Obama On Preschool Education: 'Let's Give Our Kids That Chance'
President Barack Obama visited an early education center in Decatur, Ga., Thursday to make his case for dramatically expanding pre-school access. After sharing a classroom with 16 young children -- one of whom asked, "Are you our teacher?" -- Obama elaborated on his State of the Union plan, saying it would give pre-K to every single American child.
"Let's make it a national priority to give every child access to a high-quality early education," Obama said Thursday. "Let's give our kids that chance." A brightly colored banner behind the audience read, "PRESCHOOL FOR ALL."
But that's not exactly what the White House's plan delivers.
"The White House pre-K plan is very different from the signal the president sent in the State of the Union and the signal he's sending by visiting Georgia," Russ Whitehurst, a former federal education official who heads the Brooking Institution's education program, told The Huffington Post.
"Let's make it a national priority to give every child access to a high-quality early education," Obama said Thursday. "Let's give our kids that chance." A brightly colored banner behind the audience read, "PRESCHOOL FOR ALL."
But that's not exactly what the White House's plan delivers.
"The White House pre-K plan is very different from the signal the president sent in the State of the Union and the signal he's sending by visiting Georgia," Russ Whitehurst, a former federal education official who heads the Brooking Institution's education program, told The Huffington Post.
Chicago Public School Closure List Out; More SOTU Preschool Details: Ed Today
Chicago School Drama? Two notable things happened in Chicago Public Schools land on Wednesday. First, 39 or 50 aldermen (code for city councilmen) signed a resolution that calls for a moratorium on charter schoolsnext year. (Sort of similar, ish, to the closure and colocation moratorium several New York City mayoral candidates signed onto.)
More controversially, CPS released a list of 129 schools that could be eligible for closure, notes the Chicago Tribune.. As teacher/commentator Seth Lavin notes, the number of kids in these schools is bigger than the Newark school district, the Cleveland public school system, and double the size of Pittsburgh public schools. And parent activist Wendy Katten notes that these schools currently teach at least 5,792 special-education students.
Can Obama Make Universal Pre-K Happen? On Tuesday night, President Barack Obama made a State of
More controversially, CPS released a list of 129 schools that could be eligible for closure, notes the Chicago Tribune.. As teacher/commentator Seth Lavin notes, the number of kids in these schools is bigger than the Newark school district, the Cleveland public school system, and double the size of Pittsburgh public schools. And parent activist Wendy Katten notes that these schools currently teach at least 5,792 special-education students.
Can Obama Make Universal Pre-K Happen? On Tuesday night, President Barack Obama made a State of
Obama Early Education Plan To Be Detailed In Georgia Speech
President Barack Obama is traveling to Georgia today to press a plan he announced in his State of the Union address to dramatically expand preschool. The plan would include smaller class sizes, better-paid teachers, and exams for 4-year-olds.
While the White House is beginning to circulate details on how to provide every child with preschool, crucial questions, including cost, remain. And because universal pre-K would likely require an act of Congress, questions may prevent the initiative from advancing amid tightening budgets.
As The Huffington Post was first to report in January, the new initiative would focus on providing preschool to 4-
While the White House is beginning to circulate details on how to provide every child with preschool, crucial questions, including cost, remain. And because universal pre-K would likely require an act of Congress, questions may prevent the initiative from advancing amid tightening budgets.
As The Huffington Post was first to report in January, the new initiative would focus on providing preschool to 4-