Learn how exemplary countries are advancing the development of their youngest citizens. Drawing on a groundbreaking study by Sharon Lynn Kagan and her colleagues, "The Early Advantage 2" extracts the essential elements from six high-performing systems to determine what must be considered when creating and implementing programs and policies for young children and their families. Challenging conventional thinking, the text offers scores of concrete examples, as well as multiple strategies, considerations, and approaches useful to leaders worldwide. Readers will find that this vibrant, thoughtful volume honors local traditions, histories, and contexts as it extracts compelling approaches to advancing early childhood systems. Use this volume, along with "The Early Advantage 1," for a complete insider's guide to changing how we think about and enact innovative services and policies for young children. Book features include: (1) Rigorous research that uses common design and protocols, with repeated validations conducted; (2) Actionable strategies for building successful early childhood systems that offer unique and applicable perspectives; and (3) Successful international examples that inform how different jurisdictions across the globe plan and enact services for young children. This book contains the following chapters: (1) The Quest for Social Strategy (Sharon Lynn Kagan); (2) Strong Policy Foundations (Jeanne L. Reid, Sharon Lynn Kagan, Nirmala Rao, and Eva Landsberg); (3) Comprehensive Services, Funding, and Governance (Sharon Lynn Kagan, Eva Landsberg, Rebecca Bull, and Jessie Roth); (4) Knowledgeable and Supported Teachers and Families (Sharon Lynn Kagan, Samantha A. Melvin, Eva Landsberg, Kristiina Kumpulainen, and Jeanne L. Reid); (5) Informed, Individualized, and Continuous Pedagogy (Samantha A. Melvin, Eva Landsberg, and Sharon Lynn Kagan); (6) Data to Drive Improvement (Sharon Lynn Kagan, Kathy Sylva, Jeanne L. Reid, and Eva Landsberg); and (7) Lessons and Speculations (Sharon Lynn Kagan). Includes a section about the contributors and an index. [This book was edited with Eva Landsberg. Foreword by Marc Tucker. "The Early Advantage" was funded and supported by the National Center on Education and the Economy's Center on International Education Benchmarking as part of NCEE's research into the "9 Building Blocks for a World-Class Education System." For "The Early Advantage 1--Early Childhood Systems That Lead by Example: A Comparative Focus on International Early Childhood Education," see ED592386.]