1. Many Happy Returns: School boards and pre-kindergarten Patte Barth, Center for Public Education Federation Presidents’ Retreat August 16, 2008 The Center for Public Education

2. Agenda Why pre-K? School boards & pre-k CPE’s pre-k initiative Making pre-k work Federal advocacy questions

3. Why pre-K?

4. Poor children start school behind their more affluent peers academically … Source: NCES, America’s Kindergartners, Class of 1998-99, February 2000 Percent of students scoring in top quartile

5. … and socially Source: NCES, America’s Kindergartners, Class of 1998-99, February 2000 Percent of students who engage in pro- social behavior often or very often

6. High-quality pre-k is NOT High pressure Mandatory Low-quality/concerned only with access Academic only One size fits all Only in schools Closed to parents A silver bullet High-quality pre-k IS Fun – “can I go to pre-K?” Concerned with children’s social/emotional/academic development For all plus more for high- needs children Often in diverse settings Welcoming to parents too Absolutely voluntary Essential but not sufficient Adapted from Pew Charitable Trusts, 2006

7. The benefits of pre-k convey to all children Source: Cannon & Karoly, Who Is Ahead and Who Is Behind? RAND, 2007. Data from Gormley et al, 2005. Effects of Tulsa Preschool Program on School Readiness by Race & Ethnicity Effect Size (gains)

8. The benefits of pre-k convey to all children Source: Cannon & Karoly, Who Is Ahead and Who Is Behind? RAND, 2007. Data from Gormley et al, 2005. Effects of Tulsa Preschool Program on School Readiness by Family Income Effect Size (gains)

9. Short-term benefits More likely to score higher on math and reading state tests in elementary school Less likely to be retained in grade Less likely to require special education services Sources: High Scopes/Perry Preschool, Abecedarian, Chicago Child-Parent Centers

10. Long-term benefits More likely to earn high school diploma More likely to be employed More likely to earn high wages More likely to be home owners Less likely to be a teen parent Less likely to be involved in criminal justice system Sources: High Scopes/Perry Preschool, Abecedarian, Chicago Child-Parent Centers

11. And it adds up: Gains per $1 invested SOURCE: CED, 2006

12. Access to pre-k varies by family income Percent of 4 year-olds Source: NCES, Pre:school: First findings, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort Follow up, 2007 47 57 72

13. Access to pre-k also varies by race & ethnicity Percent of 4 year-olds Source: NCES, Pre:school: First findings, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort Follow up, 2007 60 62 50 6160

14. School boards and pre-k

15. School board view: Why pre-k SOURCE: NSBA, school board survey 2006

16. School board view: Challenges to providing pre-K SOURCE: NSBA, school board survey 2006

17. School board view: Impediments to starting pre-K SOURCE: NSBA, school board survey 2006, views from districts that do not currently provide pre-k

18. CPE pre-k initiative Making pre-kindergarten a public priority Intensifying efforts in partner states: Kansas, Ohio, Texas. We hope to add Alabama and Kentucky Reaching out broadly to other states and nationally

19. Action in the partner states Kansas – holding broad-based community meetings, working with the governor, expanding pilot projects Ohio – outreach to members, making P- 12 case Texas – taking lead role in TX early ed coalition, working to expand eligibility

20. Making pre-K work

21. Universal vs. Targeted Arguments for universal: all children benefit – no one is denied access broader base of support for program Arguments for targeted: high-needs children benefit the most costs less

22. Mixed delivery vs. Public school pre-k Arguments for mixed delivery maximize community resources less threatening to private providers Arguments for public school pre-k less concern about quality control less concern about “backdoor vouchers”

23. Full-day K vs. Pre-K Arguments for full-day K schools already have the children easier to find certified teachers easier for working parents Arguments for pre-K readiness gaps are present at age 5

24. A federal role

25. NSBA’s Pre-K Legislative Committee Advocates for federal pre-k agenda to include more investment in high-quality pre-k Includes over 300 NA, FRN and CUBE representatives at present

26. NSBA’s Federal Policy Recommendations New federal grant program to fund portion of costs to develop and expand voluntary quality preschool programs in local school districts. Key caveats: –School district participation discretionary –Parent/student participation discretionary –Not at expense of K-12 funding –Doesn’t foster vouchers

27. NSBA’s Federal Policy Recommendations (cont.) Programs adopt developmentally appropriate early ed standards aligned with state’s K-12 standards. Require outside pre-k providers to collaborate with local districts. Encourage states to upgrade teacher certification / licensure systems to include BA & early ed training

28. NSBA’s Federal Policy Recommendations (cont.) Devote resources to districts to develop / implement joint training and professional development programs for early ed instructors. Tools / incentives to replicate effective models and improve program quality.

29. State trends in Pre-k Access AND Quality

30. Access 38 states fund pre-k programs 22% of all 4-yr-olds enrolled in state pre-k – up from 14% in 2002 2/3 of children served are in public school settings Source: NIEER, 2006 & 2007

31. Access to state pre-k Four-year-olds Top StatesNo program OK 73% FL 62% GA 58% WV 55% VT 54% TX 49% NY 45% WI 44% SC 44% MD 40% AK NH HI ND ID RI IN SD MS UT MT WY SOURCE: NIEER, 2007, includes special education students

32. Pre-k funding by state, FY09 Orange: increaseBlack: decreaseTan: Flat* inc. HeadStart or local only Blue: Inc, expectedWhite: no state pre-kGray: no budget Map: Pre-K Now, 2008

33. More state dollars for pre-k despite pinched budgets FY 2005FY 2009* # of states increasing pre-k funding1521 Total state pre-k dollars$2.9 billion$5.2 billion *Governors’ proposals. Source: Pre-K Now, Leadership Matters, 2008

34. NIEER’s 10 quality indicators Early learning standards Lead teachers with B.A. Lead teachers with early ed training Ass’t teachers with CDA Min. 15 hrs PD Max. class size of 20 Min. staff-child ratio 1:10 Health support Min. 1 meal Site visits Source: National Institute for Early Education Research

35. States meeting standards 2 states – AL and NC -- meet all 10 indicators 8 states – AR, IL, NJ, NM, OK, SC, TN & WA - met 9 quality indicators Source: NIEER, 2007

36. Nationally… 22 states required lead teachers to have BA 33 states required class size ≤ 20 34 states required child/staff ratio 10:1 or better Source: NIEER Yearbook 2007

37. Pre-K newsletter

38. Visit our website www.centerforpubliceducation

39. questions?

40. For more information … Center for Public Education www.centerforpubliceducation.org www.centerforpubliceducation.org or email me Patte Barth, pbarth@nsba.org