Abstract
This study is a cross-cultural comparison of the relative importance early childhood educators in the U.S. and Sweden place on various educational/learning outcomes for young children. The current educational climate in the U.S. is one of increasing demands for educational accountability, participation of various stakeholders in decision making, and greater inclusion of children with special needs in regular education initiatives. In this climate, local, state and national policy makers have increasingly focused on specific indicators that could be used to monitor progress on important educational and developmental learning outcomes for children. This study expands previous research conducted in Minnesota that utilized focus groups and survey methodology to identify indicators of early childhood outcomes that were universally valued by administrators, teachers and parents of children with and without special needs. On-site surveys conducted with early childhood educators at the Stockholm Institute of Education and in early care settings in and around Stockholm provide the context for this cross-cultural comparison.
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