In the News
New Report on Public Pre-K Programs Highlights Which States are Investing in Their Young Children
April 17, 2019
More children are attending state-funded pre-K programs across the US but state funding is failing to keep pace, resulting in low compensation for pre-K teachers that too often undermines classroom quality, according to a new report from the National Institute for Early Education Research. The State of Preschool 2018 report, based on 2017-18 academic year data, finds just a third…
North Carolina ranks middle of the road in preschool access, quality compared to other states
April 17, 2019
The quality of North Carolina’s state-funded preschool, NC Pre-K, ranked in the middle of the pack when compared with other states in a new report by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), housed within Rutgers University. Officially released today, the annual yearbook looks at states’ public preschool programs — how much states spend per child and the reach and quality of those programs….
Head Start Program Offers Low-Income Children a Chance to Thrive
April 10, 2019
After years of struggling, the federal program preparing low-income children for kindergarten is now a success. Click link below to watch. See our State(s) of Head Start report .
AL Pre-K waiting lists likely to continue
April 8, 2019
Despite signs that the budget for Alabama’s pre-kindergarten program will receive a funding increase in the millions of dollars, only so much of that will be able to shorten the waiting lists full of students in the city of Tuscaloosa and Tuscaloosa County. In addition to an enlarged budget for the Alabama State Department of…
Group calls for bipartisan solution for increased access to quality child care
April 8, 2019
WASHINGTON DC — There’s growing bipartisan concern in Washington, D.C. that working families have a hard time finding affordable and quality child care. Barry Ford, the president and CEO of Council for a Strong America, said, “It’s a crisis in this country.” Ford’s nonpartisan organization released a study that shows lack of child care is costing the…
Fighting for Mississippi’s struggling 5-year-olds, one student at a time
April 2, 2019
VAUGHAN, Miss. — When Antroine Anderson started kindergarten in this close-knit rural town last August, he knew just three words by sight. He mistook H for G, confused L and I and identified M as F. Accustomed to being called AJ by his family, Antroine didn’t recognize his name in print. His mother, Janice Barton,…
NYC Pre-K Teachers Weigh Strike As Pay Disparity Persists
April 2, 2019
At a recent rally on the steps of City Hall, teachers, parents and preschoolers held signs saying “Equal Pay for Equal Work.” The teachers said the problem came down to simple math. As the city expands free pre-school programs to three-year-olds, it’s depending on teachers from the Department of Education as well as those at…
Florida School leader pushes for better preschool preparation
April 2, 2019
TAMPA — As superintendent of the Hillsborough County Public Schools, Jeff Eakins concerns himself with how students progress from kindergarten through graduation. But their success rests heavily on what happens earlier. So Eakins ventured into the world of preschool Saturday morning, telling a group of providers at a routine meeting at Hillsborough Community College: “I’m…
The 50 States of Education Policy: A breakdown of governors’ State of the State addresses
March 31, 2019
This latest column focuses on some of the key takeaways from what’s happened in state legislatures during the past month. Previous installments of The 50 States of Education Policy, along with an interactive map that breaks down policies in each state, can be found here . By the end of March, 48 of 50 governors will…
Early Learning Is the Best Way to Close the Achievement Gap. 5 Reasons Districts Prefer to Play Catch-Up Instead
March 27, 2019
ere’s the dirty little secret of how school districts go about improving outcomes: Precious few of them are working on the strategy most likely to bring dramatic progress. Why? Because a combination of policy and cultural impediments inhibits them from doing so. With a new wave of governors, state superintendents and legislators being installed in…