It’s that time of the legislative session. Bills need to be moving out of their committees of origin. Budget writers are teeing up the next phase of the session. And all hell is breaking loose. If the legislature were cheese, we’d be serving fondue. Because it’s meltdown city all up in here. I’m not enjoying this mess, oh, no. But I am enjoying this mess, if you know what I mean.

And how could you? I’ve not even given the news that amuses just yet. (Snark alert. Yes, it’s surprising. I know. But it was not a good week for taking all of this so very seriously. You may find your news with a little more than the average snarkicity.)

Tuna Melt on Wry:  I’ve worked the halls of a state legislative session where the only thing that stood between a bill getting passed out of committee and likely the floor of the Senate was a Senate aide who “misplaced” the formal bill documents behind a radiator in a Capitol restroom. I’ve been in the hallways at three a.m. when real compromise is being worked out because folks see a way forward through the middle. But that fish you smell is the two ed reform bills put forward by Rep. Pettigrew and Senators Tom and Litzow being held hostage by leadership that doesn’t want to upset the union. Yes. I know it’s shocking. Not that this is happening. Oh. Heck. That happens every session. No the shocker is that anyone would say it. Like Lynne Varner said it. Preach, girl! (technically, it was the Times Editorial staff, but not technically, it was deeply informed by Varner’s work.) Want some more truth with that brunch mimosa?  We can’t pass a teacher/principal evaluation bill with teeth – evaluations have meaning in terms of employment – because the bill committee leaders want to put forward is the product of some kind of deal worked out with the union and that’s the bill that the “leadership” is comfortable with. And the problem with that, friends, is that anybody gets “comfortable.” We’ve been way too comfortable for a really long time. And we have a pipeline to poverty and prison for our kids of color and disadvantaged kids to show for it. That’s not a flag I’m going to continue to salute.  No one should.

One guy who wouldn’t put up with it is former Louisiana schools chief, Paul Pastorak. He was in town this week to share the learnings from Post-Katrina New Orleans and to put a little pep in our step (and a little bit of boot in our behinds.) His words of advice: This isn’t a battle. It’s a war. A war for kids who don’t have much of a chance otherwise. Fight like it matters. (I’m paraphrasing here, but the sentiment was the same.)

As for the rest of Olympia, what’s dead and what’s alive are separated by the invisible will of a legislator who will continue to fight for something. Unless its necessary to pass the budget, in which case, it’s alive because of the invisible will of a legislator who will continue to fight for something. WaKids died an unfortunate death – the expansion statewide – due to budget concerns and other inferences from folks who either didn’t read or don’t care about the State’s application for Race to the Top  early learning funds. The quality rating system necessary to implement the Race to the Top plan is still alive (QRIS) and as long as the folks at the Department of Early Learning are still able to fog up a mirror, I think we’ll be ok. But as they say in baseball and opera, it ain’t over til the fat lady sings.

Speaking of early learning, check out the increasing awareness of the importance of PreK – 3, nationwide. Washington – commonly considered a laggard in many of the ratings on education change – leads in this area, and could be an incubator for new ideas and initiatives. (If we can get out of our own way in the statehouse.) The Education Commission of the States lists Prek-3 at the top of its 12 for 12 campaign. (The rest of the list is pretty good too.)

Whack a Mole: Bellevue schools chief, Amalia Cudeiro has resigned from her post. She originally took a leave of absence to care for her sick mother. The text messages had barely hit the inbox over rumors of Seattle’s interim chief, Susan Enfield, heading east to Bellevue when her interest in the position was confirmed. Enfield was in the running for the position when Cudeiro was hired.

Meanwhile, the Seattle School Board will vote Tuesday night on its process for hiring a permanent Superintendent. While I know these things can be sticky and difficult to orchestrate, I’m pretty sure this will look a lot like the Macarena. Forward, back, criss –cross, jump around, hands to head and big finish, everyone…. I’d prefer the Dougie, but I’m not the one choosing. (Related, RIP Don Cornelius. The creator of the one and only dance show we all – all y’all – wanted to be on, Soul Train.)

