Early Education News Roundup 3/5/11

March 4, 2011 (Erie Times-News, Erie, PA)
Casey introduces bill to help states invest in early learning
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., introduced a bill Thursday aimed at helping states invest in early learning so that more low-income children have access to high-quality education.

March 2, 2011 (The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA)
Pre-K successes may go away if money not found
Students who enroll in prekindergarten classes will be better prepared for kindergarten and future school success, Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning officials will tell the Lafayette Parish School Board tonight. The prekindergarten report comes at a critical time. Eight school system prekindergarten classes will lose funding at the end of this school year as federal stimulus funding dries up.

March 2, 2011 (WFMZ TV, Allentown, PA)
Pa. lawmakers urge gov. to keep education funding in budget
The caucus said early education programs give students better reading, language, and social skills; enhance the workforce by attracting skilled workers who are more productive; and return $16 for each taxpayer dollar invested.

March 2, 2011 (Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN)
All-day kindergarten nears 'tipping point'
Minnesota, which funds half-day kindergarten, is one of about a dozen states without extra funding for full-day programs. Early education advocates say this latest state push signals that Minnesota is a step closer to following states such as Wisconsin and North Dakota, where all-day, every-day kindergarten is state-supported.

March 1, 2011 (Juneau Empire)
Committee to begin hearing budget requests
Advocates of pre-kindergarten and other programs hope to win funding from the Alaska Legislature when the House Finance Committee begins to take testimony on the state budget today. A subcommittee of the committee last week cut a $2 million pre-kindergarten pilot project which helped fund pre-kindergarten programs in six school districts around the state.

March 1, 2011 (The Seattle Times)
Opinion: Invest now in early learning for better lives and a better workforce
Certainly, we need to make every effort to train and retrain our national workforce, and we must continue to improve our K-12 and postsecondary education systems. But investing in a more educated workforce requires quality early education experiences to lay the foundation for the skills businesses will need.

February 28, 2011 (Daily Record, Parsippany, NJ)
Opinion: The case for preserving Head Start
Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, and the Head Start preschool program has a proven record of success over more than 45 years. That success now is endangered because of a "meat axe" approach to federal and state spending. No doubt we need to bring to a halt the uncontrolled growth of governmental spending, but also there is no doubt that we need to keep those programs that benefit society.

February 28, 2011 (The Connecticut Mirror)
Panel recommends expanding early education to address achievement gap
The co-chair of the state's budget-writing committee is proposing requiring the state's poorest school districts provide full-day kindergarten and pre-kindergarten for all low-income students by July 2013 -- with the state and communities sharing the bill.

February 27, 2011 (Rome News-Tribune, Rome, GA)
Ga. families faced with scaled-back pre-k
A plan to scale back Georgia's free, full-day pre-kindergarten program — the first of its kind in the U.S. — to a half-day has teachers fearing shrunken paychecks and working parents scrambling to find day care for their 4-year-olds.

February 27, 2011 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Editorial: Want prosperity? Invest in the youngest kids
There's a widely acknowledged domino effect: Kids who get a good start on school are more likely to stay out of trouble and graduate, enabling them to be more productive citizens who earn more money, pay more taxes and improve their families' economic situation. A 2006 report by the Bush School at Texas A&M University concluded that Texas would receive $3.50 in return for every dollar invested in "universally accessible, high-quality pre-kindergarten."

February 26, 2011 (The Answer Sheet (Washington Post))
D.C. reaches pre-school milestone
Today in Washington D.C. there are enough preschool and Pre-K slots for every 3- and 4-year-old child seeking a spot. We now must work to ensure that all children not only have access to free preschool and Pre-K in their neighborhood, but that the early education they receive is of the highest quality.

February 22, 2011 (Times-Herald, Vallejo, CA)
Head Start program could face severe cuts
Faced with a 22.4 percent cut, Head Start programs could lose an estimated 48,000 staff members to layoffs across California, a California Head Start Association official in the agency's communications office said.

