Let's start with a bit about my background and what I'm trying to accomplish here...
I have a Master's Degree in Education from Bank Street College in New York City. In the world of education, that means something. Bank Street is an amazing school with a long-held, widely-known reputation. They are the leaders in progressive education and their master's program not only focuses on lesson planning, but also places a heavy emphasis on knowledge of child development. You can't teach young children until you have a very solid understanding of what they are capable of developmentally, emotionally, cognitively, and even physically. I currently teach 4 and 5 year olds and I can say with absolute confidence that one of my great strengths as a teacher is my endless amount of patience. And the reason I am able to be so patient and calm in a room of 20 young children is because I have very realistic expectations. This is a very strong place to begin when working with children.
My undergraduate degree is in Sociology. The only reason I even mention my undergraduate degree is because it is indicative of my passion and excitement for education on a larger scale. Over the course of my undergraduate career, and especially as I worked on my senior thesis, I focused primarily on issues in education on the macro level, specifically inequality in education and the persistence of the achievement gap among minority children. What I found during my research is that the achievement gap has already started by the time children reach kindergarten, and after that it widens over time.
What many people have known for a long time is that a quality preschool program makes a tremendous difference in the life of a child when it comes to future school success. You may remember that in his last State of the Union address, President Obama introduced the idea of making available quality Pre-K programs for all families that want one. Right now, quality Pre-K is extremely expensive and is therefore only available to those who can afford it. I think everyone, regardless of their political beliefs, can agree that this is deeply unfair. President Obama outlined a program wherein all children could spend the year before Kindergarten in a high-quality program. This idea comes from the longitudinal research we have that has shown over and over again that Pre-K is an extremely important year for children. With our system right now, where Pre-K is only available to those that can afford it, we have too many children starting school at a tremendous disadvantage. However, Obama is not the first politician to propose this idea.
In 1971 then-Senator from Minnesota, Walter Mondale, proposed a very similar idea for the very same reasons. Even back in 1971 we knew of the importance of quality Pre-K. Even then the research had been done and was conclusive! Mondale's idea easily passed in the House and Senate, only to be vetoed by Nixon. Since then it has been brought up here and there, but it has not been taken seriously again until President Obama began talking about it. (It is worth noting that in the early 1990's Hillary Clinton brought it up, but there was a strong knee-jerk reaction against it and the idea never went anywhere.)
If the achievement gap has already begun for minority children by the time they reach Kindergarten, doesn't it make sense that the playing field could start being leveled by making available quality Pre-K for all children? Of course, this is not the only answer. We only need to look at Head Start statistics to see that Pre-K isn't the only place we should be focusing. But it's a start.
Those of us that feel deeply committed to social justice and equality must focus on education as we do our part to end oppression and the gross inequities that exist in our society. If the educational playing field is leveled, if all children have access to the same quality of schooling, then perhaps children who are born poor would have a better chance of upward mobility. I believe education is key to solving this shameful reality.
Now, as to what actually constitutes a high-quality Pre-K program is up for constant debate and interpretation. To be continued...
