some thoughts on a Saturday morning
which started with the book I am reading. It is by David Kirp, who is at the Goldman School of Public Policy at Cal Berkeley, and bears the title Kids First: Five Big Ideas for Transforming Children's Lives and America's Future. I am well overdue to review it (for another site), which is why I am currently reading it. A couple of things jumped off the pages for me.
First, the structure of the book is around five themes Kirp believes that together can make a huge difference in getting the best results for all our children. These are
1. Give new parents strong support
2. Provide high-quality early education
3. Link schools and communities to improve what both offer children
4. Provide mentors to youngsters who need a stable, caring adult in their lives
5. Give kids a nest egg that helps pay for college or kick-start a career
Some of these fall outside the traditional bounds of what we think of when we consider education. What I like