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NIEER Hot Topics March 5, 2011

Michigan Pre-K Saved State More Than $1 Billion in 2009
Michigan's preschool program for at-risk children save the state at least $1 billion in 2009 alone says a new report from the Citizen's Research Council of Michigan. The analysis points out that about 80,000 adult high school graduates age 18 to 29 are in the labor force who likely would have dropped out of school if not for the state's investment in their school readiness. Their collective economic impact is about $1.3 billion annually, including $584 million in reduced spending on things like special education, criminal justice expenses and welfare spending. About $700 million in additional wages were accrued by the state in 2009 due to their higher productivity. The issue of prioritizing funding for pre-K, currently being weighed in a number of states, is the subject of NIEER Co-Director Steve Barnett's latest Preschool Matters … Today! blog post.

Vanderbilt Study: Kids Attending Tennessee Pre-K Made Strong Gains
The Commercial Appeal reports that a new study from Vanderbilt University found that children who attended Tennessee's public pre-K program gained an average of 82 percent more on early literacy and math skills than comparable children who did not attend. Gains were highest in literacy and relatively modest in math. Tennessee legislators have proposed cutting the program, saying such gains fade out by 3rd grade but Vanderbilt professor Mark Lipsey says research pointing to fade-out is flawed.

No Nap or Meals in Georgia Pre-K?
Kids in Georgia's state pre-K program won't likely have meals or a nap, not to mention a full day of instruction, if cuts to the program proposed by Governor Nathan Deal go through, reports The Florida Times-Union. Deal wants to reduce the program to a half-day, meaning children would spend four hours in pre-K instead of the current six-and-a-half. Deal's plan would also increase access to the program for an additional 10,000 kids and reduce work days for pre-K teachers from eight to five-and-a-half hours. Communities wishing to keep the longer school day would have to make up the money on their own. Deal's plan is reportedly moving through the legislature quickly. Meanwhile, a report from the Southern Education Foundation says the program is paying off, with fewer students being held back a grade, dropping out of school and landing in special education classes.

Connecticut Budget Panel: Expand Early Education
The Connecticut Mirror reports that the state's Senate appropriations committee co-chair Toni Harp, who also leads the state's Achievement Gap Task Force, has proposed requiring the state's poorest school districts to provide full-day kindergarten and pre-K for all low-income students by 2013 and to receive state help in doing so. Connecticut has the largest achievement gap as measured by the National Assessment of Education Progress in the nation. The education committee considers the proposal next.

New America Foundation: 12 Ideas for Congress to Consider
The New America Foundation just released its bi-annual issue brief containing recommendations for the U.S. Congress. This year's installment includes fresh ideas, including a call for research on digital technology, improvements in the professional development of principals, and changes to the "adequate yearly progress" provisions under No Child Left Behind. It also updates ideas the organization's Early Education Initiative first issued in 2009.

Rave Reviews: The Influence of Teachers: Reflections on Teaching and Leadership
The above-titled new book by PBS Newshour education correspondent John Merrow on how schools and teachers can change to keep up with the current educational landscape has garnered enthusiastic reviews from, among others, former Secretary of Education Richard Riley, Marian Wright-Edelman and Jim Lehrer. Merrow draws on his experiences as a reporter for the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio to discuss new possibilities and solutions for our education system and, in his words, transform rather than reform it. Merrow is president of Learning Matters, an independent production company. He hosts his own documentaries on The Merrow Report.

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He may be kidding - but many aren't

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De-legitimizing public education

...what Erica Goldson said in her June valedictory speech at Coxsackie-Athens High School in New York:

"We are so focused on a goal, whether it be passing a test, or graduating as first in the class. However, in this way, we do not really learn. We do whatever it takes to achieve our original objective.

"Some of you may be thinking, "Well, if you pass a test, or become valedictorian, didn't you learn something? Well, yes, you learned something, but not all that you could have. Perhaps, you only learned how to memorize names, places, and dates to later on forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. School is not all that it can be. Right now, it is a place for most people to determine that their goal is to get out as soon as possible.

"I am now accomplishing that goal. I am graduating. I should look at this as a positive experience, especially being at the top of my class. However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system."

