Heckman on Our Minds
Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman--and his research on early childhood education--have been very much in the news in recent months. In late August, authors from the Reason Foundation distorted this research in a Wall Street Journal hit job claiming that pre-school actually harms children.
Heckman, a strong supporter of early childhood, quickly called them out on their distortions, and researcher David Kirp followed suit a few days later. In Sunday's New York Times Magazine, Paul Tough cites Heckman's conclusions that "specific interventions in the lives of poor children can diminish" the skill gap that separates them from their wealthier peers, "as long as those interventions begin early (ideally in infancy) and continue throughout childhood."
In late July, David Brooks drew on Heckman to underscore the importance of closing the gaps that divide poor from wealthy children even before they enter school. In late June, we interviewed Heckman about his support for the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education, which includes early childhood in a program that combines ambitious school improvement strategies with out-of-school supports for student achievement.
The increased use and misuse of Heckman's research is one sign among many that high-quality universal early-childhood education is gaining traction. It will be interesting to see how it fares after the election.
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A Village Route to Early Childhood Education
In the 1990s, we at Davenport Community Schools noticed a trend: Children were coming to kindergarten unprepared to learn. A troublingly low number of our district’s children (more than half of whom receive free or reduced price lunch) had preschool experience. Recognizing the importance of early childhood education in ensuring students are ready to succeed in school and life, we developed the Children’s Village, which includes formal preschool classes and all-day, year-round programming serving children from six weeks to five years old. Today, when a Children’s Village student arrives for the first day of kindergarten, the teacher can say, “This child is ready to learn.”
With early childhood education, students learn more, teachers accomplish more and taxpayers get more for their education tax dollar. But it takes all our students, teachers, staff, administrators, parents and partners to make the Children’s Villages a success. Indeed, it really does take a village to ensure quality early childhood education. Read more
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