Educate Our Way to a Better Economy by J.M. Holland

Arne Duncan, the new Secretary of Education, just gave everyone who reads this blog a hint as to where his priorities are in education. On NPR yesterday he said, "We need to educate our way to a better economy." He went on to mention early childhood investments and the "moral imperative" to educate our children better. As I have written before, pre-k has been consistently presented as an effective long term investment in human capital, just the type of economic reforms that the country is looking for now.

According to Dr. Timothy Bartik of the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research (2006), while investments in luring businesses can create large financial gains for a state in the short term these benefits are likely to plateau after several years. However, after an initial short-term increase in jobs by creating preschool classrooms, a time release earnings boom begins to tick when a state invests in voluntary preschool. Bartik also suggested that the return to the state may be less than the return to the nation because 2/3 of state program participants are likely to leave the state in the 12 years that it would take to realize the return on investment. But this benefit to the nation, in terms of higher income and less stress on social services also suggests a stronger federal role in funding preschool initiatives.

While some are more interested in the short term increases of tax cuts I will  put my money on the reliable bet, our children.

Duncan was hesitant to say whether he thought NCLB should be reauthorized or "rebranded" as a new reform. Barack Obama has also talked about a new direction for education. In his inauguration speech he talked about development and innovation.

According to a Chicago Tribune article, at his confirmation hearing in January, Duncan said he and President Obama would improve early childhood education in the United States. "There's nothing more important that we can do to get our children off to a great start in their life." He also said, "quality education is the civil rights issue of our generation." 

Please take the time to visit the Pre-K Now website and find out how to support pre-k in your area. It is a great place to learn how to take part in what is shaping up to be the time when early childhood education will come into its own in America.

Comments

[Vanessa]

Unfortunately, all of the buzz about the impending increase in funding of EC comes too late for my district. They are cutting our successful full-day pre-k program back to half-time for next year due to a $13 million budget shortage. It was sad to watch the First Lady's remarks from the Dept of Ed this week, she spoke of the importance of EC. We're hearing that help is ont he way and things will change, but it's too little too late for us.