Category Archives: Early childhood program design issues

The power of local coalitions: Kalamazoo’s progress on pre-K

Posted on February 24, 2015 by timbartik

For my speech on Monday February 23rd to the Kalamazoo Rotary Club, I looked more in-depth at state and local statistics on pre-K enrollment. Due to expanded state funding, the percentage of Michigan 4-year-olds in state-funded pre-K has increased from … Continue reading →

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Increasing quality in preschool through accountability and mentoring

Posted on October 9, 2014 by timbartik

One important issue discussed in my new book, From Preschool to Prosperity, is what can be done by government to increase the quality of local pre-K programs. Although there is good evidence that a wide variety of state and local … Continue reading →

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Should early childhood education be financed by state governments, the federal government, or both?

Posted on October 8, 2014 by timbartik

One important governance issue discussed in my new book, From Preschool to Prosperity, is whether pre-K and other early childhood programs should be primarily financed by state governments or the federal government. I’m a political pragmatist. I think either approach … Continue reading →

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What are the costs of a full-scale commitment to early childhood education?

Posted on October 7, 2014 by timbartik

In my new book, From Preschool to Prosperity, I outline a specific proposal, backed by research, for a full-scale early childhood program. This program consists of three components: (1) universal full-day pre-K for all 4-year olds; (2) income-targeted full-time, full-year … Continue reading →

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My article with Elaine Weiss in Huffington Post on pre-K as part of pro-children strategy

Posted on September 30, 2014 by timbartik

In a recent article in Huffington Post, Elaine Weiss and I discuss pre-K’s potential as part of a pro-children strategy. Elaine Weiss is National Coordinator of the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education at the Economic Policy Institute. The article describes … Continue reading →

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My article for Bridge magazine on Michigan’s pre-K program published September 30

Posted on September 30, 2014 by timbartik

My article for Bridge Magazine on Michigan’s pre-K program was published on September 30.  Bridge Magazine is a publication of the Center for Michigan, a non-partisan organization that examines policy issues connected with Michigan’s future. To sum up the article: … Continue reading →

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Earlier intervention has greater effects in changing a child’s life course, but not always a higher benefit-cost ratio; both are important

Posted on September 25, 2014 by timbartik

In my new book, From Preschool to Prosperity, one issue I discuss is how the returns to high-quality early childhood programs vary with what child ages are targeted by the program. One popular notion is that the earlier the intervention, … Continue reading →

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Where is the weight of the evidence, and the burden of proof, for targeted vs. universal pre-K?

Posted on June 20, 2014 by timbartik

The Hamilton Project has released a useful e-book that presents evidence on selected anti-poverty policies. This includes some discussion of pre-K programs, by Elizabeth Cascio and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach. The Cascio/Schanzenbach chapter argues for expansion of high-quality targeted pre-K.  My … Continue reading →

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

What do we know about pre-K peer effects?

Posted on May 21, 2014 by timbartik

A recent opinion piece by David Kirp in the New York Times argued that it makes no sense to put low-income children in income-segregated pre-K programs, as we do in the Head Start program, because of the importance of classroom … Continue reading →

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The importance of education, and a pre-K experiment to watch

Posted on March 13, 2014 by timbartik

Two articles recently came to my attention that are of considerable relevance to early childhood education. First, New York Times reporter Eduardo Porter has an article and interview with economist Thomas Piketty on growing economic inequality. Piketty is the author … Continue reading →

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