Indonesia has begun to emerge into middle-income status, yet persistent poverty and stark inequalities continue to affect young children s development. This book tells the story of Indonesia s efforts to change the trajectory of development for poor children. Many countries have similar aims, but several aspects of what is reported here are especially valuable and perhaps unique. The study offers data on all aspects of health and development in a sample of rural young children, collected with internationally-validated measures, as well as household information, information about parenting practices including feeding patterns, parent questionnaires, and data on the prevalence and distribution of ECED services. The data reported in this book is based on a sample of more than 6,000 Indonesian children living in 310 poor villages, including two age cohorts (aged 1 and 4 years old when data were first collected on their development in 2009). From the start, the project aimed not only to support service provision but also to support the development of national standards, build national and district capacity, and encourage the establishment of a system of ECED quality assurance, efforts that are still in process. Few such analyses have been done with such a large sample and with multiple measures. These design features allow a high level of confidence in the results that are reported. The lessons from this book will help to inform not only this project s further implementation but ECED initiatives in Indonesia and around the world. Thus, the results presented in this book are of significance for researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners within and beyond Indonesia. The experiences and research results discussed here are especially relevant for: Researchers in early childhood development and program evaluation; Policymakers within and beyond Indonesia; Providers of early childhood services; Professional development providers; and Advocates for quality early childhood services."

One of the noteworthy global achievements of the past two decades has been the remarkable increase in thenumber of children attending school and the number of children completing the primary cycle. As more children start school, the focus has shifted toward the quality of their education on true learning, not just schooling. The critical role played by teachers to enhance the quality of education is especially salient in a populous, geographically dispersed, and culturally diverse country such as Indonesia. With close to three million teachers, Indonesia has one of the largest and most diverse cadres of educators in the world. The comprehensive Teacher and Lecturer Law, approved by the Indonesian government in 2005, radically reformed the management and development of those teachers. Teacher Reform in Indonesia: The Role of Politics and Evidence in Policy Making features a comprehensive analysis of the teaching profession and the impact of recent reforms, which included the doubling of a teacher s basic pay once he/she satisfies the conditions necessary for certification a factor that has improved the status ofteachers and attracted better candidates to teacher training institutions. This book provides a description of the political and economic context in which the reform was developed and implemented as wellas an analysis of how the reform affected teacher quality and student outcomes. The book s framework promotes an approach to reforms based on improving the nature of teacher recruitment; preservice education; induction, mentoring, and probation; formal certification; continuing professional development; teacher performance appraisal; and ongoing career development. The recent history of teacher reform in Indonesia can inform other countries seeking to improve their educational systems and, ultimately, the success of their teachers and students. This book should therefore be of particular interest to Ministries of Education that contemplate similar reforms and development agencies and practitioners that seek to support country efforts to strengthen the teaching profession."