Robert Pianta is the Dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, as well as the Novartis US Foundation Professor of Education and a Professor in the Department of Psychology. He also serves as the Director for both the National Center for Research in Early Childhood Education and the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning. Dr. Pianta's work has focused on the predictors of child outcomes and school readiness, particularly adult-child relationships, and the transition to kindergarten. His recent work has focused on understanding the nature of teacher-child interactions, classroom quality, and child competence, through standardized observational assessment. Dr. Pianta has conducted research on professional development, both at the pre-service and in-service levels. He has published more than 300 scholarly papers and is lead author on several influential books related to early childhood and elementary education. He has recently begun work to develop a preschool mathematics curriculum, incorporating a web-based teacher support component. Dr. Pianta received a B.S. and a M.A. in Special Education from the University of Connecticut, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and began his career as a special education teacher.