The Raising of America (session 3)

After watching the assigned video clips, what strikes me as most important is two-fold: first, the amount of evidence about the benefits of investing in early childhood education (that is even acknowledged by economists), and second, the lack of motivation by policy makers and taxpayers to actually allocate funds for programming. I think as Americans we need to be willing to alter our vision of independence admit that no one becomes successful here without some help from others. What some people may view as a hand-out really could be a strong investment in a future that benefits society as a whole.

I was relieved to see that attention is being paid, through organizations such as Raising of America, to reforms in education before Kindergarten. I believe that investing in the early years, especially in low-income communities, would significantly alter the achievements of students in later years. Of course reforms need to be made in elementary and secondary public education, but it's nice to see some acknowledgement that the academic, emotional, and social well-being of children is not, and should not be the sole responsibility of those working in the K-12 system.

One question that was raised for me was simply: how do we, as teachers, advocate for more funding for early childhood programs? Perhaps we could find and present evidence, if it exists locally, of good quality preschools that have made a difference in student performance in our districts.

I've responded to...
Allison Broude
Louis "Phil" Phillipe Vanier