Is preschool worth it? Policymakers, parents, researchers and us, at NPR Ed, have spent a lot of time thinking about this question.
We know that most pre-kindergarten programs do a good job of improving ‘ specific skills like phonics and counting, as well as broader social and emotional behaviors, by the time students enter kindergarten. Just this week, a study looking at more than 20,000 students in a state-funded preschool program in Virginia found that kids made large improvements in their alphabet recognition skills.
So the next big question to follow is, of course, Do these benefits last?
New research out of North Carolina says yes, they do. The study found that early childhood programs in that state resulted in higher test scores, a lower chance of being held back in a grade, and a fewer number of children with special education placements. Those gains lasted up through the fifth grade.
The research, published this week in the journal Child Development, studied nearly 1 million North Carolina students who attended state-funded early childhood programs between 1995 and 2010, and followed them through fifth grade.
They concluded that the benefits from these programs grew or held steady over those five years. And when the researchers broke the students down into subgroups by race and income — they found that all of those groups showed gains that held over time.
“Pre-kindergarten and early education programs are incredibly important,” says Kenneth Dodge, the lead author on the study and the director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy. “Especially for parents, for business leaders — because of the workforce development aspect — and for policy makers who are spending the money on it.”
This new research confirms what researchers recently found in Tulsa, Okla. – one of the most highly regarded preschool programs in the country. In that study, children who attended Head Start had higher test scores on state math tests up through eighth grade.
The big difference between the long-term findings in North Carolina and Tulsa and the fade out in Tennessee, researchers say, is the quality of the preschool program.
Having a high-quality program is key, says Dodge. “The long-term impact,” he says, “depends entirely on quality and how well elementary schools build on the foundations set in pre-K.”
Experts cite several key elements in “high-quality” preschool: small class sizes, student-directed learning and lots of open-ended play. And researchers have warned that outcomes are short-lived when those elements are not present.
“I think that the question is turning away from whether we should do pre-kindergarten and instead to how should we do pre-kindergarten,” says Dodge.
While President Obama made universal, high-quality preschool a priority, it’s unclear at this early stage whether that focus will continue in the Trump administration. Conversations about broad changes may continue to happen more at the state and local level.
Most states have some version of pre-K — 42 states plus the District of Columbia had state-funded programs in the 2014-2015 school year, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research, based at Rutgers University.
“I don’t think we can anticipate that the federal government is going to roll out a single universal preschool program,” says Dodge. “The reality is that preschool is becoming a state and local and community initiative.”
Dodge says that’s why research looking at these state programs – which often vary in size, quality and funding – is so important.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have now submitted their plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act, and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her team are ready to examine the dozens of plans submitted by the second deadline last month.
Thirty-four states and Puerto Rico turned in their ESSA plans in September and October. (The official deadline for submitting plans was September 18, but hurricane-ravaged Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Texas got extensions). And all of those plans have now been deemed “complete” by the feds. That means the plans aren’t missing key details, at least according to the department’s initial review…
District of Columbia sent this bulletin at 10/17/2017 02:09 PM EDT
SBOE Welcomes New Student Representatives
Tallya Rhodes’ Swearing-In Ceremony at HD Woodson High School
Late last month, the State Board of Education proudly held swearing-in ceremonies for its two new student representatives, Tallya Rhodes (HD Woodson HS, Ward 7) and Tatiana Robinson (Ballou HS, Ward 8). State Board President Karen Williams was joined by Ashley Carter (At-Large) and Markus Batchelor (Ward 8) at both high schools as our newest student representatives were sworn in with proud teachers, classmates, and family members cheering them on!
Tallya and Tatiana are the first students from their respective high schools to be selected as student representatives. These two outstanding students were chosen through an open application process due to their academic excellence and deep involvement at school and in the community. Tatiana and Tallya will also chair the State Board’s Student Advisory Committee of youth leaders from schools around the city who will advise the State Board on its work over the next year.
The Student Advisory Committee serves as the voice of students in the State Board’s work and is consulted on all issues of policy before the Board. The Student Advisory Committee conducts its meetings approximately once per month and is happy to accept new members. If you are a District of Columbia resident and either a sophomore, junior, or senior in either a traditional public or public charter high school and would like to join, please contact us via email at sboe@dc.gov.
