Where'd the money go? Not to open access - to enrich the teacher salaries of course!
There is still a waiting list of 4,400 children seeking state financial assistance to attend preschool.
The report found that the approximately 130 providers participating in the pilot program said improving their teaching staff was their top priority. Roughly half of the grant funding has been used to train and retain teachers by raising salaries.
Meanwhile, this study shows - early access to preschool improves math scores!
An average child of that age who attended preschool scores 27 percent higher on a standard math test than a comparable pupil without the preparation, said researcher Edward Melhuish, a professor of human development at the University of London, in an e-mail on Tuesday.
The finding may buttress the case made by advocates of universal preschool education in the United States, where the federal government provides such programs only for children from low-income families. By contrast, the UK has paid for preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds since 2004, regardless of their parents' earnings.
"Universal preschool would mean higher test scores, less school failure, and probably also increased high school graduation and college attendance," W. Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research, a program at Rutgers University, said in an e-mail.
So it works - we know that, it's been proven time and again! Too bad the adults are busy using the money to help themselves to an extra serving of salary instead of opening up the access to more kids.
The new Superintendent wants to know "What about Auburn schools should NEVER change"? (ie what works). I'd answer - early childhood education and preschool access to all - it's our startup investment money for the students of the future. Never stop that - you can bank on lower test scores if you cut it.
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