July 17, 2009
Editorial: The value of preschool / One study, two lessons
The study found that Abbott students who attended preschool entered kindergarten significantly ahead of students who did not attend preschool. The advantages were most obvious in vocabulary, basic literacy skills and math, and the advantage lasted through second grade.
July 17, 2009
Preschool businesses get city tax break
Licensed, for-profit preschools and infant/toddler day care centers will receive property tax exemptions from the city under a bill passed Wednesday by the City Council. Supporters of the bill call it a matter of fairness, pointing out that K-12 schools already are exempt from property tax, other than a $100 minimum tax.
July 16, 2009
Opinion: Early education hones high skills
Tennessee's Voluntary Pre-K program is designed to teach children about their world, to understand relationships between other children and adults outside the family circle, to learn how to work together, solve problems and be successful, productive citizens.
July 16, 2009
Pre-K program will enroll millionth child
his fall, Georgia's Pre-K Program will become the first in the nation to serve its millionth child, Georgia first lady Mary Perdue said Wednesday.
July 15, 2009
Bill Would Spend More To Make College Affordable
Besides Pell Grants, $10 billion of the estimated $87 billion in savings from eliminating subsidies would go toward early childhood education, increasing the number of poor children with access to pre-kindergarten, among other things.
July 13, 2009
Are they ready for kindergarten?
Quite simply, school officials and others say, the need for preschool services is far greater than the resources available.
July 13, 2009
Gov unveils study that shows Abbott preschool program is working fine
The Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects study found that children who participated in the Abbott preschool education program outperformed their peers in the first and second grades.
July 13, 2009
Towards Universal Pre-K: An Update from West Virginia
But West Virginia -- like Georgia, Oklahoma, Illinois and New York -- is also committed to building towards a voluntary, universal pre-k program for four-year olds.
July 12, 2009
State program to get 4-year-olds ready for school still a work in progress
With one of the highest access rates in the nation for 4-year-olds, Florida's program has been held up as a nationwide model, but with one of the lowest rates of per-child spending, experts say it has a long way to go.
July 12, 2009
Letter-to-the-editor: Helping Students, in and Out of School
Policy should instead be built on two undisputed foundations: only students who can read well can be educated well, and reading is a skill learned early, by third or fourth grade.
Resources
The Role of Technology in EC Teacher Education: Global Perspectives
This report from the World Forum Foundation's 2008 Working Forum for Teacher Educators discusses the role of distance education in delivering education for teachers. Authors Selena Fox and Chip Donohue share perspectives instructors should consider when launching a distance education program.
Kindergarten Readiness Data: Improving Children's Success in School
This policy brief from Children Now looks at the various aspects of using kindergarten readiness observation tools and the benefits of doing so for local and state education stakeholders. It draws on data from counties in California that have kindergarten readiness observation projects. The projects have enabled the counties to monitor their success in prepring children for school. The brief also looks at the ramifications of building the local endeavors into a statewide system.
Why Isn't Johnny in Preschool?
This report from Chicago-based POWER-PAC looks at why preschool attendance lags among children who are at most risk. Drawing on more than 5,000 interviews in low-income neighborhoods, it provides recommendations on how to increase enrollment.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
NIEER news roundup
July 2, 2009 Poll shows that when it comes to children, Michigan taxpayers don't mind spending a little more
The Lake Research Partners' poll showed that 74 percent of Michiganders are in favor of investing in early childhood development even if it raises their taxes. According to the Lake Research Partners poll, half of Michiganders believe the state already spends too little on early childhood development and education; six percent said the state spends too much.
July 2, 2009 Report Calls For New Initiative To Improve Math Education For Preschoolers
To ensure that all children enter elementary school with the foundation they need for success, a major national initiative is needed to improve early childhood mathematics education, says a new report from the National Research Council. Opportunities for preschoolers to learn mathematics are currently inadequate, particularly for those in low-income groups, says the report, which is intended to inform the efforts of Head Start, state-funded preschool programs, curriculum developers, and teachers.
July 1, 2009 Now preschoolers, too, are immersed in Chinese in Woodstock
The Yu Miao Chinese Immersion Preschool, at the former Our Lady of Sorrows School — just two blocks from Woodstock Elementary — offers an array of activities that help children learn Mandarin and gain skills in preparation for kindergarten. The preschool believes that just as young sprouts grow into great plants when given good nutrition and a good environment, so young children grow into great people when given good education within a caring context.
