GETTING IT RIGHT - THE CONVERSATION GUIDE FOR PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCHERS

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Connor

Getting it Right is a conversation guide supporting higher education faculty in preparing the next generation of implementation researchers in early care and education (ECE). It explains the purpose and rationale for embedding implementation research into how ECE programs and policies are studied, scaled, and evaluated to improve outcomes for young children. The guide emphasizes understanding local context, subgroup impacts, and identifying what works, for whom, and under what conditions, using author interviews and structured discussion prompts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages125

Reading Time5 h 15 min

AccessFree to download

Getting started

Purpose and Rationale

Using This Guide and How it is Organized

What is Implementation Research?

Filling in the Gaps of Our Knowledge to Improve Outcomes for All Children

How Implementation Research Can Serve the ECE Field

Implementation Research and Your Students: Making the Link

Section 1: What does research tell us?

Chapter 1: What Does Research Tell Us About ECE Programs?

Chapter 2: What Are Reasonable Expectations for ECE Program Effectiveness?

Chapter 3: Using a Social Determinants of Early Learning Framework

Section 2: What still needs to be understood?

Chapter 4: Making Prekindergarten Classrooms Better Places for Children’s Development

Chapter 5: Improving Quality and Impact Through Workforce Development and Implementation Systems

Chapter 6: Addressing Equity in the ECE Classroom

Chapter 7: Case Study: Building a High-Quality Program—The Boston Public Schools Experience

Section 3: How do we get smarter? The road forward

Chapter 8: An Overview of Implementation Research and Frameworks

Chapter 9: Designing Implementation Research for Scale-Up

Chapter 10: How Implementation Science and Improvement Science Can Work Together

Chapter 11: The Contributions of Qualitative Research to Understanding Implementation

Chapter 12: Equity as a Perspective for Implementation Research

Additional resources

GETTING IT RIGHT: THE CONVERSATION GUIDE FOR PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCHERS | Getting started: Initiating and sustaining conversations with your students | 3 | | --- | --- | | Purpose and Rationale. | 5 | | Using This Guide and How it is Organized. | 6 | | What is Implementation Research? | 9 | | Filling in the Gaps of Our Knowledge to Improve Outcomes for All Children. | 10 | | How Implementation Research Can Serve the ECE Field. | 11 | | Implementation Research and Your Students: Making the Link. | 12 | | Section 1. What does research tell us about effectiveness and implementation of ECE programs across the birth-to-eight continuum? | 14 | | Chapter 1: What Does Research Tell Us About ECE Programs? | 17 | | Chapter 2: What Are Reasonable Expectations for ECE Program Effectiveness? | 23 | | Chapter 3: Using a Social Determinants of Early Learning Framework to Eliminate Educational Disparities and Opportunity Gaps. | 31 | | Section 2. What still needs to be understood? | 39 | | Chapter 4: Making Prekindergarten Classrooms Better Places for Children’s Development. | 41 | | Chapter 5: Improving Quality and Impact Through Workforce Development and Implementation Systems. | 49 | | Chapter 6: Addressing Equity in the ECE Classroom: Equal Access and High Quality for Dual Language Learners. | 59 | | Chapter 7: Case Study: Building a High-Quality Program—the Boston Public Schools Experience. | 69 | | Section 3. How do we get smarter? The road forward | 77 | | Chapter 8: An Overview of Implementation Research and Frameworks in Early Care and Education Research. | 79 | | Chapter 9: Designing Implementation Research to Guide the Scale-Up of Effective Early Care and Education Across Settings. | 87 | | Chapter 10: How Implementation Science and Improvement Science Can Work Together to Improve Early Care and Education. | 97 | | Chapter 11: The Contributions of Qualitative Research to Understanding Implementation of Early Childhood Policies and Programs. | 105 | | Chapter 12: Equity as a Perspective for Implementation Research in the Early Childhood Field. | 113 | | Additional resources | 121 | 2 GETTING IT RIGHT: THE CONVERSATION GUIDE FOR PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCHERS FOUNDATION FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT GETTING STARTED 3 GETTING IT RIGHT: THE CONVERSATION GUIDE FOR PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCHERS PURPOSE AND RATIONALE In 2020, the Foundation for Child Development released Getting it Right: Using Implementation Research to Improve Outcomes in Early Care and Education. The publication provides insights into the value of including implementation research in the study of early care and education (ECE) and its potential to improve programs and policies and achieve stronger outcomes for all young children. As more programs are brought to scale, our ability to achieve greater impacts for all young children rests on a more nuanced understanding of the context in which ECE programs and policies are being implemented locally and the different impacts on specific subgroups of children. Asa result, now is the moment for ECE researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to identify the critical components of effective ECE programs and policies and engage in meaningful exploration of what works, for whom, and under what conditions. This conversation guide was created to help faculty in institutions of higher education use Getting it Right as aresource in the preparation of future researchers to conduct implementation research. This guide supports higher education faculty to initiate and sustain conversations with students about effective early care and education, what still needs to be learned, and how implementation research can help fill the gaps. This guide focuses on faculty who are teaching a variety of courses, such as research design and methods, program evaluation, and statistics. As you and your students consider research questions, study desi

FAQs

What is the purpose of this conversation guide in ECE research training?

It helps faculty use Getting it Right to initiate and sustain classroom conversations with students about implementation research and how it can improve early care and education outcomes.

Why is implementation research important for studying and scaling ECE programs?

It strengthens understanding of the local context in which programs and policies are implemented and helps explain different impacts across child subgroups as programs are scaled.

What kinds of discussion topics does the guide support for students?

Students are supported in exploring research questions, study designs, interpretation of findings, and how research informs practice, using insights drawn from interviews with the original volume’s authors.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Connor