The Great Beyond:

• The growing costs of higher education received a lot of attention this week. A Senate hearing, WaPo editorial, and a reversal in position  by someone other than the Komen foundation, Sallie Mae found its heart and will no longer charge a fee to student loan borrowers in forbearance.
• Locally, the presidents of Washington’s six publicly funded universities lamented the impact of budget cuts – citing a brain drain as one of the most glaring issues.
• A new report out of Oregon shows that chronic absence is a big problem there. Nearly a quarter of the students miss close to a month of school every year.

That’s it, edu-peeps. This girl is heading to the great outdoors. Thanks for everything you do every day to help our kids. Keep up the good fight.

Crystal Garvin is a mother of three from Bellingham, WA. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education from Whatcom Community College.

I am a stay at home mother of three children. My oldest is an Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) graduate and is currently in kindergarten. She is a model student and helps her peers when they struggle. My second child is a current ECEAP student in her second year of preschool. She enjoys learning and helps in her classroom in many ways, like showing other children what to do during class and encouraging children to use their words when they are upset or need something.

My son is two years old and is in the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers program (ESIT) because he has a social-emotional delay. He is doing well in the program and my husband and I already see improvements. However, we are still concerned. My family has worked really hard to succeed. My husband is the only working person in our family. One year ago, I was also working in my field, but I had to quit because my wage was not enough to pay for childcare. At the end of the day, I owed more than I made. I am a smart woman. I have an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education and I won an award for best student in my field. I want to work, but that is not an option for my family right now.

My husband has worked very hard to get where he is in his career and has done so well that he now makes enough money to put us just above the income eligible limit to qualify for the ECEAP program. This means when my son turns three and is no longer in the ESIT program, he will not be able to go to preschool. This terrifies us because if he is not in a prekindergarten learning environment, any progress he makes with the ESIT program will be lost. Social-emotional skills are skills that have to be practiced and the place to do that is in a prekindergarten class.

I have checked into other preschools in our area and I have not found a preschool that we can afford. If we pass the High Quality Early Learning Act of 2012, we would be able to have our son in an exceptional prekindergarten learning environment and we would most likely pay a fee that we can afford. If my son does not get into preschool, he will not be prepared for kindergarten. No child should have to start school unprepared! No child should be left out of a prekindergarten learning environment because their parents made too much money to qualify for low income programs but were unable to pay private school tuition because they still didn’t make enough money. I urge you to support the High Quality Early Learning Act of 2012 and give all children the chance to succeed!

The Senate Early Learning & K-12 education committee will hear testimony on this bill today at 1:30pm.

LEV has been a firm supporter of investments early learning for many years. If we want to give all kids the opportunity to succeed in life, high quality early is bedrock strategy to do so. From birth to age 5, children go through growth that profoundly influences the course of their lives. Long before they reach kindergarten, children build the fundamental brain architecture that will help them get along in the world.

This is why we, along with our partners at the Early Learning Action Alliance are supporting House Bill 2448 and its companion in the Senate, SB 6449. These bills will establish voluntary preschool program for 3- and 4- year olds in Washington, with concurrent targeted focus on birth to three programs.

Below is a Q&A that can help understand what is, and what is not, in the bill.

Question: Who will be eligible to provide services for the program for 3- and 4- year olds?

Answer: The bill states in Section 2, subsection 3 (a) that:

“Eligible providers may include, but are not limited to, nonprofit, profit, and faith-based organizations; licensed child care centers and family homes; private schools; school districts; educational service districts; community and technical colleges; local governments; tribes; and tribal organizations.”

