View the NIEER Research

The report shows that the Teaching Strategies ecosystem drives impact across teacher retention and well-being, and child outcomes.

Key Finding #1: Significant Increase in Teacher Retention
In a field marked by persistent staffing instability, the CCIEE study found that teachers implementing the Teaching Strategies® ecosystem including sustained, synchronous and asynchronous, virtual professional learning were 59% more likely to remain in their roles at the end of the 3-year study period. The retention effect was large even for the least experienced teachers.

Key Finding #2: Significant Child Growth Across All Domains
Children in treatment classrooms demonstrated significantly more growth than children in control classrooms across every developmental domain measured by GOLD®, including social–emotional, cognitive, language, literacy, and math. GOLD® is the most widely used observational assessment in early childhood education.

Key Finding #3: Stronger Educator Energy and Professional Accomplishment
Program leaders understand that educator morale matters, but it is rarely measured directly. The CCIEE study examined educator experience alongside classroom and child outcomes. Using a validated measure of educator burnout (the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey), the study found that educators in the treatment classrooms reported significantly higher levels of:

• personal accomplishment and energy,
• feeling significantly less fatigued, and
• greater amounts of energy and enthusiasm for their work

The CCIEE study found that teachers implementing the Teaching Strategies® ecosystem including structured, synchronous and asynchronous, virtual professional learning were 59% more likely to remain in their roles at the end of the 3-year study period. The retention effect was large even for the least experienced teachers.

The CCIEE study examined whether implementing The Creative Curriculum® within a fully connected Teaching Strategies® ecosystem—including structured, synchronous (live) and asynchronous (on-demand) professional development and coaching—produces measurable improvements in classroom practice and children’s development.

The NIEER evaluation reported the following findings.

• Children in treatment classrooms demonstrated significantly more growth than children in control classrooms across every developmental domain measured by GOLD®, including social–emotional, cognitive, language, literacy, and math. GOLD® is the most widely used observational assessment in early childhood education.
• Children in treatment classrooms with teachers who received higher amounts (dosages) of virtual, live professional development (PD) also demonstrated significantly higher outcomes on the external literacy and math assessments.
• Children in classrooms whose teachers demonstrated higher levels of platform engagement showed significantly stronger outcomes on an external assessment of executive function.
• Children in classrooms where teachers were retained demonstrated significantly stronger outcomes on external assessments of executive function and peer play skills.

These findings suggest that using a curriculum that is an integrated part of a connected ecosystem with synchronous and asynchronous ongoing virtual professional learning produces measurable child development gains.

The CCIEE study examined educator experience alongside classroom and child outcomes. Using a validated measure of educator burnout (the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey), the study found that educators in the treatment classrooms reported

• significantly higher levels of personal accomplishment and energy,
• feeling significantly less fatigued, and
• greater amounts of energy and enthusiasm for their work when compared to educators in the control classrooms.

Together, these findings suggest that educator well-being is not peripheral to instructional improvement.

Yes, across both treatment and control classrooms, more than 90% of teachers reported that The Creative Curriculum® was easy to implement, and 91% reported that it was engaging for students. Both groups exclusively implemented The Creative Curriculum®

The NIEER study provides 4 key insights for leaders of early childhood education programs:

1. Alignment drives impact. Access to curriculum and digital tools is not enough. These findings suggest that using a curriculum that is an integrated part of a connected ecosystem with synchronous and asynchronous, ongoing, virtual professional learning produces measurable child development gains.
2. Workforce stability is a core outcome of coherent implementation investments. For both public AND private programs, the inclusion of integral professional learning supports as part of a coherent, connected ecosystem can function simultaneously as an instructional strategy as well as a workforce strategy, shaping both teaching quality and educator continuity. This finding is especially important given teacher retention is a critical pain point across many programs.
3. Professional learning intensity and continuity matter. Higher amounts of virtual, live professional development were associated with even stronger curriculum-aligned child gains. What makes a difference is not just providing tools and training, but ensuring that teachers receive consistent, aligned support over time.
4. Educator well-being is not separate from instructional improvement. It is part of the infrastructure that sustains implementation, retention, and child outcomes. When educators feel supported, energized, and effective, the investment in their well-being supports retention, stabilizes classrooms, and reinforces the developmental gains observed in children. Consider educator retention as a leading indicator of program health.