The October 11th meeting of the task force marks the halfway point of their important work on high school graduation requirements. During this meeting, a draft problem statement was discussed, which was synthesized from input from task force members after a series of engagement opportunities with students, graduates, counselors and other stakeholders. Feel free to watch the robust discussion below.
Our SBOE ESSA Task Force held its third meeting on October 3rd, continuing their important work of devising education policy recommendations related to the District’s implementation of ESSA. At this month’s meeting, Task Force member Josh Boots of EmpowerK12 presented information on 2017 PARCC data for the District. Representatives from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) provided an overview of the report card creation process and introduced a public engagement facilitation toolkit that task force members can utilize in upcoming focus group sessions. Check out the meeting materials here and watch the replay here.
Earlier this month, the task force started holding focus groups around the District to ensure that families are informed about the new state education and the work of the task force. To find an upcoming focus group that you can attend, please visit sboe.dc.gov/essa. The next task force meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.
Working Session To Be Held on November 6th * Meeting Date Change *
Please be advised that the date for our November working session has been moved to Monday, November 6, 2017. We will hold this working session at 6:00 p.m. in Room 1114 at 441 4th St. NW. For more information regarding upcoming meetings, please visit sboe.dc.gov.
Deeper Learning Panel at Public Meeting
At September’s public meeting, the SBOE welcomed an expert panel on “deeper learning.” The panel delved into the current research on deeper learning as the State Board continues to push District schools to provide all students with an education that prepares them for college, career, and life. The State Board was honored to receive a grant from the National Association of State Boards of Education to assist us in our work in this area.
Don Long, Director of Teaching, Leading & Learning Policy at the National Association of State Boards of Education, Dr. Loretta Goodwin, Senior Director at the American Youth Policy Forum, and Phillip Lovell, Vice President of Policy Development and Government Relations at the Alliance for Excellent Education, shared with the Board current research into the deeper learning idea and how it can impact students. These representatives spoke to deeper learning as educational strategies that develop students’ abilities to master academic content, think critically and solve complex problems, work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and learn how to learn. Panelists discussed the benefits of integrating deeper learning with social and emotional learning in a more holistic way. Click here to review their presentation.
Washington, DC – The DC State Board of Education (SBOE) will hold its third Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Task Force meeting on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. in Room 1114 at 441 4th Street NW. The twenty-nine members of the task force will continue the important work of devising education policy recommendations related to the District’s implementation of ESSA. More information about the work of the task force can be found at sboe.dc.gov/essa.
All task force meetings are open to the public. However, individuals and representatives of organizations are not permitted to speak or participate during task force sessions. District residents may stay involved and provide input throughout this process in a variety of ways. Individuals and representatives of organizations may submit written testimony or information for consideration by the task force by emailing sboe@dc.gov. The task force meeting will be streamed live via Periscope for those community members who are unable to attend in person.
On October 4, 2017, the SBOE will hold its monthly working session. The working session will be held at 5:00 p.m. in Room 1114 at 441 4th Street NW. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will present information related to their plan for getting input from the public on the content of a new school report card that will provide information on all of the District’s public and public charter schools. State Board members will also receive an update from staff on a grant that the State Board received from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). The Chairs of the High School Graduation Requirements Task Force and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Task Force will also update the Board on their work.
The public is welcome to attend the working session. However, individuals and representatives of organizations are not permitted to speak or participate during the working session. Individuals and representatives of organizations may submit written testimony for consideration by the SBOE. Written testimony may also be submitted by email at sboe@dc.gov.
The draft agenda for the working session is below. Please note that the agenda may be altered, modified or updated without notice.
I. Call to Order
II. Announcement of a Quorum
III. School Report Card Public Engagement Plan
IV. NASBE Deeper Learning Grant Update
V. Committee Updates
VI. Office Reports
VII. Adjournment
The State Board of Education provides policy leadership, support, advocacy, and oversight of public education to ensure that every student is valued and learns the skills and knowledge necessary to become informed, competent, and contributing global citizens. More information about the SBOE can be found at sboe.dc.gov.
Contact: (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced the approval of the District of Columbia, Illinois, Oregon and Tennessee consolidated state plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
“As more and more state plans come under the Department’s review, I am heartened to see how states have embraced the spirit of flexibility under ESSA to improve education for individual students,” said Secretary DeVos.