This bill is about increasing access to high-quality early learning for as many children as possible. The Early Learning Action Alliance wants that to be through a system that encourages parent choice and services that are culturally relevant. We are working on stronger language in the bill around a mixed delivery system that includes a range of providers, goals for proportions of community-based providers in the statewide system and a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process for with contract selection panels that include a diverse range of providers, underrepresented communities, and other experts.

Question: How would this bill impact child care in Washington?

Answer: This bill builds upon state and federal efforts and our current state program, ECEAP, which is a part-day comprehensive preschool, health and family support program for 3- and 4-year old children. This bill does not impact child care licensing; there would be no change to requirements for child care centers or family child care homes based on this bill.

With the universal approach of Washington preschool and the intentional work to strengthen the bill to ensure a mixed delivery system, more families will be able to access high-quality comprehensive preschool services, including in child care settings. In this bill, cost-sharing for the program for families above 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (about $56,000 for a family of four) will mean that more families will have access to choices for their young learners in a range of high-quality settings.

Additionally, some child care providers may braid funding together so that the low reimbursement rate for child care assistance (Working Connections Child Care) combines with funding for preschool (which is part-day) to result in high-quality, full-day programs. This bill will increase the number of child care providers who will be able to use this innovative strategy to offer high-quality full-day services for children. In that case, the new requirements of the bill would apply to either the portion of the day established as Washington Preschool, or to the full day if the provider chooses.

ELAA is working on language that would assure that funds cannot be supplanted or diverted from already-existing programs such as Working Connections or Seasonal Child Care to fund this program. The expansion of universal preschool would build upon the current investment in ECEAP.

Question: With the recent Washington Supreme Court decision in the McLeary case, how can we afford to focus on early learning?

Answer: We can’t afford not to. We need to revolutionize our thinking about the needs of tomorrow’s kids, who have been poorly served by yesterday’s systems. The best time to make a significant contribution to effective financial management of our state’s constitutional obligation to K-12 is to support kids’ healthy development before they enter kindergarten. We know the McLeary ruling will necessitate significant investments; we need to spend money upfront so we spend less in K-12. Research shows that high-quality PreK saves school districts about $3,700 per child over the course of the K-12 years. Children who attend PreK have increased K-12 achievement and decreased rates of special education placement and grade repetition. Additionally, there is $1,000 in savings per preschooler for programs outside the school system, such as health care, drug prevention, child protection, and juvenile justice.1 Savings are even greater when children have access to the right supports from birth. For Washington to raise the bar and close the opportunity and achievement gap so that our state truly provides all children with ample education, we must focus some of our education reform attention on early learning.

Question: What will happen if this bill passes?

Answer: This bill would create a new program in Washington State called “Washington Preschool Program.” The bill is designed to give universal access to pre-k programs to all 3- and 4-year olds in Washington, whose families choose to participate, regardless of income, by 2025. The program would be based on a mixed-delivery system which would include a variety of providers, including FCC providers (see above). Immediate impacts of the substitute bill in development:

• Will push out the deadline for full implementation of the current state PreK program (ECEAP) by 2018 to full implementation of the Washington Preschool Program by 2025
• Convert current ECEAP slots into Washington Preschool Program slots by 2020
• Require DEL to prepare a gap analysis report regarding availability, affordability and access of early learning providers to higher education.

This report will be utilized by the Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) subcommittee assigned to guide the development and implementation of the Washington Preschool Program. The group will make recommendations about the phasing-in of provider requirements and education. The subcommittee will be made up of community stakeholders, including child care providers, Tribes, and Head Start/ECEAP and other experts. The requirements and plan implementation would not take effect until the subcommittee was able to make adequate recommendations to the legislature and the legislature approved of the recommendations.

Empower an Early Learning Advisory Council subcommittee to plan for concurrent phase-in of birth to three programs.

Question: How will child care providers be able to achieve the higher standards given the very low reimbursement rate for Working Connections Child Care?

