- Research & Initiatives
- Research Centers & Labs
- Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning
- CASTL Projects
- Infant, Toddler & PreK Projects
Infant, Toddler & PreK Projects
“An effective birth-to-5 curriculum helps teachers provide infants, toddlers and preschoolers the opportunities, experiences and interactions to engage deeply within their world and to build skills for lifelong learning."
–Amanda Williford, Batten Bicentennial Professor of Early Childhood Education and associate director of early childhood education at CASTL.
Infant, Toddler & PreK Projects
- CASTL
- Project
LinkB5
LinkB5 is the data system for Virginia's unified measurement and improvement system, Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5). LinkB5 collects information about early childhood care and education (ECE) to broaden and deepen understanding of Virginia’s unique needs and resources. It was created through a partnership between the University of Virginia’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL), the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF).
- CASTL
- Research Project
Social Confounders for Health Outcomes Linked to Education (SCHOOL)
The University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development and School of Medicine have partnered with Boston University and Washington University on a five-year study, Social Confounders for Health Outcomes Linked to Education (SCHOOL), to examine factors that might mediate or explain why parental education is associated with children’s health and well-being outcomes.
- CASTL
- Research Project
Developing Effective Online Early Childhood Courses Through Innovative Partnerships
This initiative aims to put more effective teachers in early childhood classrooms to ensure that every child has the educational experiences they need to succeed in school and life.
Funding Source: Stranahan Foundation
- Project
STREAMin³ Curriculum Model
STREAMin³ is a comprehensive curriculum model for birth to five that seamlessly blends a focus on academic and social-emotional learning. For more details about the initiative, visit the STREAMin³ website.
- Project
Advancing Effective Interactions & Instruction in Birth-to-Five Classrooms
The Advancing Effective Interactions and Instruction (AEII) initiative supports teachers in birth-to-five classrooms to provide children with high-quality preschool experiences through individualized coaching and professional development (PD).
- CASTL
- Project
Virginia Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) Pilot
As part of the ECMHC program, consultants worked with early childhood teachers and families to promote young children’s healthy social-emotional development, expressing emotions, forming relationships with others, and successfully engaging in the learning environment. Children required extra support from adults building these skills due to disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Project
Early Childhood Education Resource Hub
The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Resource Hub is a collection of high-quality, professional development resources that help educators foster young children’s development (birth to five). Created by UVA-CASTL in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education, the hub aims to provide educators with evidence-based classroom strategies and promote equitable learning opportunities for every child. Hub resources are free to use and are publicly available.
Prekindergarten Projects
- Research Project
Present, Engaged and Ready to Learn: School Absences of America’s Youngest Children
This project uses nationally representative data from three cohorts of Head Start attendees between the 2006 and 2015 school years and a sample of pre-K attendees in one of the nation’s largest school districts from 2016-2017.
- CASTL
- Research Project
MyTeachingPartner - Mathematics/Science Curricula and Implementation Support System
MyTeachingPartner is a curriculum for at-risk four-year-olds and just-in-time support system for their teachers.
- CASTL
- Project
Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program
VKRP measures mathematics, self-regulation, and social skills to complement Virginia's statewide assessment of literacy skills using the Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System (VALLSS).
- CASTL
- Research Project
Fairfax PreK to Third Grade Project
Using a rigorous analysis across multiple points of data, the FP3 project will identify experiences in early learning and elementary programs that foster children’s development in pre-k, transition into kindergarten, and performance through third grade.
- CASTL
- Research Project
Supporting Teachers to Enhance Math Practice (STEP)
Researchers at The University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, in partnership with early care and education centers, are developing an online professional development (PD) and practice-based coaching program to increase teachers’ knowledge, skills, and practice in the areas of executive function and mathematics.
- Research Project
Understanding the Power of Preschool for Kindergarten Success (P2K)
The P2K project is working closely with preschool programs to measure and observe three critical contributors to school readiness:
• Children's executive function skills (e.g., self-control, working memory, mental flexibility),
• Children's individual engagement with teachers, peers, and learning tasks, and
• The quality of children's experiences and interactions in the classroom.
- CASTL
- Research Project
Learning to Objectively Observe Kids (LOOK)
Learning to Objectively Observe Kids (LOOK) is an early childhood mental health consultation model developed in partnership with early childhood education programs as part of funding from the U.S. Department of Education.