It is no mystery that early childhood education is important.
Research supports it. Economics supports it. Parents support it.
Yet until President Obama’s call to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America, other less data-driven reform agendas have dominated the airwaves.
It is time to change that conversation--because early childhood education is critical to the success of our children.
Why?
Because early childhood education is about lowering drop-out rates, about more children going to college, and fewer children winding up in prison. It's about providing needed skills for employment and about growing our economy.
According to Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education at Stanford, high quality pre-school programs -- the kind that have teachers with degrees in early childhood education and small class sizes and hands-on learning and parent outreach and education -- provide those kinds of results.
Yet, during this Great Recession, funding for our youngest students has been cut.
California’s independent legislative analyst reports that “since 2008-09, the State’s childcare and development system has experienced notable reductions.
- Overall funding has decreased by $985 million (31 percent).
- About one-quarter of slots have been eliminated (110,000 slots).”
State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson welcomes the call for making early learning a national priority.
“We know that there are significant benefits to helping children start school excited and ready to learn—and that those benefits last the rest of their lives," says Torlakson.
What can we do to help our children?
Let our elected officials know that this kind of reform is vital.
Let’s start early—for all children. This is where our investment needs to begin.
Meanwhile, people like M. Legison, who seem to have no clue, reach categorical conclusions, placing you in a box, without knowing one single thing about you. Anybody who knows anything about education gets that teaching to the test, the absolute focus on that damn thing, is shortchanging our children. But, in her world, you've got it all wrong. As I said, debates on Patch are a perfect example of the problem. Your view isn't worthy of consideration, you're just lazy, if you have a view different than hers. I'm so tired of the boxes.
Now, the default answer in a profile such as this is "you couldn't be more wrong," but I am not, am I Mr. Holthaus? You are as transparent as they come.
"let me profile you and I'll do it from one post." That you think that's a fair thing to do about anybody speaks volumes. I could point to not just one post, but several, that strongly support a conclusion that you're a racist, but that's not fair, because I don't actually know you. Or, maybe I do.
I'm neither black and white, nor crazy, but I'm extremely perceptive and usually correct in my analysis of people. I nailed you like a dart to a bullseye and I am quite sure I'm not far off, if at all, with this one.
Otherwise, your ability to divert a downhill thread is noted. Might have to take you up on that coffee sometime.
I said "this may be my favorite quote of the year." Note the specific NON racist reference. "You knew your neighbor Black, White, Hispanic! Race meant nothing and there were no pant sagging, red bandana sporting thugs walking the streets. The Cowboy's or the Wilton Boys would take care of it!"
markymark has also never understood (as do most misguided liberals) that robbing peter to pay paul is immoral. note: i wish he and his liberal norcal cohorts would quit commenting on socal patch blogs
M. ... I have no idea whether you're a racist, just as you had no idea what B.K. really believed about the education system based on his one or two posts here. Again, it's rather simple ... you want to play by a certain set of rules then they have to apply to you as well.
Now, you tell me who's the troll and who isn't. I engaged in a substantive conversation with somebody on this thread, you didn't. You, on the other hand, just show up and suggest people should be executed, that if they show up in your neck of the woods they'll be harmed, and generally just post things meant to inflame. Whose the troll, creme brulee? And, by the way, odd that you suggest I need to learn something from somebody else. Anybody who is remotely half-awake and aware should have realized by now that the Patch sites have been distributing "local" blog posts to the entire network of California Patch sites for months now. Trust me, I don't need to go to the Palm Desert Patch to see the same thing you're seeing.
not just anybody but you specifically. make a mental note
By the way, I've spent the last couple of days far closer to your neck of the woods than mine. Getting the willies yet?
we are coming. Change is upon us. Lean Forward
Sorry folks, to the first airport in Oregon ( Medford,35 miles over the Northern border) , and flight time to San Diego (Southern border) from SF are nearly identical. WTH! Congratulations Bay Area...you are in Central California....Teachers need to teach and be allowed to do so.