Answer: Child care reimbursement rates in Washington are too low to expect child care centers and family homes who accept high numbers of subsidized children to reach these new higher standards immediately. At the same time, we recognize we all want children in Washington to get the high-quality early learning they need. We are working to strengthen the bill by including further work to look at the challenges and barriers for child care providers in access and affordability to training and education, and to work with higher education leaders, child care centers, family child care homes, Tribes, and other stakeholders to work towards solutions to overcome these barriers. The phase of implementation will include phasing the standards, considering equivalences as appropriate, and looking for innovative ways to share professional development resources so that more child care providers can offer the high-quality services that children need. The goal of the bill is to ensure a true mixed delivery system, parent choice, and high-quality. We are also working to ensure that any new funding for the Washington Preschool program does not supplant funding for Working Connections or Seasonal Child Care.

The Early Learning Action Alliance will continue its robust advocacy efforts to strengthen child care in Washington. This session, we are working to protect Working Connections Child Care in the budget and promoting a policy bill (HB 2569) to improve Washington’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). QRIS will provide the data to parents about the quality of care available and provide professional development supports to child care in order to improve quality.

Question: This bill expands degree requirements for early learning teachers. Why do that?

Answer: We know that development in the period from birth to five is the most rapid in a person’s life; it makes sense to try to ensure that the professionals guiding that development are well-trained. Multiple studies have shown a positive correlation between higher levels of education and child outcomes in early learning programs.

We do recognize that there can be significant barriers to attaining a degree. We are working to ensure that the bill has provisions to work together with higher education institutions, child care providers, Tribes, and other stakeholders to develop a plan for implementation of the degree requirements that considers capacity at higher education institutions, affordability to attain a degree, and availability of needed courses at non-traditional times for child care providers currently in the field. The group will also consider equivalences as appropriate, and look for innovative ways to share professional development resources so that more child care providers can offer the high-quality services that children need.

Question: Will ECEAP providers be more likely to be awarded contracts in this new system?

Answer: No. This bill includes language for current ECEAP slots to be converted over to the new preschool program in implementation. There is a desire for phasing to happen relatively quickly, over 5-6 years, so that there is not undue confusion about two different preschool programs in Washington at the same time. However, the program will not prioritize specific providers when creating new Washington Preschool Program slots. Instead, the RFP process will prioritize providers who can ensure they can meeting the program requirements, and can provide services in areas of the state with full-day kindergarten services that are currently underserved by ECEAP and Head Start.

As mentioned earlier in this document, for new expansion of the program, we are working on strengthening language in the bill around a mixed delivery system that includes a range of providers. This will include goals for proportions of community-based providers in the system and a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process with contract selection panels that include a diverse range of providers and other experts.

Question: Will providers with a religious focus be allowed to participate?

Answer: Yes. As with any publically funded education program, religious instruction cannot be part of the curriculum during the time of day funded for the preschool program. However, there are publically funded preschool programs in Washington operated by religious organizations that agree to not engage in religious instruction in these preschool programs, and there are publically funded preschool programs renting space from religious institutions. There are also Family Child Care providers and centers who provide publically funded Head Start services on the same basis, so there is precedent for this in our state.

Early this morning, parents, activists, and early learning advocates from across the state were in Olympia to testify in favor of HB 2569, also known as QRIS, at the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee. The passage of QRIS is would mean implementing a voluntary quality rating and improvement system for child care centers and early learning programs. Those childcare centers which choose not to participate would not be included in the rating system. The funding would be provided from Washington’s successful application to the Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge.

Sarah Francis, the founder of MomsRising, spoke on her and other MomsRising member’s difficulties finding affordable high quality care. She cited a story from a member named Leah who wrote, “Quality childcare is difficult to find in Washington state, and affordable quality care is nonexistent.”

April Terry, mother of three, former childcare provider, and our LEV’s early learning organizer, also testified in favor of the bill. In her testimony, she recalled the hardships she went through trying to find childcare for her three children:

“As low income parent, not only was it struggle to find childcare but a high quality one where my children were not only nurtured and safe and provided with an excellent curriculum was even harder.”

