Education is perhaps the closest thing we have to a social panacea. When it works, it can fuel social mobility, economic productivity, crime prevention, and personal fulfillment. And we know that the earlier a child enters school, the more likely he or she is to have a successful academic career. So why is it so hard to make universal preschool a national priority?
Head Start and Early Head Start, the federal preschool program for children from low-income families, provide a powerful argument for incorporating preschool into the mainstream education system and funding it fully. Implemented by a patchwork of non-profit organizations and school districts, Head Start and Early Head Start have been demonstrated to prevent grade repetition and increase the likelihood of high school completion and college attendance. However, it is means tested, meaning that a child whose parents earn more than the poverty level but not enough to afford a private preschool will likely be left out. Additionally, providers have consistent difficulty hiring quality teachers, as the limited funding available allows for an average salary of only $21,000, which is less than half the salary of a public school teacher.
Some states have opted to take the lead in providing universal preschool. These efforts have occured in the absence of longterm federal support, though, which has left them in a precarious financial position and too often operating as a loose affiliation of providers as opposed to a coherent network of classrooms housed within school districts.
President Obama has pledged to make early education a priority, and took a solid first step by appointing a Secretary of Education who has been a consistent proponent of it. Let’s hope that he makes good on this promise, and that our children have every opportunity to reach their full potential.
Read more at The Opportunity Agenda’s blog.
.
Why education is relevant to the US economy.
… new research shows they are returning to enjoy a better quality of life, better career prospects, and the comfort of being close to family and friends.
We predicted that skilled foreign workers would increasingly get fed up and return to countries like India and China where the economies were booming.
Why should we care?
Because immigrants are critical to the country’s long-term economic health. Despite the fact that they constitute only 12% of the U.S. population, immigrants have started 52% of Silicon Valley’s technology companies and contributed to more than 25% of our global patents. They make up 24% of the U.S. science and engineering workforce holding bachelor’s degrees and 47% of science and engineering workers who have PhDs. Immigrants have co-founded firms such as Google, Intel, eBay, and Yahoo!
America’s Loss Is the World’s Gain
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."