July 1, 2009 A tale of two preschool programs
Two programs, two departments, one goal: Give low-income children a head-start on their education by engaging the family in a subsidized preschool program. As the Even Start early childhood program lies on the chopping block, its close cousin, Head Start, is receiving billions in new stimulus funds.
June 30, 2009 As Many as 27,000 Children Cut From Preschool in New State Budget Plan
The latest budget proposed by the Illinois General Assembly cuts as many as 27,000 children -- most of them from low-income families -- from Preschool for All programs. High-quality preschools, like the programs funded through Preschool for All, provide valuable learning opportunities that far too many low-income children don't otherwise get.
June 29, 2009 Colo. education officials take early step in setting new standards
Next, the State Board of Education and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education plan to implement the definition as mandated by a bill passed in 2008. The bill, titled "Preschool to Postsecondary Alignment," directed state agencies to create a plan to expose students to options for life after high school graduation.
June 29, 2009 Editorial: Make preschool a funding priority
What may be Minnesota's most important educational report card was issued earlier this month, and the marks weren't good. The fall 2008 results of a yearly school readiness assessment of new kindergartners were down from 2007 on all five aspects of development measured.
June 29, 2009 Relationships Improve Student Success
When students are underachieving, school policymakers often examine class size, curriculum and funding, but University of Missouri researchers suggest establishing relationships may be a powerful and less expensive way to improve students' success. In a review of the research they show that students with positive attachments to their teachers and schools have higher grades and higher standardized test scores.
June 28, 2009 Letter-to-the-editor: Early learning cuts dropouts and crime
Research shows that high-quality early learning is an effective strategy to increase graduation rates. Long-term studies of high-quality preschools have found that at-risk kids who do not attend these programs tend to drop out of high school and abuse illegal drugs. They are 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by age 18 and five times more likely to be repeat offenders by age 27.
June 25, 2009 Opinion: Preschool is a key to boosting graduation rates
The good news is that we know how to put our kids — and with them, our families, communities and economy — on the path to success. A new report by the RAND Corp. underscores what I have seen in almost four decades of working in education: We must start early.
June 24, 2009 Some Nashville schools will test smaller class size
The plan calls for no more than 25 students per teacher in grades 10-12, 20 students per teacher in grades 4-9 and 15 students per teacher in prekindergarten through third.
June 24, 2009 Study evaluates school readiness in Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) recently released results of its 2008 school readiness study, which has received some criticism by the Legislature for its data collection process and results analysis. This year's results show, based on information collected in 2008, that between 87 and 96 percent of 5-year-old children in the state were "in process" or "proficient" in physical development, the arts, personal and social development, language and literacy, and mathematical thinking, according to a press release from the MDE.
June 24, 2009 Preschool program faces ax from possible state budget cuts
The vote on the budget is Tuesday. If passed in its current form, [Early Learning Initiative] programs around Ohio would be phased out by Aug. 21.
NIEER Hot Topics 7/2
New NRC Report: National Initiative Needed to Address Math Education in Pre-K
Opportunities for children in pre-K to learn mathematics are currently inadequate, a situation that needs to be addressed through a national math initiative, says a report released today by the National Research Council (NRC). Intended to inform the efforts of Head Start, state pre-K, curriculum developers and teachers, the report says the amount of time devoted to math needs to be increased in all public and private pre-K settings. Among its recommendations are that instruction concentrate on two areas — the concept of "number," including activities such as counting and determining relative quantities, and geometry, including activities that promote spatial thinking and measurement. Many of the issues brought up in the report are addressed in NIEER's new brief, Math and Science in Preschool: Policy and Practice.
Texas Governor's Surprise Veto Leaves Many Disappointed
When Texas Governor Rick Perry vetoed House Bill 130 late last month, it came as a surprise to many in politics and early education. The bill, which included $268 million to raise pre-K standards and provide full-day instruction, was sponsored by fellow Republican Representative Diane Patrick. The bill enjoyed what one advocate termed the broadest bipartisan support of any bill in the last session of the legislature, and its framers had consulted the governor's office. Perry defended the veto, saying any new funding for pre-K might better go toward expanding access to half-day programs for disadvantaged children. He left $25 million in the budget for that purpose.
