In the News
Is Pre-K Doing All It Can to Improve Child Health?
February 5, 2019
High-quality preschool can be part of a stronger culture of health that improves children’s physical and mental health throughout their lives. However, too many state policies and programs miss opportunities to provide significant benefits, according to a new analysis by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Research shows that children in high-quality preschool are more…
What Are the Trending Education Topics in States in 2019?
February 5, 2019
By now, you know we track much of the information around state education policy — from introduced proposals in state legislatures to priorities mentioned in governors’ State of the State addresses . We also hear a lot from lawmakers about what’s weighing on their minds during our hundreds of visits to states each year. This affords us the opportunity to pinpoint topics receiving more attention than others in states…
Cleaner Classrooms and Rising Scores: With Tighter Oversight, Head Start Shows Gains
February 4, 2019
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When federal officials inspected this city’s Head Start program five years ago, they found moldy classrooms, exposed wires, leaking sewage, a sagging roof and trash-strewn playgrounds littered with safety hazards. A teacher had jerked a student so hard she dislocated the girl’s shoulder. The visitors were so alarmed at the neglect that…
Three ways high-quality preschool can improve the health of children
February 4, 2019
Every now and then, critics of preschool will come out with something saying that there is no research showing that it has positive long-term effects on young children. W. Steven Barnett, founder and senior co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, has debunked that repeatedly, such as here and here , and…
What if All Children Had Access to Pre-K 4 SA?
February 1, 2019
A few weeks ago, Julián Castro, former mayor of San Antonio and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama, announced that he’s throwing his hat into the ring for what is shaping up to be a crowded Democratic presidential primary field. Among his top priorities? Expanding pre-K , like he did as mayor. Announcing…
Following on his full-day kindergarten pitch, Colorado Gov. Polis highlights plans for 8,000 new preschool slots
February 1, 2019
After rallying support for statewide full-day kindergarten during his first three weeks in office, Gov. Jared Polis turned his attention to preschool on Thursday, another piece of his ambitious early childhood agenda. Against the backdrop of a red, blue and gray play structure inside the Englewood school district’s gleaming new preschool, Polis committed to creating 8,000 new state-funded preschool slots…
New Governors Aim to Funnel Money Into Early Education
January 31, 2019
After campaigning on the expansion of preschool and other early-childhood programs, many of the nation’s newly elected governors are following through with budget proposals that include money to support children from cradle to school entry. One of the largest proposals is from California, where Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is in the enviable position of having…
Report aims to ‘untangle’ conflicting research on early learning programs
January 31, 2019
It’s easy for educators following research on early-childhood education to get confused. District and school leaders that want to add or expand on-site preschool programs may especially be wondering how to best design a program when one study points to the lasting benefits of preschool and another seems to contradict it. A new report from the Learning…
Here’s How Public Preschools Could Rapidly Expand In Hawaii
January 31, 2019
Gov. David Ige’s ambitious proposal to expand Hawaii’s statewide public preschool system unveiled in his recent State of the State address turns on the idea of restructuring some K-6 elementary schools. By moving sixth-graders into middle schools to make way for pre-K classrooms, the governor said, the state could “kick-start this effort, initially in communities where they are most needed.”…
An overlooked factor in quality pre-K? Parent respect for teachers
January 31, 2019
Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning was recently awarded a $2.9 million grant from the federal government. The goal of the grant is to support young children and their parents who live in the most underserved areas. To reach this goal, DECAL will implement a program needs assessment and support early childhood educators’ opportunities to share best practices. While…