Early care and education systems can often be fragmented across agencies and funding streams, making it difficult for families to find and access the programs and services they need and may be eligible for. In states and localities across the country, however, leaders are leveraging a unique strategy to address those challenges and build more robust, interconnected support systems for families and children.

In this episode of The SRI Homeroom, hosts Howard Morrison and Ginger Elliott-Teague explore coordinated eligibility and enrollment (CEE), a systems-building strategy designed to improve awareness, access, and enrollment in early care and education services.

They sit down with Beth Moore of South Carolina First Steps and Anne Morrison of First 5 Alameda County to discuss effective state- and county-level approaches to the design, implementation, and sustainment of impactful CEE systems.

Beth and Anne share insights and offer practical recommendations for states and communities working to strengthen their early care and education systems. They also discuss the importance of relationship-building and community engagement in the CEE development process.

Learn more about CEE and how states and communities can build and strengthen CEE systems in this three-part video series, or by reading this SRI research brief. If you have questions or are interested in partnering with SRI’s CEE experts, email us at earlylearning@sri.com.

Access a transcript of today’s show and browse our archive of episodes on the Homeroom website.

Today’s Guests

• Beth Moore, Chief of Engagement, South Carolina First Steps.

• Anne Morrison, Early Care and Education Design Officer, First 5 Alameda County.

Today’s Hosts

• Howard Morrison, Early Childhood Technical Assistance Specialist, SRI.

• Ginger Elliott-Teague, Senior Education Researcher, SRI.

How do we get the most effective educational products and programs into the hands of the teachers and students who need them most? In this episode of The SRI Homeroom, host Adrienne Woods discusses new research with two leading experts in the design and scale of high-quality education innovations: SRI's Kerry Friedman and Digital Promise's Rebecca Griffiths.

Drawing on years of findings from the federally funded LEARN Network, they share evidence-backed strategies and recommendations for research and development (R&D) teams working to design, refine, and scale transformative educational products. They explore why scaling is uniquely challenging in education; how research, development, and market realities intersect; why user-centered design is essential; and what R&D teams should consider when attempting to turn a promising idea into an impactful innovation.

Friedman and Griffiths also look ahead to the launch of the Accelerate, Transform, and Scale (ATS) Hub, a new federal initiative aimed at strengthening the education innovation ecosystem.

Resources discussed in today's episode include:

• The LEARN to Scale Toolkit, designed to support researchers and developers in creating, testing, and scaling evidence-based educational products. The toolkit includes a Go-to-Market Playbook to help innovators think about how to focus their marketing and sales efforts on the customers most likely to derive value from their product.
• Stories of Scaling that highlight how other education innovators have successfully brought their products to market.
• The LEARN Network's research briefs exploring how decision-makers in schools and districts evaluate and select products.

Learn more and access a transcript of today's episode by visiting SRI.com/Homeroom

Kerry Friedman is a Principal Education Researcher and Technical Assistance Provider with SRI Education

Rebecca Griffiths is Postsecondary Learning Research Director with Digital Promise

Learn more and access a transcript of today's episode by visiting SRI.com/Homeroom

SRI and LEARN Network Senior Research Adrienne Woods joins Alida Hudson, researcher with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), to discuss PALS-RD (Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies with Reading Differentiation), an evidence-based literacy program designed to accelerate recovery in reading in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Woods and Hudson explore the program’s development, scaling journey, and impact, and discuss key takeaways for educators, researchers, and other interest holders.

PALS-RD was created as an adaptation of the long-standing PALS model, which pairs students in structured, peer-based activities to strengthen fluency and comprehension. By integrating continuous progress monitoring and word study strategies, the PALS-RD program supports students who may have missed critical early literacy foundations during school closures.

Early results show that students with weaker reading comprehension made measurable gains, and teachers reported that the program fit easily alongside existing curricula. With plans to expand to more districts nationwide, PALS-RD represents a promising tool for literacy recovery at scale.

• Learn more about PALS-RD here.
• Learn more about the LEARN Network at learntoscale.org.
• Learn more about Adrienne Woods here.
• Learn more about Alida Hudson here.

Access a transcript of this episode and browse our full archive of episodes at sri.com/homeroom.

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