This paper marks one of the final breaths of the
big Pew initiative to expand universal pre-K. (Pew’s Pre-K Now campaign will
cease operations at year’s end after a decade of work and more than $10
million pumped into early-ed advocacy.) But a grand breath it is. After much
throat-clearing about the benefits of early childhood education, the authors
introduce a hefty list of state and federal policy recommendations to ensure
expansion of pre-K programs going forward: Pre-K standards must be added to the
Common Core, assessments must be developed for the early grades, and education
schools must incorporate child development in all teacher-prep programs. Of
course, we’ve long
questioned the efficacy and financial feasibility of expanding publicly funded
preschool programs to all of America’s tots rather than targeting it to the
neediest among them. So, while some may wax nostalgic with this passing of
Pre-K Now, we aren’t sad to welcome Pre-K Yesterday.
|
Allison de la Torre, Jennifer V. Doctors, Masooma Hussain, et al., “Transforming Public Education: Pathway to a Pre-K-12 Future” (Washington, D.C.: The Pew Center on the States, 2011). |
