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Spotlight
Head Start, the largest federally funded program for children under 5, has been around for nearly 45 years. Given the Obama Administration's interest in using federal funding to support young children, one might think that Head Start was poised to enter one of its most expansive periods ever. But there are several huge unanswered questions about Head Start's future -- from how it should be coordinated with state-funded pre-K programs to whether it should put even more of its energies toward serving children younger than 3.
Our seven-part blog series explains how Head Start has changed over the years and considers where it may be headed. It is also available as a downloadable PDF, which includes the transcript from a public web chat on this topic hosted by Politico.com.
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So what exactly Is PreK-3rd? Learn more in this short video (7 min) that makes the case for comprehensive reforms that begin with high-quality early childhood education programs and build on the benefits of those programs through the elementary school years and beyond.
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The Case for Investing in PreK-3rd Education: Challenging Myths about School Reform, by Rima Shore
PreK-3rd: What Is The Price Tag? by Rima Shore
Promoting a Pre-K to Three Vision for Early Learning, The State Education Standard
Building Blocks, by Gene I. Maeroff
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Early Education in the Republican Party Platform
As Republicans gather in St. Paul, Minn., this week to nominate John McCain for president, Early Ed Watch is taking a moment to look at what the 2008 Republican Party Platform says about early education. Here's the relevant section:
Early Childhood Education
The family is the most powerful influence on a child’s ability to succeed. As such, parents are our children’s first and foremost teachers. We support family literacy, which improves the literacy, language, and life skills of both parents and children along with the continued improvement of early childhood programs, such as Head Start, from low-income families. We reaffirm our support for the child care tax credit that helps parents choose the care best for their family.
It's exciting to see Republicans expressing support for quality early childhood education, rather than pandering to "culture war" conservatives who view early ed investments, wrongly, as an effort to remove children from the home, or taking up the Dalmia/Snell line on this issue. That's a positive step, and reflects the reality that state level Republicans, such as Alabama Governor Bob Riley, have been important leaders in expanding access to quality early education. We're still waiting, though, to see the McCain early education proposals that Lisa Graham Keegan promised at a New America education policy forum this July.
The platform also contains language on elementary and secondary education that is relevant to early education: In particular, it emphasizes the importance of early childhood education that builds children's pre-reading skills, as a way to reduce the need for special education services, and it specifically mentions phonics as a method that works to build children's basic skills. The Republican party platform calls for fully funding IDEA, advocates block granting other federal education spending programs, and supports vouchers, charter schools, tax credits, homeschooling, and other forms of school choice, including separate schools for boys and girls. See our coverage of the Democratic platform here.
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Dalmia & Snell
In the last half-century, U.S. preschool attendance has gone up to nearly 70% from 16%. But fourth-grade reading, science, and math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) -- the nation's report card -- have remained virtually stagnant since the early 1970s.
In a RAND corporation study pre-k positively affected NAEP scores. Selective use of statistics is used on both sides of the issue. Besides, going toe to toe with statistics is not helpful to children or families.
What those opposed to pre-k would like to think is that pre-k advocates want their children. This is not the case. If a person has the time, energy, and background to support their children's early learning, by all means, stay home with your child. However, please don't prevent the more than 70% of all families who would take advantage of a universal pre-k system from having what they believe will help their children. Isn't the right supposed to support individual freedom?