Full Washington Post post here:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/de-legitimizing-public-educati.html

“Why Public Education is More Important Than Wall Street, and What We Must Do”

NIEER Early Ed news roundup - Volume 9, Issue 21

October 26, 2010 (Montgomery Advertiser, Montgomery, AL)
Community partnership a recipe for success
Gov. Bob Riley, who will hand the reins of state government over to someone else next year, said that for the state to make bigger gains in increasing the state's graduation rate there must be more investment in early childhood education.
October 24, 2010 (The Star Press, Muncie, IN)
Opinion: Early childhood education and the economy
In terms of investment, we found early childhood education outweighed virtually everything else government could do to boost long-run economic performance and enhance educational outcomes.
October 21, 2010 (Press of Atlantic City)
Preschool class open to abled, disabled kids
The class looks like a typical preschool, but the program has a crucial difference. It's an inclusion class of both able and disabled children, ages 3 to 5. And some of their parents have paid for them to be here.
October 21, 2010 (The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC)
Opinion: The payoff from early education
Just as parents baby-proof the top of the stairs to prevent a dangerous fall, policymakers must protect the economy from making a major misstep. Investments in early childhood education are the economic equivalent to investments in gates for stairs and covers for electrical outlets.
October 20, 2010 (The Virginian-Pilot)
Va. part of plan to improve military families' access to care
Virginia was chosen to participate because of its high concentration of military families, a network of community partners willing to work on improving education, and the existence of its Smart Beginnings programs and Star Quality Initiative.
October 19, 2010 (The Salt Lake Tribune)
Editorial: Education plan
The commission rightly emphasized expanded early-childhood education, including all-day kindergarten; better curriculum alignments between public schools and higher education; better use of technology; coordinating curriculum with the needs of the business community; improving teaching; and strengthening post-secondary opportunities.
October 19, 2010 (The Hartford Courant)
Governor's commission proposes dozens of education reforms
The Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement today proposed dozens of reforms designed to close the state's academic achievement gap, from providing quality preschool education for all low-income students to requiring high school students to pass a test before they can graduate.
October 19, 2010 (Los Angeles Times)
Proposal would restore state funding for child care
The program pays child-care costs for working parents who take jobs to move off welfare but can't afford day care. The governor's action means child care for 60,000 families will end Nov. 1 unless a stopgap measure is found.
October 17, 2010 (The Tennessean)
Follow-up: TN pre-K programs's effectiveness fades by 3rd grade
The Tennessee Comptroller's Office last week issued another in a series of reports on the effectiveness of pre-kindergarten education in Tennessee. The report shows students who participated in the state-funded pre-K program outperformed their peers in kindergarten and first grade. By second grade, the advantage fades, and it's undetectable by third grade.
October 17, 2010 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Report shows early learning programs are succeeding
The Pennsylvania Department of Education on Friday released a year-end report showing that Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts spent $86.4 million on early learning programs serving nearly 12,000 at-risk children ages 3 and 4 in school districts, Head Start, child care centers and nursery schools in 62 counties in 2009-10. The report noted that more than 98 percent of the children showed "age-appropriate or emerging age-appropriate proficiency" in literacy, numeracy and social skills after attending the programs.
October 14, 2010 (The Boston Globe)
Play school
Play is the occupation of childhood, the way young minds learn, authorities on development say. But as kindergarten programs grow increasingly academic, educators differ on whether preschool play should be molded and focused, or given free rein.
October 13, 2010 (Education Week)
Denver's Achievement Gap Narrows With Advanced Kindergarten
The Denver Public Schools' advanced-kindergarten program, now in its seventh year, draws families who want a faster academic pace for their children, and it helps retain some who might otherwise choose private schools or other districts.
October 11, 2010 (The Washington Post)
Opinion: Finally, Obama administration is putting Head Start to the test
A recent evaluation sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that at the end of the first year of school, children who had attended Head Start did no better than similar children who did not attend Head Start. The bottom line is that taxpayers get little for their annual investment of $8 billion in Head Start.