Category Archives: Early childhood programs

We have experience and research on scaling up quality pre-K

Posted on February 12, 2013 by timbartik

President Obama’s proposal for federal support for moving to universal pre-K for 4-year-olds will no doubt be fleshed out in the near future. As always, the devil is in the details. However, I want to respond to one idea that … Continue reading →

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Michigan Governor Snyder’s proposal for expanded preschool

Posted on February 8, 2013 by timbartik

On February 7, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder released his state budget proposal, which included a significant proposed expansion of state-funded preschool. This preschool proposal recommends expanding the state’s preschool funding from $109 million in fiscal year 2013, to $174 million … Continue reading →

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Link to results of my live chat on school funding and student achievement

Posted on January 31, 2013 by timbartik

I was part of a live online chat today at MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette. The transcript of the chat comments and my responses can be found here. The chat was based on testimony I recently presented to the Kalamazoo School Board. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Early childhood programs | 1 Comment

Michigan Radio’s special on pre-K

Posted on January 24, 2013 by timbartik

I was interviewed by reporter Dustin Dwyer for a Michigan Radio special report on preschool that aired today. The “State of Opportunity” portion of Michigan Radio’s website has an edited transcript and audio of the special, and a guide with links … Continue reading →

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Yes, there is research supporting benefits of preschool for non-disadvantaged families

Posted on January 16, 2013 by timbartik

A recent article by Melinda Wenner Moyer at Slate got my attention with the following provocative statement: “Research suggests that preschool only benefits children from… disadvantaged families.” The article was in the contest of suggesting that affluent New York City … Continue reading →

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There’s nothing new under the Sun

Posted on January 11, 2013 by timbartik

Over the holiday break, and inspired by the movie Lincoln, I read an excellent biography of the well-known Pennsylvania politician Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868), written by the late Hans Trefousse. Stevens is best-known as an abolitionist leader and advocate for black … Continue reading →

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Universal childcare and preschool as a key to improving income mobility

Posted on December 12, 2012 by timbartik

Lane Kenworthy has a great op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor on the need for more government spending on kids. In this op-ed, he argues that  “The single most valuable step lawmakers could take [to increase opportunity for children from … Continue reading →

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Right-to-work laws and state economic development strategies

Posted on December 11, 2012 by timbartik

A high-profile issue right now, especially in Michigan, is the effects of state right-to-work laws on state economic development. As an economic development strategy, the adoption of a state right-to-work law is an uncertain and risky strategy, as I have … Continue reading →

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The secret of political success for pre-K programs

Posted on December 5, 2012 by timbartik

Sharon Lerner has an outstanding article in The American Prospect on universal pre-K in Oklahoma. She highlights how Oklahoma has succeeded in providing both access for all and high-quality pre-K services. Ms. Lerner also provides a valuable brief history of … Continue reading →

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Texas pre-K: what the numbers mean

Posted on November 29, 2012 by timbartik

An excellent recent paper by Rodney Andrews, Paul Jargowsky, and Kristin Kuhn examines the effects of Texas’s state pre-K program.  (Hat tip to Sara Mead, whose blog post alerted me to this study.) This paper by Andrews, Jargowsky and Kuhn … Continue reading →

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