Illinois Budget Battle Threatens Progress of Preschool for All
Trouble is brewing for Illinois' acclaimed Preschool for All Program. This week, Governor Pat Quinn said he'll veto the latest budget proposed by the state's General Assembly because it cuts human services such as early childhood programs. According to the Ounce of Prevention Fund, the Assembly budget would cut as many as 27,000 children from Preschool for All. Quinn wants to generate $4 billion through an income tax increase — something the legislature is resisting. House Speaker Mike Madigan says he will call lawmakers back in mid-July to override the Governor's veto. Illinois isn't the only state facing big cuts. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland is recommending elimination of the state's Early Learning Initiative launched in 2005 to provide full-day, year-round pre-K to children of working families.
Joan Lombardi Joins Administration for Children and Families
Well-known early childhood expert Joan Lombardi has been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary and Inter-Departmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development in the Administration for Children and Families. Lombardi, who is the founding chair of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance, also served in the Administration for Children and Families in the 1990s.
Friday, June 5, 2009
NIEER Early Ed. news roundup
June 3, 2009Generals: Youths unfit for military
The future strength of America's military may rest with our pre-school children. And unless things change, that worries a group of senior retired military officers who foresee a generation that is incapable of defending the nation.
June 3, 2009Nationally, statistics show Head Start programs work
A national Head Start impact study by the Society for Research in Child Development for the Department of Health and Human Services found evidence of the program's benefits on low-income families. The study found nationally, Head Start reduced the achievement gap by 45 percent in pre-reading skills between Head Start children and the national average for all 3- and 4-year-olds.
June 3, 2009Editorial: Invest in early childhood ed
The City of San Antonio recently awarded new contracts for its Head Start Program, and the Texas Legislature approved $25 million for a grant program to allow school districts to expand their half-day pre-k programs to full-day if they want. The bill, however, carries a stipulation that a school district would have to use at least 20 percent of the grant funds to contract with one or more community providers.
June 3, 2009Recession May Have Lasting Impact On Kids
The current recession could be over by the year's end, but its impact on children will continue through next year and may virtually erase decades of improvements in American children's well-being, according to a new report by the Foundation for Child Development. The recession's impacts -- especially on poor and very young children -- could be profound unless policies are changed to help strengthen families in times of hardship and to acknowledge the importance of early childhood education, child advocates said Wednesday.
June 2, 2009Inclusion for preschoolers with disabilities
Until this year, Denver Public Schools would have placed Arianna with other preschool kids with disabilities in a self-contained classroom staffed by special-education teachers and therapists. This year the district tried out a pilot program to include 50 kids with disabilities in six of its preschools, and Arianna is in one of them.
June 2, 2009TV Interferes With Infants' Language Development
Television reduces verbal interaction between parents and infants, which could delay children's language development, says a U.S. study that challenges claims that certain infant-targeted DVDs actually benefit youngsters.
June 2, 2009Stop the Violence: The Preschool Problem
Some believe access to high-quality early education may be the key to helping stop the violence. The problem is those children considered to have the greatest need for preschool are the least likely to be enrolled.
June 1, 2009A Changing Student Body
A study tracking a group of children born in 2001 found that those living in poverty are less likely to have someone read to them, tell them stories or sing to them. At age 4, children in families at or above the poverty line were better able to recognize letters, numbers and shapes.
June 1, 2009Budget crunch delays preschool expansion
Governor Corzine's preschool expansion plan — a major part of the new school funding law that won constitutional approval by the state Supreme Court last week — is on hold, with no funds for new classes included in next year's recession-crunched budget.
May 29, 200953 preschools launch this fall, but state misses goal
Another 53 Iowa schools will launch preschool programs in the upcoming school year despite a 23 percent reduction in state money that was promised two years ago, education officials announced Thursday.
The future strength of America's military may rest with our pre-school children. And unless things change, that worries a group of senior retired military officers who foresee a generation that is incapable of defending the nation.
June 3, 2009Nationally, statistics show Head Start programs work
A national Head Start impact study by the Society for Research in Child Development for the Department of Health and Human Services found evidence of the program's benefits on low-income families. The study found nationally, Head Start reduced the achievement gap by 45 percent in pre-reading skills between Head Start children and the national average for all 3- and 4-year-olds.
