Projects and Publications

PEER has published two articles exploring the development of research-practice partnerships, include setting a research agenda.

• Meyer, J.L., Waterman, C., Coleman, G.A., & Strambler, M.J. (2023). Whose agenda is it? Navigating the politics of setting the research agenda in education research-practice partnerships. Educational Policy, 37(1), 122-146. https://doi.org/10.1177/08959048221131567.
• Strambler, M.J., Meyer, J.L., Irwin, C.W., Coleman, G. (2021). Seeking Questions from the Field: Connecticut Partnership for Early Education Research (PEER). The Future of Children, 31(1), 21-38. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27074985.

• Blog post: OPRE awards planning grant to design a coordinated evaluation of CCDF policies and initiatives in Connecticut
• Blog post: OPRE awards CCDF evaluation implementation grant to Connecticut team

• Executive Summary
• Study Report
• Appendices
• Blog post: PEER releases final report from Early Childhood Education Workforce Pipeline Pilot program evaluation

• Blog post: PEER communities launch new home visiting partnerships
• Blog Post: PEER collaborates with Stamford partners to promote continuous improvement of home visiting services for the families of young children

• PDG Evaluation Overview
• Report
• Appendices
• Blog post: PEER collaborates with Connecticut Office of Early Childhood to evaluate Preschool Development Grant (PDG) program
• Blog post: PEER releases evaluation report on Connecticut’s Preschool Development Grant (PDG) program

• Dual Language Learners/English Learners Project Overview

PEER produced this series of research briefs examines best practices for supporting multilingual learners in preschool and the early elementary years. This work was supported by the Spencer Foundation’s Research-Practice Partnership grant program.

• Introductory brief that provides context related to multilingual learners and their families
• Instruction brief focused on effective teaching practices and learning environments for multilingual learners
• Assessment brief focused on measuring the development of multilingual learners
• Family engagement resource list for Connecticut organizations that wish to partner more effectively with the families of multilingual learners.

• Initial Research Projects Overview

These briefs resulted from PEER's initial research projects, which focus on understanding the experiences of preschool children in the southwest region of Connecticut and the factors that are associated with kindergarten readiness and kindergarten performance. This research was funded by grant R305H140142 from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

• Assessment use in early childhood classrooms: A study of public and private center-based classrooms in southwest Connecticut
• PEER Early Childhood Assessment Survey
• Assessment use in early childhood classrooms in southwest Connecticut: Alignment between reported uses and intended uses
• Assessing Kindergarten Entry Skills in Connecticut: The Kindergarten Entrance Inventory, 2010-2013
• Kindergarten performance in early literacy: student, teacher, and classroom factors
• Appendices

From 2018-2023, PEER supported BECSELI as an evaluation partner.

• Blog post: PEER Supports Bridgeport Early Childhood Social-Emotional Learning Initiative

From 2017 to 2020, PEER partnered with Maritime Odyssey Preschool and The Maritime Aquarium to support the use data to guide decision-making, examine the program’s effectiveness, and identify areas for growth.

• STEM Early Learning Evaluation Overview
• Blog post: PEER concludes initial evaluation of Maritime Odyssey Preschool’s early STEM education model

PEER developed the COVID-19 Family Needs Assessment Survey and the parallel COVID-19 Teacher/Staff Needs Assessment Survey in April 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic. PEER created these tools in collaboration with one of our research partners, Maritime Odyssey Preschool in Norwalk, Connecticut, which was looking for a systematic way to learn about the needs of their students, families, and teachers during the public health crisis and resulting program closures.

• PEER COVID-19 ECE Family Survey (English) (Spanish)
• PEER COVID-19 ECE Teacher/Staff Survey (English) (Spanish)

In 2019, PEER partnered with Stamford Public Schools and Stamford Cradle to Career to support efforts to improve communication between preschool teachers and elementary schools.

• Blog post: Supporting Stamford’s efforts to strengthen communication across the kindergarten transition

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Please contact PEER@yale.edu with any questions.