A New Vision for High-Quality Preschool Curriculum (2024)
Chapter: Appendix C: Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflict of Interest
Appendix C
Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflict of Interest
The conflict-of-interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (www.nationalacademies.org/coi) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee like the one that authored this consensus study report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted only if the National Academies determine that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed.
When the committee that authored this report was established, a conflict-of-interest determination was made for each committee member, given the individual’s circumstances and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination that an individual has a conflict of interest is not an assessment of that individual’s actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.
Douglas Clements has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on the Committee on A New Vision for High Quality Pre-K Curriculum because he is coauthor of two pre-K curricula—Connect4Learning®, published and sold by Kaplan Early Learning Company, and Building Blocks™ PreK, published and sold by McGraw-Hill.
The National Academies concluded that in order for the committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include at least one person who has current experience in the creation, implementation, and evaluation of pre-K curricula. As described in his biographical summary, Clements is one of the foremost leaders in childhood education and curriculum development, including the development of the Connect4Learning®, a research-based and classroom-tested interdisciplinary
prekindergarten curriculum, and Building Blocks™ PreK, a prekindergarten mathematics curriculum. He also has experience conducting efficacy studies for the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences and other sponsors on the effectiveness of early childhood intervention programs. Through this work, Clements evaluates learning trajectories and preschool curriculum to identify features that make them more effective.
The National Academies determined that the experience and expertise of this individual was needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it was established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who did not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies concluded that the conflict was unavoidable and publicly disclosed it through the National Academies Current Projects System (https://nationalacademies.org/pa).