June 3, 2009Editorial: Invest in early childhood ed
The City of San Antonio recently awarded new contracts for its Head Start Program, and the Texas Legislature approved $25 million for a grant program to allow school districts to expand their half-day pre-k programs to full-day if they want. The bill, however, carries a stipulation that a school district would have to use at least 20 percent of the grant funds to contract with one or more community providers.
June 3, 2009Recession May Have Lasting Impact On Kids
The current recession could be over by the year's end, but its impact on children will continue through next year and may virtually erase decades of improvements in American children's well-being, according to a new report by the Foundation for Child Development. The recession's impacts -- especially on poor and very young children -- could be profound unless policies are changed to help strengthen families in times of hardship and to acknowledge the importance of early childhood education, child advocates said Wednesday.
June 2, 2009Inclusion for preschoolers with disabilities
Until this year, Denver Public Schools would have placed Arianna with other preschool kids with disabilities in a self-contained classroom staffed by special-education teachers and therapists. This year the district tried out a pilot program to include 50 kids with disabilities in six of its preschools, and Arianna is in one of them.
June 2, 2009TV Interferes With Infants' Language Development
Television reduces verbal interaction between parents and infants, which could delay children's language development, says a U.S. study that challenges claims that certain infant-targeted DVDs actually benefit youngsters.
June 2, 2009Stop the Violence: The Preschool Problem
Some believe access to high-quality early education may be the key to helping stop the violence. The problem is those children considered to have the greatest need for preschool are the least likely to be enrolled.
June 1, 2009A Changing Student Body
A study tracking a group of children born in 2001 found that those living in poverty are less likely to have someone read to them, tell them stories or sing to them. At age 4, children in families at or above the poverty line were better able to recognize letters, numbers and shapes.
June 1, 2009Budget crunch delays preschool expansion
Governor Corzine's preschool expansion plan — a major part of the new school funding law that won constitutional approval by the state Supreme Court last week — is on hold, with no funds for new classes included in next year's recession-crunched budget.
May 29, 200953 preschools launch this fall, but state misses goal
Another 53 Iowa schools will launch preschool programs in the upcoming school year despite a 23 percent reduction in state money that was promised two years ago, education officials announced Thursday.
Hot Topics (NIEER) 6/4
CWI Creators: Recession to Wipe Out Most Family Well-Being Gains Since 1975
The data won't be available for another two or three years, but The Foundation for Child Development (FCD) has issued a special report that projects the extent of impacts of the current recession on family well-being. The report says the percentage of children in poverty is expected to peak at 21 percent in 2010. At some point next year, 27 percent of children will have at least one parent not working full-time year-round. Median annual family income will decline from $59,200 in 2007 to $55,700 in 2010. While income for female-headed households will drop, the steepest drop will be for male-headed households. The FCD predicts social and health consequences as well.
Study Says California Needs to Work on Quality, Streamlining of Pre-K
The last in the series of RAND reports from the California Preschool Study recommends the state take measures to increase the quality of programs and make sure they get delivered to the state's 4-year-olds from families with income up to 240 percent above poverty level and 3-year-olds from families below poverty level. Among the near-term steps the report recommends are developing a quality rating system, providing web-based reports accessible to parents, and modifying contract rules for government-subsidized programs that reduce the amount of available funds that go unused.
Full-Day Head Start Pays Off in Montgomery County, MD
When Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools offered the district's Title 1 schools the opportunity to expand Head Start half-day pre-K to full-day, the idea was to improve the prospects for non-English speaking children and those affected by poverty. It worked. A research report from the district suggests the kids in full-day programs made significantly larger gains in reading skills compared with children in the half-day programs.
Pre-K to 3: How One School Builds on Pre-K Gains
Another example of leadership from Montgomery County Public Schools comes by way of a 7-minute boots-on-the-ground video from the New America Foundation. It follows education blogger Christina Satkowski on her visit to Broad Acres Elementary School where third grade classes have made a startling turn-around in reading and math. It's the result of a plan implemented by Superintendent Jerry Weast to expand high-quality pre-K and rewrite and align curricula through third grade in an effort to maintain the momentum of gains made in pre-K. He says these days, those gains at Broad Acres continue to build rather than fade.
