This brief further examines the concept of instructional alignment and its potential for upholding the longer-term advantages of preschool programs. This paper looks specifically at two projects that MDRC is using to study the effects of instructional alignment on classrooms and students-- the Making PreK Count/High 5s and ExCEL P3 projects. The brief summarizes the latest results from these projects and identifies how future work that is driven by MDRC's studies can inform educational research, policy, and practice. (author abstract)