Supporting Early Childhood Education is Smart Policy

In supporting legislation to expand the access to pre-kindergarten programs in his state, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin recognizes the value of investing in early-childhood education to help build a stronger Vermont.

Gov. Shumlin says he will sign into law a bill that will lift the cap on the number of students who can enroll in state-funded pre-K programs.

“This is one part of our plan to get Vermont back on the path to job growth and prosperity,” he said.

The cap, which has been in place since 2007, limited the number of pre-K students eligible to enroll in state funded pre-K programs and forced students into lotteries in school districts whose programs were at capacity. This new legislation will allow more pre-K students to enroll in programs and work to support making high-quality, early childhood education available to all. Shumlin’s courageous stand runs counter to trends in other states.

While opponents in his state argued that the bill will cost the state too much money during tough economic times, Shumlin maintained that investments in early-childhood education will save Vermont in the long run by cutting down on prison costs associated with dropouts who break the law and other social services needed to support those who lack the education to pursue careers.

The Opportunity to Learn Campaign, which firmly believes in the life-changing value of quality early-childhood education and supports this opportunity for all children, commends the state of Vermont and Shumlin for working to ensure that substantial investments are made in that state’s youngest children. 

We need teachers, not tax loopholes

Under the banner of “Make Big Banks and Millionaires Pay,” thousands of New Yorkers marched yesterday on Wall Street to call on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to avoid laying off more than 6,000 public school teachers – among other cuts to such important services like childcare and public safety – by ending corporate welfare and tax cuts that allow bankers and the wealthy to shirk their responsibility to pay their fair shares.
  

Among were dozens of community, labor and progressive organizations that participated in the rally were the Alliance for Quality Education and the Urban Youth Collaborative.

Highly effective and prepared teachers are critical to the health of our public school systems, and the futures of children across the country. Let’s stand together in holding our local, state and federal leaders accountable for providing the resources needed to give all children the opportunity to learn.

Check out video of the rally: http://www.onmay12.org/

The "real crime" is the education gap

Kudos to the Connecticut lawmaker who understands that parents shouldn’t have to choose between breaking the law and securing a quality education for their children.

The real crime, says Rep. Bruce V. Morris, is happening every day in classrooms across that state – where a homeless Bridgeport mother faces felony charges for enrolling her son in a Norwalk school – as failed policies and practices continue to deprive inner-city children of the opportunity to get the same quality of education that is afforded to their suburban peers.

Closing this opportunity gap is critical to stemming the achievement gap that persists in school systems across the country.

“Equal access to education is the civil rights issue of today and it’s something that needs to be addressed across all borders,” he told a Greenwich Time reporter. “Education is the equalizer.”

Tanya McDowell is being prosecuted for stealing nearly $16,000 – the cost of a year of school – from the city of Norwalk. Though her 5-year-old son, A.J., was withdrawn from the school in January, the mother is being charged for the full school year, a move that makes it clear that officials are using her case to make an example, and aren’t remotely interested in treating McDowell’s situation in a just and compassionate way.

McDowell’s supporters, including Morris, agree that the quality of A.J.’s and every other child’s education should not be determined by ZIP code.

What we need now is not well-meaning mothers being dragged into court on felony charges for trying to do what’s best for their children’s educational well-being.

What we need is action in every state to ensure that all children, regardless of where they live, have access to school systems that provide top-notch early childhood education, highly effective and qualified teachers, a college preparatory curriculum, and the best instructional materials available. We commend Rep. Morris for his leadership.

What Kind of Society Attacks Its Teachers?

by Molly A. Hunter, Director of Education Justice, Education Law Center
What kind of society turns against its own school teachers? They are not the bankers or hedge funders. They did not cause the economy to crash.

These caring and dedicated professionals earn modest salaries and benefits, and most work hard. Let's remember, they are tasked with the crucial responsibility of shaping the nation's next generation of citizens and workers and parents. They "touch the future."

Suddenly, the richest men in the world, such as the Koch brothers, tell us that breaking teachers unions is urgent! The best way to help students is to fire teachers! Never mind that struggling schools already have high teacher turnover, or that poverty is at the root of many students' struggles.

Why? Denigrating and demoralizing our teachers seems a weird priority.

So, why? Jon Stewart humorously exposed some of the hypocrisy, available here, in a video. Diane Ravitch calls it a "moment of national insanity," here. And, Paul Krugman warns that it's a power grab that could end "government of the people, by the people." He explains here.

Finally, a new report looking at education systems around the world found that, to improve its schools, the U.S. should raise the status of the teaching profession, not lower it.

Important Reading for Teacher Appreciation Week

It would be great if we could all take a moment to say thanks to the 3.5 million teachers that are building our nation’s future one student at a time. After all, today kicks off  Teacher Appreciation Week.  Unfortunately, that’s not enough this year.

Along with our thanks, we need to raise our voices against the growing and harmful assault on teachers and unions and oppose the demonizing rhetoric and blatant mistruths being promoted for political gain.

Education luminaries Pedro Noguera and Michelle Fine’s recent article in The Nation details the assault that teachers and their unions are under on a number of fronts. Leading teacher critics include former D.C. schools’ chancellor Michelle Rhee and state leaders such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who slashed school aid by $1.2 billion while refusing to comply with a court-mandated formula for school funding equity – both often demonizing teachers to advance their case and neither making any substantive progress in their education systems during their tenure.

No doubt speaking for many colleagues across the nation, veteran California teacher Kathie Marshall doesn’t hold anything back in her Washington Post education blog about what outrages her these days—as she faces such attacks and, at the same time, staffing cutbacks in her high-needs middle school that is beating the odds and improving test results.

While blaming teachers’ unions may be popular with conservatives, it is wrong, says Diane Ravitch, author of The Life and Death of the Great American School System. As she pointed out in a recent National Public Radio interview.  “[Unions] are not the problem. The state with the highest scores on the national test, that state is Massachusetts, which is 100 percent union. The nation with the highest scores in the world is Finland, which is 100 percent union.”

The Opportunity to Learn Campaign expresses deep appreciation to all the teachers who are working so hard every day.  And we’re proud to be a part of what Noguera and Fine call  “…the rumble of solidarity, with parents, teachers, labor and youth taking back what is rightfully theirs—public schools and democratic public education.”