The data won't be available for another two or three years, but The Foundation for Child Development (FCD) has issued a special report that projects the extent of impacts of the current recession on family well-being. The report says the percentage of children in poverty is expected to peak at 21 percent in 2010. At some point next year, 27 percent of children will have at least one parent not working full-time year-round. Median annual family income will decline from $59,200 in 2007 to $55,700 in 2010. While income for female-headed households will drop, the steepest drop will be for male-headed households. The FCD predicts social and health consequences as well.
Study Says California Needs to Work on Quality, Streamlining of Pre-K
The last in the series of RAND reports from the California Preschool Study recommends the state take measures to increase the quality of programs and make sure they get delivered to the state's 4-year-olds from families with income up to 240 percent above poverty level and 3-year-olds from families below poverty level. Among the near-term steps the report recommends are developing a quality rating system, providing web-based reports accessible to parents, and modifying contract rules for government-subsidized programs that reduce the amount of available funds that go unused.
Full-Day Head Start Pays Off in Montgomery County, MD
When Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools offered the district's Title 1 schools the opportunity to expand Head Start half-day pre-K to full-day, the idea was to improve the prospects for non-English speaking children and those affected by poverty. It worked. A research report from the district suggests the kids in full-day programs made significantly larger gains in reading skills compared with children in the half-day programs.
Pre-K to 3: How One School Builds on Pre-K Gains
Another example of leadership from Montgomery County Public Schools comes by way of a 7-minute boots-on-the-ground video from the New America Foundation. It follows education blogger Christina Satkowski on her visit to Broad Acres Elementary School where third grade classes have made a startling turn-around in reading and math. It's the result of a plan implemented by Superintendent Jerry Weast to expand high-quality pre-K and rewrite and align curricula through third grade in an effort to maintain the momentum of gains made in pre-K. He says these days, those gains at Broad Acres continue to build rather than fade.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Hot topics (from NIEER) 5/21
May 21, 2009
Raising kids with global intelligence
According to Mary Lynn Redmond, director of foreign language education at Wake Forest University, young children pick up a foreign language easier than older children and adults. "[Children in] elementary grades and preschool are very much in development stages. Their linguistic, cognition and emotional ability changes over time," she said, emphasizing the teaching approach is more "playful" and conversational.
May 21, 2009
Letter to the Editor: Is Universal Pre-K a Good Deal?
A Rand Corp. study in California found that children from all income strata attended poor-quality programs unless they could get into state-funded preschool. This says that government should help give families access to effective preschools.
May 21, 2009
Early Childhood Educators Fear Doomsday Budget
Staff at Illinois pre-schools are singing a sad tune after seeing the governor's plan to cut funding. If the state takes those funds away 100,000 Illinois children would be affected.
May 20, 2009
Governor cancels most tax rebates to trim budget
The state would also raise income taxes on people earning $400,000 to $500,000 and those earning over $1 million and cancel the expansion of a preschool program as part of Gov. Jon Corzine's plan to close a multibillion-dollar budget gap, the treasurer said.
May 20, 2009
Kids learn language from other kids
A new study, published in the journal Child Development by researchers from University of Virginia and Ohio State University demonstrates that classmates and peers play a role in the formation of both receptive (listening) and expressive (speaking) language skills. The researchers found that when a child's classmates had more advanced language skills, the child would be able to speak and understand words at a faster pace.
May 19, 2009
Column: Where do preschoolers learn most?
What we do know is that high-quality early childhood education has been proven to save up to $17 for every dollar it costs because it leads to better academic success, fewer special-education expenditures, greater chances for employment and productivity, and less risk of ending up in jail. We have known for decades that the key to school readiness and becoming a lifelong learner lies in the early experiences that help develop important qualities such as persistence, perseverance, curiosity, the capacity to tolerate frustration and the self-esteem to keep on trying even after making a mistake.
May 19, 2009
$244M cut proposed for Ohio pre-K programs
Early childhood advocates say planned cuts to Ohio's pre-kindergarten programs will shortchange children at the most critical time in their development, but the Ohio Senate says it simply has no more money to offer.
May 19, 2009
Gov. signs Wash. school reform plan
A plan to overhaul Washington's K-12 education system was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Chris Gregoire, but she vetoed parts of the measure focusing on preschool and gifted education.
May 18, 2009
Kids who learn math skills early have lasting advantage
Two Wilfrid Laurier University professors have found that when parents play with their young children, they hardly spend any time teaching them about amounts and numbers. Yet if parents knew how to talk about math concepts, they'd give their children an advantage that would last all through their school years.
