Appointed by Governor Rell to the Connecticut Early Childhood Research and Policy Council | 2007 - 2009 |
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education | 2006 - Present | |
Early Childhood Research Quarterly | 2006 - Present | |
Infants and Young Children | 2005 - Present | |
Connecticut Association for Human Services | Board of Directors | 2003 - Present |
Connecticut Association for Human Services, Hartford, CT | Board of Directors | 2003 - 2018 |
Departments & Organizations
- Child Study Center
- Predoctoral Internship and Postdoctoral Fellowship in Psychology
- Yale CARES
- Yale Ventures
- Yale-China Program on Child Development