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The Legacy of Lilian Katz

Lilian G. Katz is an international leader in early childhood education. She taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for more than three decades and directed the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education (ERIC/EECE) for more than 30 years.

She has lectured in all 50 U.S. states and in 43 countries. Dr. Katz has authored more than 150 publications, including Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project Approach with Sylvia Chard. She also founded two journals: Early Childhood Research Quarterly and Early Childhood Research & Practice.

On this page we have collected a number of IEL resources and links to past publications that that exemplify her contributions to the field.

Blog Posts (English and Spanish)

Many of Dr. Katz’s former blog posts on the Project Approach can be found in our Perspectives on the Project Approach section.

Webinars (English only)

  • Standards of Experience (December 2014) Dr. Katz discusses how early childhood educators should focus on providing young children with standards of experience rather than focus on outcomes, which she says reflects an inappropriate factory model of education. Video length: 53 minutes
  • Illinois Pioneers with Lilian Katz (September 2013) In an expanded version of WILL-TV’s Illinois Pioneers, Dr. Katz discusses her life and her contributions to early childhood development. Video length: 42 minutes
  • Supporting Young Children’s Social Development (February 2013) Dr. Katz discusses ways of defining social competence in the early years, provides an overview of what the research indicates must be achieved in the early years, and indicates ways that adults—parents and professionals—can support and strengthen this important aspect of young children’s development. Video length: 1 hour, 23 minutes