May 16, 2009
Early foundation: Pre-k gives students much-needed boost
The early bird catches the worm, but Mississippi remains one of the few states in the nation without a state-funded pre-kindergarten program, which likely would go a long way toward moving the state up from the bottom rankings of educational progress.
Raising kids with global intelligence
According to Mary Lynn Redmond, director of foreign language education at Wake Forest University, young children pick up a foreign language easier than older children and adults. "[Children in] elementary grades and preschool are very much in development stages. Their linguistic, cognition and emotional ability changes over time," she said, emphasizing the teaching approach is more "playful" and conversational.
May 21, 2009
Letter to the Editor: Is Universal Pre-K a Good Deal?
A Rand Corp. study in California found that children from all income strata attended poor-quality programs unless they could get into state-funded preschool. This says that government should help give families access to effective preschools.
May 21, 2009
Early Childhood Educators Fear Doomsday Budget
Staff at Illinois pre-schools are singing a sad tune after seeing the governor's plan to cut funding. If the state takes those funds away 100,000 Illinois children would be affected.
May 20, 2009
Governor cancels most tax rebates to trim budget
The state would also raise income taxes on people earning $400,000 to $500,000 and those earning over $1 million and cancel the expansion of a preschool program as part of Gov. Jon Corzine's plan to close a multibillion-dollar budget gap, the treasurer said.
May 20, 2009
Kids learn language from other kids
A new study, published in the journal Child Development by researchers from University of Virginia and Ohio State University demonstrates that classmates and peers play a role in the formation of both receptive (listening) and expressive (speaking) language skills. The researchers found that when a child's classmates had more advanced language skills, the child would be able to speak and understand words at a faster pace.
May 19, 2009
Column: Where do preschoolers learn most?
What we do know is that high-quality early childhood education has been proven to save up to $17 for every dollar it costs because it leads to better academic success, fewer special-education expenditures, greater chances for employment and productivity, and less risk of ending up in jail. We have known for decades that the key to school readiness and becoming a lifelong learner lies in the early experiences that help develop important qualities such as persistence, perseverance, curiosity, the capacity to tolerate frustration and the self-esteem to keep on trying even after making a mistake.
May 19, 2009
$244M cut proposed for Ohio pre-K programs
Early childhood advocates say planned cuts to Ohio's pre-kindergarten programs will shortchange children at the most critical time in their development, but the Ohio Senate says it simply has no more money to offer.
May 19, 2009
Gov. signs Wash. school reform plan
A plan to overhaul Washington's K-12 education system was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Chris Gregoire, but she vetoed parts of the measure focusing on preschool and gifted education.
May 18, 2009
Kids who learn math skills early have lasting advantage
Two Wilfrid Laurier University professors have found that when parents play with their young children, they hardly spend any time teaching them about amounts and numbers. Yet if parents knew how to talk about math concepts, they'd give their children an advantage that would last all through their school years.
May 16, 2009
Early foundation: Pre-k gives students much-needed boost
The early bird catches the worm, but Mississippi remains one of the few states in the nation without a state-funded pre-kindergarten program, which likely would go a long way toward moving the state up from the bottom rankings of educational progress.
NIEER newsletter - May
Hot Topics
Voters Give California Proposition 1D Thumbs Down
Proposition 1D, the California ballot measure that would have temporarily redirected up to 50 percent of the tobacco tax revenue dedicated to early childhood programs to plug holes in the general budget, went down in defeat this week. Early childhood became a target as the state's economic circumstances grew dire and political leaders recognized that California's First 5 Commission, which receives the tobacco tax revenue, currently have about $2.5 billion in unspent funds. California faces a deficit in the neighborhood of $20 billion.
Latest New Jersey Budget Cuts Pre-K Expansion
New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's most recent budget proposal eliminates $25 million that was dedicated to expanding state pre-K. Until now, Corzine had spared the pre-K expansion initiative from the budget knife, but he said the widening deficit the state faces necessitated postponement of the expansion and elimination of property tax rebates for most homeowners.
Washington Governor Vetoes Pre-K Portion of State Education Bill
Chris Gregoire, the pro-pre-K governor of Washington state, surprised many when she vetoed the portion of the state's new education reform bill that focuses on preschool education. Gregoire, who had informed preschool advocates in advance, said she vetoed the pre-K part because it targets state pre-K to at-risk children only and doesn't recognize that all children in Washington deserve state-funded preschool education. She said provision of state pre-K requires further study.
