Early Education Initiative

A Dissenting ViewThank you for the opportunity to review "Closing the Achievement Gap Through Expanded Access to Quality Early Education in Grades PK-3.” The paper examines the very important issue of how to better prepare young children for kindergarten and presents a highly ambitious policy response to advance that goal. The following review endorses the aspiration but questions the recommended means of achieving it and suggests that the proposal might both undermine the author’s laudable ambitions and… more

Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia presented a half-hour speech to over a hundred guests at the New America Foundation on Tuesday, July 25, 2006. Kaine described his views on the importance of early childhood education, which studies show can reduce the number of unprepared students entering kindergarten each year and reduce the number of elementary school children who fail to advance to the next grade at the end of the school year. Kaine noted that, in Virginia, 10,000 children… more

Good afternoon. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today about expanding access to high-quality Pre-K education – a priority that I believe is essential for preparing our children for a global economy where knowledge is currency and their ability to learn and relearn – throughout the course of their lifetime – will determine their success.

Already, there are a lot of things Virginia is doing right when it comes to education. Our early and consistent application of classroom accountability… more

A significant, albeit still insufficient, expansion of access to publicly supported early education programs for children ages 3 to 5 has occurred over the last decade. This trend bodes well for children at risk of academic failure, but is endangered by uneven, halting, and at times inadequate attention to program quality in grades prekindergarten through three.

Expanded access to pre-kindergarten in recent years is primarily the result of individual state legislative, state agency, state executive, and state referendum efforts. States… more

The Early Education Initiative develops, analyzes, and advances policy solutions to improve access, quality, and alignment in early education for children from birth through elementary school, with a focus on the years from pre-K through 3rd grade. The project hosts the Early Ed Watch blog, which provides ideas and commentary, timely analysis and updates on legislation moving through Congress and reports on new research in child development and the education sciences.

WASHINGTON, DC (December 13, 2005) – The New America Foundation launched an Early Childhood Initiative today, and released a policy paper calling for fundamental changes in U.S. early education, specifically aimed at expanding and improving services to children in pre-kindergarten through third grade (PK-3). “As Congress begins to consider reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and the education and training demands of the global economy, maximizing the effectiveness of our early childhood education system takes on greater significance,” stated… more

It’s a good news, bad news situation. The good news is an increasing body of evidence shows that children’s participation in high quality pre-kindergarten (PK) programs helps them begin kindergarten ready to succeed. Similarly, there is growing evidence that children who start kindergarten behind but participate in a full-day kindergarten (FDK) program catch up to their peers by the end one academic year. The bad news is these effects often appear to “fade out” over time. As children move… more

The New America Foundation's second event under the Early Education Initiative gathered a distinguished panel of speakers from academia and both sides of the political aisle to discuss the newly released issue brief, "Ladders of Learning: Fighting Fade-Out by Advancing PK-3 Alignment." Michael Dannenberg, the Director of New America's Education Program, set the stage with his remark that the education system was progressing on a continuum with regards to standards-based reform, a concept that is here to stay.

Kristie… more

The New America Foundation launched its Early Education Expansion and Reform Initiative and released its new report "Building a 21st Century Economy: The Case for Investing in Early Education Reform," by Shelley Waters Boots.

As Congress begins to consider reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and the education and training demands of the global economy, maximizing the effectiveness of our early childhood education system takes on greater significance. Compelling research confirms that by the third grade,… more

Never before has the connection between our economic growth and our education system been so critical. In the antiquated industrial economy of the past, a country that could efficiently manufacture and produce material goods succeeded. In today’s new knowledge-based economy, a nation’s success is contingent on its citizens’ human capital. As the Council on Competitiveness predicts, “where once we optimized our organizations for efficiency and quality, now we must optimize our entire society for innovation.”

The drive for innovation demands that… more