Monthly Archives: September 2011

Another take on Head Start

Posted on September 30, 2011 by

A just-released paper, by Chloe Gibbs, Jens Ludwig, and Douglas Miller, provides a somewhat different analysis of recent research on Head Start, and its implications for policy. (Unfortunately, for many potentially interested readers, the paper is probably not available for … Continue reading →

Posted in Early childhood program design issues, Early childhood programs | 2 Comments

Why early childhood programs needn’t wait for school reform

Posted on September 27, 2011 by

One argument you sometimes hear against early childhood programs is that these programs won’t work unless we have good K-12 systems. Therefore, the argument goes, early childhood programs shouldn’t be vigorously pursued unless we can simultaneously pursue K-12 school reforms. … Continue reading →

Posted in Early childhood program design issues, Early childhood programs

Why the goal of local economic development should be higher earnings per capita, not job growth, and why it matters

Posted on September 22, 2011 by

Developing good local economic development policies depends in part on having the right goals. Many economic developers and policymakers see economic development as being about increasing local job growth. But increasing local job growth is not a sound goal for … Continue reading →

Posted in Business incentives, Distribution of benefits, Early childhood programs, Economic development, Incentive design issues, National vs. state vs. local

The fading and re-emergence of preschool’s effects

Posted on September 21, 2011 by

In some of my recent presentations, I have been using a slide that shows how preschool’s effects, even when they fade in test score effects as students progress in K-12, can re-emerge even stronger in effects on adult outcomes.  (For … Continue reading →

Posted in Early childhood program design issues, Early childhood programs | 1 Comment

Soft skills and educational reform

Posted on September 19, 2011 by

Paul Tough, who wrote the wonderful book “Whatever It Takes” about Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem Children’s Zone, has a good article in the September 18 New York Times magazine.  The article looks at how both a top private school … Continue reading →

Posted in Early childhood programs, Uncategorized

Top 5 reasons why investing in early childhood education can drive better local job creation

Posted on September 16, 2011 by

In understanding the connection between early childhood education and local economic development, I think that people intuitively get how early childhood programs can lead to a “better path” of skills acquisition. People intuitively understand from their own experiences, and those … Continue reading →

Posted in Early childhood programs, Economic development | 3 Comments

Preschool teachers and President Obama’s jobs proposal

Posted on September 13, 2011 by

There have been some blog posts about making sure that early childhood programs are included in any new jobs legislation.  It is therefore important that the just-released (on September 12) text of the “American Jobs Act” proposed by President Obama … Continue reading →

Posted in Early childhood program design issues, Early childhood programs, National vs. state vs. local | 2 Comments

Interpreting the conflicting evidence on Head Start effectiveness

Posted on September 12, 2011 by

The evidence on the effectiveness of Head Start is mixed. On the one hand, the recent random assignment study of Head Start found that test score effects of Head Start mostly disappeared by the end of first grade. On the … Continue reading →

Posted in Early childhood program design issues, Early childhood programs, Local variation in benefits, National vs. state vs. local

Obama’s jobs plan

Posted on September 9, 2011 by

President Obama proposed a $450 billion jobs plan in his address to Congress on September 8. Several reporters have asked me for my opinion on this plan. I think this plan is best described as an ambitious, “kitchen sink” approach … Continue reading →

Posted in Business incentives, Economic development, Incentive design issues

Job creation policies: Minnesota’s MEED program vs. Georgia Works

Posted on September 2, 2011 by

There is a huge need for job creation in the U.S. Given the length and severity of the recession, we are short around 12 million jobs compared to what would be needed to be at pre-recession labor market conditions. I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Business incentives, Economic development, Incentive design issues, National vs. state vs. local | 3 Comments