Superintendents, Principals & Teachers

Educators play a powerful role in shaping the earliest experiences of children before entering school. The Early Development Instrument (EDI) offers a snapshot of school readiness across entire kindergarten populations—not just by classroom or school, but across neighborhoods and communities. Whether you're leading a district, guiding a school, or teaching in a classroom, the EDI gives you actionable insight into how children are doing across key areas of development. This data helps highlight strengths, identify gaps, and inform both local and systems-level strategies to improve outcomes.

What Is Your Role In EDI?

Superintendents

As district leaders, superintendents help align big-picture goals with community efforts. By supporting the implementation of the EDI, you enable data-driven decision-making that can shape early childhood strategy, inform district-wide investments, and foster cross-sector collaboration.

Principals

Principals serve as vital bridges between schools and communities. Your support is essential for successful EDI implementation and follow-up. From coordinating participation to engaging staff and families, your leadership helps turn data into meaningful action on the ground.

Teachers

Kindergarten teachers are at the heart of the EDI. Your observations power this tool, capturing a holistic picture of how children are doing across physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, and communication skills. Your insights are the foundation for better community-wide understanding of child development.

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Success Stories

Hear from education leaders across Arkansas who are using the EDI to deepen understanding, strengthen partnerships, and create better learning environments for all children.

Kindergarten Teacher Perspective
Ms. Jones shares how the EDI transformed her understanding of her students' needs.
https://youtu.be/_LipLDJdGfQ

Principal Perspective
Principal Sellers discusses how EDI data informs interactions with parents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqZHvXBlt9o

Assistant Superintendent Perspective
Ms. Douglas explains how EDI data guided district-wide early childhood programming. https://youtu.be/c3KKCgbvtWY

Toolkits & Resources to Support Your Work

To support your role in EDI implementation, we've created resources tailored to your needs. These include an EDI Implementation Toolkit for Schools, information sheets to share with staff and families, FAQs for teachers, and other quick-reference guides. Whether you're learning about the EDI for the first time or leading a district-wide initiative, these tools are designed to make your work easier and more impactful.