Dr. Robert C. Pianta: From Birth, for All – Making the Case for High-Quality Education

Dr. Robert C. Pianta is a pioneer in understanding the importance of positive relationships for quality education. He is well known for his work in the fields of psychology, education, and child development and has spent nearly five decades researching, publishing, and advocating for children. Dr. Pianta’s earliest career experiences were working with children with special needs, which shaped his desire to create learning environments that would maximize individual potential. He has worked extensively with researchers from many disciplines to inform policies and practices that contribute to children’s learning and development. Pianta has earned numerous awards and accolades including the Review of Research Award from the American Educational Research Association in 2002. His most notable work is his collaboration with colleagues at the University of Virginia where they developed the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), which provided a practical way to assess quality of interactions between teachers and students. The CLASS instrument is used extensively throughout the world to guide high-quality interactions between teachers and children. His current work involves advocating for policies and practices that are known to support each child’s growth and development, including an expansion of access to high-quality early childhood education and care.