About

Dr. Michael Little is a tenured Associate Professor in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis at the College of Education at North Carolina State University. His scholarship is driven by the potential of high-quality early education to improve children's educational and life trajectories, with a focus on those who have historically lacked equitable access to resources and opportunities. As a scholar specializing in early childhood and early grades education leadership and policy, he investigates how education systems and their leaders can be designed to sustain early learning gains and promote equity during the transition from Pre-K to K–12 education. Dr. Little has contributed extensively to the field through over 40 peer-reviewed publications, consulting with national education leaders and school districts, and participating in projects exceeding $15 million in external funding. His work bridges research, policy, and practice to advance equitable early learning.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Economics
• Mathematics education
• Pedagogy
• Developmental psychology
• Computer Science
• Economic growth
• Psychology
• Law
• Public administration
• Medical education
• Medicine
• Mathematics

Selected publications

• Correction: Does the “Where” Matter? School-Based Pre-K Versus Center-Based Pre-K and its Link to Students’ Absenteeism

  Early Childhood Education Journal · 2025-12-06

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Case for Closing Superintendent Gender Gap: Pre-K Commitment

  Educational Researcher · 2025-11-29

  articleOpen access

  This brief considers how closing the superintendent gender gap may contribute to the strengthening of early childhood education (ECE) leadership. Using data from a national survey of superintendents, we find that women are significantly more likely than men to prioritize prekindergarten (pre-K) initiatives, even after controlling for ECE background and training and district characteristics. These gender differences are amplified among leaders with early grades teaching or ECE training. Our findings highlight the value of diverse leadership and suggest that supporting women’s advancement to the superintendency could strengthen district-level ECE efforts.

  PublisherDOI

• Associations of state-funded prekindergarten with early elementary literacy and absences

  Early Childhood Research Quarterly · 2025-01-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• School- Versus Center-Based Pre-K: Are There Differences in Student Achievement, Executive Function, and Social–Emotional Outcomes?

  Early Education and Development · 2025-08-21 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Data Assets in Early Education and Development

  2025-07-17

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Is Second Grade a Zone of Instructional Development for Teachers? Rethinking Strategic Staffing With a Mixed-Methods Study of Elementary Principals’ Assignment Decisions

  Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis · 2025-08-30

  articleOpen access

  Prior research suggests that elementary school principals assign their strongest teachers to tested grades. As accountability frameworks have softened and principals’ experiences with them have matured, does the pattern still hold? We employ a convergent mixed-methods design to consider, at once, multiple explanations for how school leaders implement teacher assignments by combining data from surveys, interviews, and administrative records from North Carolina. Results reveal a reassignment pattern into second grade, with principals more likely to reassign teachers with lower scores on observation rubrics or value-added ratings to second grade than teachers with higher scores or ratings. Pushing beyond the literature that documents conventional notions of accountability-based staffing, we reveal a more nuanced story about how and why principals assign their teachers within schools.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Kindergarten Hotspot Theory of Skill Convergence--Teacher Survey Instrument

  PsycTESTS Dataset · 2025-01-01

  dataset1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Does Going to School-Based Prekindergarten Predict Access to Disability Services in Elementary School?

  Remedial and Special Education · 2025-08-03

  articleOpen access

  This study examines school-based Pre-K (SBPK) versus center-based Pre-K (CBPK) settings, focusing on subsequent access to disability supports, an underexplored area. Specifically, we examine whether attending SBPK is associated with difference rates of disability diagnosis or receiving an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in elementary school, grades K through 5. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS-K: 2010–11), we analyzed 8,990 children who attended either SBPK or CBPK. Results indicate that SBPK attendance is associated with higher rates of disability diagnosis and IEPs in early elementary grades (K-2), suggesting that SBPK settings may offer better resources for identifying and supporting children with disabilities. Implications are discussed.

  PublisherDOI

• Does the “Where” Matter? School-Based Pre-K Versus Center-Based Pre-K and its Link To Students’ Absenteeism

  Early Childhood Education Journal · 2025-11-03

  articleOpen access

  Abstract It is well established that school absenteeism negatively shapes student outcomes. Yet, students continue to miss school at alarmingly high rates, underscoring the urgency of identifying settings that may improve attendance. To contribute to this, using nationally representative data, we investigated the relationship between going to Pre-K and absenteeism in kindergarten through 2nd grade, as well as whether the type of Pre-K setting played a role in later attendance. Our findings suggest that children who attended Pre-K had lower absenteeism rates in the early elementary years compared to those who did not participate in any Pre-K program. Importantly, the setting of the Pre-K program—whether school-based (SBPK) or center-based (CBPK)—did not significantly predict differences in absenteeism. These results suggest that while Pre-K participation itself may link to lower absenteeism, the specific type of Pre-K setting may not.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Racial and Socioeconomic Gaps in Executive Function Skills in Early Elementary School

  UNC Libraries · 2025-09-16

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This brief leverages the first ever nationally representative data set with a direct assessment of elementary school-aged children’s executive function skills to examine racial and socioeconomic gaps in performance. The analysis reveals large gaps in measures of working memory and cognitive flexibility, the two components of executive function included in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS-K:2011), based on racial group membership and socioeconomic status. Children’s initial gaps on entry into kindergarten in executive function measures are generally lower than gaps in measures of math and reading achievement. Furthermore, as children progress to the end of second grade, gaps in executive function skills commonly narrow for Black and Hispanic students as well as each socioeconomic status quintile. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Roger Bullock

  64 shared

• Nick Axford

  University of Plymouth

  35 shared

• Kathryn M. Bigelow

  25 shared

• Danielle Shaw Attaway

  American Institutes for Research

  25 shared

• Virginia Buysse

  University of Puerto Rico at Carolina

  25 shared

• Jill M. Pentimonti

  University of Notre Dame

  25 shared

• Aleksandra Holod

  Amway (United States)

  25 shared

• Dale Walker

  25 shared

Awards & honors

• Royster Society of Fellows Doctoral Fellowship (2015)
• Phi Beta Kappa (2013)
• David L. Clark National Graduate Student Research Seminar in…