New Study:
Preschoolers' Language Development Influenced by Classmates' SkillsUniversity of Virginia researchers have found that children’s abilities to speak and understand words developed faster when they were with classmates with better language skills. Andrew J. Mashburn and colleagues studied preschoolers in more than 450 pre-K classrooms in 11 states, testing their skills in receptive language and expressive language at the start and end of pre-K. The authors say that while the positive effects from classmates were small, they have implications in such areas as the desired composition of children in pre-K classrooms and how much emphasis language curricula place on teacher-managed instruction. The article appears in Child Development, Volume 80, Issue 3.
Melendez de Santa Ana Nominated for Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary EducationPresident Obama has nominated Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana to serve as Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education. The nominee is currently the superintendent of the Pomona Unified School District in California. Over her career she has served in various roles, including as a bilingual teacher, elementary school principal, and executive at the Stupski Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to education reform and innovation. Melendez de Santa Ana will oversee a number of programs that intersect with early education.
New on nieer.org
Ted Kennedy Talks with Preschool Matters about Challenges in Early Ed Senator Ted Kennedy is our Newsmaker in the issue of Preschool Matters just off the press. He talks about investing in a more coherent system of early education, the federal role in it, and bi-partisanship.
Other articles in the new issue include:
• Can State Pre-K Be Saved?
• Illinois: Building a Better ECE System
What Leads to Literacy?
• Discoveries: Predictors of Peer Victimization in Preschool
Voters Give California Proposition 1D Thumbs Down
Proposition 1D, the California ballot measure that would have temporarily redirected up to 50 percent of the tobacco tax revenue dedicated to early childhood programs to plug holes in the general budget, went down in defeat this week. Early childhood became a target as the state's economic circumstances grew dire and political leaders recognized that California's First 5 Commission, which receives the tobacco tax revenue, currently have about $2.5 billion in unspent funds. California faces a deficit in the neighborhood of $20 billion.
Latest New Jersey Budget Cuts Pre-K Expansion
New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's most recent budget proposal eliminates $25 million that was dedicated to expanding state pre-K. Until now, Corzine had spared the pre-K expansion initiative from the budget knife, but he said the widening deficit the state faces necessitated postponement of the expansion and elimination of property tax rebates for most homeowners.
Washington Governor Vetoes Pre-K Portion of State Education Bill
Chris Gregoire, the pro-pre-K governor of Washington state, surprised many when she vetoed the portion of the state's new education reform bill that focuses on preschool education. Gregoire, who had informed preschool advocates in advance, said she vetoed the pre-K part because it targets state pre-K to at-risk children only and doesn't recognize that all children in Washington deserve state-funded preschool education. She said provision of state pre-K requires further study.
New Study:
Preschoolers' Language Development Influenced by Classmates' SkillsUniversity of Virginia researchers have found that children’s abilities to speak and understand words developed faster when they were with classmates with better language skills. Andrew J. Mashburn and colleagues studied preschoolers in more than 450 pre-K classrooms in 11 states, testing their skills in receptive language and expressive language at the start and end of pre-K. The authors say that while the positive effects from classmates were small, they have implications in such areas as the desired composition of children in pre-K classrooms and how much emphasis language curricula place on teacher-managed instruction. The article appears in Child Development, Volume 80, Issue 3.
Melendez de Santa Ana Nominated for Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary EducationPresident Obama has nominated Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana to serve as Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education. The nominee is currently the superintendent of the Pomona Unified School District in California. Over her career she has served in various roles, including as a bilingual teacher, elementary school principal, and executive at the Stupski Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to education reform and innovation. Melendez de Santa Ana will oversee a number of programs that intersect with early education.
New on nieer.org
Ted Kennedy Talks with Preschool Matters about Challenges in Early Ed Senator Ted Kennedy is our Newsmaker in the issue of Preschool Matters just off the press. He talks about investing in a more coherent system of early education, the federal role in it, and bi-partisanship.
Other articles in the new issue include:
• Can State Pre-K Be Saved?
• Illinois: Building a Better ECE System
What Leads to Literacy?
• Discoveries: Predictors of Peer Victimization in Preschool
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