Early Ed Watch

A Blog from New America's Early Education Initiative

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Building Space for Early Education Programs

  • By
  • Sara Mead
October 31, 2008

We spend a lot of time around here thinking about building infrastructure for quality early education--state early learning standards, Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, early childhood educator competencies, and professional development systems. But we don't talk all that much about building physical infrastructure--the buildings--for quality early education programs. And, the fact is, if we want to build the supply of high-quality early education, we're going to need more space.

Getting Reason-able About the Evidence for Quality Pre-k

  • By
  • Sara Mead
October 30, 2008

Fresh off recent anti-universal pre-k op-eds by Reason’s Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell, the libertarian think tank/magazine has now produced a snazzy new mini-documentary to make the case against universal pre-k .

Issues:

KIPP Moving into Early Education

  • By
  • Sara Mead
October 29, 2008

KIPP, a network of high-performing charter schools serving low-income, predominantly minority students, recently announced plans to dramatically expand the number of KIPP schools operating pre-k and elementary programs.

Issues:

Boosting Early Ed Services for Native Americans

  • By
  • Christina Satkowski
October 28, 2008

Native American students have distinct early education needs that are too often overlooked. Many American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children live in economically depressed neighborhoods of the country. Recent census data shows that nearly one in four Native American children live in poverty, and only 72 percent of Native American parents have a high school degree.

Issues:

Answering Jay Mathews: Why Universal Pre-k?

  • By
  • Sara Mead
October 24, 2008

Responding to a reader’s question, Washington Post education writer Jay Mathews asks about the benefits of universal pre-k, versus pre-k programs targeted only to low-income students. Here at Early Ed Watch, we believe there are a number of good reasons to support universal pre-k.

Issues:

What's Missing from Sarah Palin's Special Education Speech? Early Education

  • By
  • Sara Mead
October 24, 2008

Today Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican candidate for Vice President, gave her first major policy address, offering a set of policy proposals to improve the education of children with special needs. As Palin noted in her speech, quality early education programs are particularly important for children with special needs.

Another Look at Reading First

  • By
  • Sara Mead
October 23, 2008

Earlier this month the U.S. Department of Education released the final report from the implementation evaluation of Reading First. While the report didn't get much media attention, some of its findings are noteworthy.

More Children Missing From Our Elementary Schools

  • By
  • Sara Mead
October 23, 2008

A few weeks ago we wrote about research from the National Center on Children in Poverty that documented the shockingly high numbers of elementary school students who are chronically absent from school.

Vanishing Potential: How to Stop the Losses through Pre-k to 3rd Reform

  • By
  • Sara Mead
October 22, 2008

This striking new report from the Foundation for Child Development documents how America’s public schools are coming up short in educating our youngest students--particularly those from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Issues:

Is Education Worth Just 11 Minutes?

  • By
  • Christina Satkowski
October 21, 2008

This year it was Joe the Plumber. In 2000, the average-American stand-in in the presidential debates was Kailey, a student at Sarasota High School in Florida who had to stand in the back of her science classroom because the class was severely overcrowded and there wasn't enough space to give her a desk. Vice President Gore pointed to Kailey's experience repeatedly in the 2000 debates to illustrate the need for smaller class sizes and federal funding for school construction.

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