Allowing states more flexibility in how they deliver education to students is at the core of ESSA. Each state crafted a plan that it feels will best offer educational opportunities to meet the needs of the state and its students. The following are some of the unique elements from each state’s approved plan as highlighted by each state:
District of Columbia
Creates the School Transparency and Reporting (STAR) framework, a universal framework for every public school in DC that will provide an easy-to-understand annual rating to each school based on 1-5 stars.
Measures the quality of Pre-Kindergarten through use of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), which assesses the quality of teacher-child interactions in early childhood classrooms.
“DC’s plan is guided by our commitment to providing equitable access to high quality education for all students and flexibility for our schools to meet the unique needs of all students,” said DC State Superintendent for Education Hanseul Kang. “This plan is the right one for DC, and I am proud that it was informed by rigorous engagement with partners and community members, including the DC State Board of Education, local education agencies, parents, educators, and advocates.”
Illinois
Creates a College/Career Ready Indicator for high schools that measures the readiness of students for college based on several indicators, including GPA, performance on postsecondary readiness exams and attendance, in addition to considering community service hours, summer employment, participation in ROTC, and/or earning industry credentials.
Uses survey responses from students to help assign schools a “school climate” score, giving students a chance to provide meaningful feedback and ensuring the student perspective will be a part of the school’s overall summative rating.
“Illinois is committed to supporting the whole child in transforming learning opportunities for all students in our state,” said Illinois State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D. “We want every child to feel well known and well cared for in our schools and to receive the individual support they need for academic excellence and postsecondary success. The Illinois ESSA Plan gives us the opportunity to foster collaboration and partnerships to build educators’ and leaders’ capacity for improved student outcomes. We appreciate the partnership with the U.S. Department of Education throughout the ESSA process, and we look forward to our continued efforts on behalf of each and every child.”
Oregon
Prioritizes four commitments in its plan: advancing equity; creating a well-rounded education; strengthening district systems; and fostering ongoing stakeholder engagement.
Implements a new “Freshmen on track” measure to confirm that students have completed at least 6 credits within the first semester of freshmen year, recognizing the importance of credit attainment in early high school in order to graduate on time.
“Today is a tremendous milestone for Oregon. Oregon’s State Plan is founded on equity and represents the voices and communities we serve,” Oregon Deputy Superintendent Salam Noor said. “We want to put every one of our learners on a path to success from birth through high school, and beyond. And whether our students choose to attend college or go straight into the workforce, it’s critical that their school experience is full of opportunity, and ensures they are college and career ready.”
Tennessee
Supports teacher and principal residencies to create more high-quality pipeline opportunities for prospective candidates to move into those roles; also establishes new grant initiatives that focus on increasing innovation and diversity in the educator workforce.
Focuses on college readiness through the Tennessee Promise initiative.
“Our ESSA plan is built on what we’ve started in Tennessee and centered on the belief that every student should be ready for postsecondary when they graduate high school,” said Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen. “Tennessee’s education community helped us to create a strong plan that will help us take our work to the next level, and we look forward to continuing these partnerships now as we move forward.”
The plans detail how states will go about complying with the federal law in the coming years. The law goes into effect this fall.
DeVos has now approved 10 of the 17 submitted state ESSA plans. All of the states that have turned in plans have received feedback from the department…
Carlene Thompson, a concerned parent and grandparent from Washington, D.C., talks about the Every Student Succeeds Act after the National Black Parent Town Hall meeting hosted by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
It’s official! U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ team has offered feedback on all seventeen Every Student Succeeds Act plans that have been released so far. The last one on the list was Colorado, whose letter was posted publicly Monday.
If you’ve been reading other states’ ESSA feedback, the list of things that Colorado needs to address shouldn’t come as a shocker. The Centennial State must:
Rework its student achievement goals and academic achievement indicator so that they are based on straight up proficiency rates, not scale scores. Other states, including Massachusetts and Vermont have gotten similar feedback. There’s a great explanation of this overall issue from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute here…
The District of Columbia and Illinois received feedback from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on their plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act earlier this week.
The feds’ response to those two states represent the first time the U.S. Department of Education has provided feedback since it announced changes to the ESSA review process. The new process includes a phone call department officials will hold with states before finalizing formal feedback letters to states. This change has raised concerns about the transparency of ESSA review.
A department spokesman confirmed that this new process was used for D.C. and Illinois.Here are some highlights from the department’s new ESSA feedback…
Is preschool worth it? Policymakers, parents, researchers and us, at NPR Ed, have spent a lot of time thinking about this question.