She also noted the struggles that many parents continue to go through: “Many parents in today’s economy don’t have the luxury to investigate and interview centers on quality.”

Terry said she support the rating system because “QRIS would stabilize our state’s professional early learning workforce by providing incentives, support and compensation for improving quality of care.”

“QRIS gives parents another tool when deciding where their precious cargo will spend the majority of their time,” she added.

Terry ended her testimony with this question:

“With half of our children ages 9 to 24 months are in childcare or some form of early learning, shouldn’t it be of the highest quality and be easy to find?”

Children’s Alliance has prepared a full QRIS brief which can be accessed here.

Full testimony can be watched below.

Sonja Lennox is a mother of two from the city of Tacoma. She is an advocate for early learning and parent engagement across the state of Washington. She has traveled to Washington, DC and given presentations on the importance of family involvement in children’s education.

Both of my children have attended Head Start. I am truly thankful that I was able to send my children to such a high quality preschool program. My children are both thriving because of their preschool experience. My 15-year-old daughter, Randi wants to be a lawyer and advocate for children’s rights and was just accepted to be a page in the Senate. My son, Danner, who is only five, is going to fly helicopters on a Navy ship.

Research has shown that children who receive high-quality preschool opportunities make significantly greater academic gains, display more positive behaviors, have fewer health problems and are less likely to commit violent crimes and get involved in drug and gang related activities.

Early learning programs like ECEAP and Head Start also provide at least one nutritious meal and snack a day. For some children, this is their only meal. It also provides well child check-ups and dental care so they can learn. This is something children desperately need and some would not other wise receive.

Our children are going to be the future presidents, lawmakers, and teachers. They are going to be the ones to deal with our decisions on global warming, nuclear arms, and the national debt. It only makes sense that we give them the best educational start possible.

Preschool should be expanded so all children can receive quality early learning like mine did. I would like to see a universal pre-kindergarten program that would give all our children the same chance at high quality early learning and support a school readiness program. All children deserve a chance at a better education. It should not be limited to the wealthy who can afford private preschool or the disadvantaged who qualify for programs such as Head Start and ECEAP.

Sarah Ramsdell is a mother of two and lives in the Vancouver, Washington area.

Everyone knows children don’t come with instruction manuals. I imagine, at some point, every parent has wished their child had. Regardless of the lack of an instruction manual, every parent is conscious of the fact that the first years of a child’s life are dedicated solely to learning. From sitting on their own, to taking their first steps and speaking their first word. We are their teachers and caregivers. We delight in each milestone our children achieve. Providing encouragement and support in the form of clapping, snuggles and laughter, to name a few.

There comes a point, between toddler and kindergarten, that we are faced with a choice. Do I send my child to preschool or not? I have heard the term “preschool panic” used. I can relate to that! This is a time where an instruction manual would certainly come in handy! If there were one, it would undoubtedly tell us preschool is vital for the development of our little ones. Not just for the time being but for building life long skills and knowledge. Whether it be at home or in a classroom setting early learning is not something that should be neglected. It is my belief that it sets a solid foundation for both life long learning and life it’s self. The choice depends largely on many factors unique to each family situation. In this case, my family situation.

Technically, I think we fall into the category of “working class.” We aren’t in poverty, we receive no assistance of any kind and are able to pay our bills and put food on the table without struggling most of the time. Something we have worked hard to achieve. Although we are wealthier than most in the world, as almost all in America are, we fall well short of what is considered wealthy or even middle class in this country. It is us and others like us that fall through the cracks all too often.

There are many preschools in my area. So many, in fact, it is quite overwhelming. I’m sure there are informational resources available that would help make an advised decision. The problem is, where do we find them and which ones do we trust? When we place our children in grade school, we know exactly where to go. Even for those who choose to home school, there are several trusted, established programs available. For preschool, unless you qualify for the Head Start program or are wealthy enough to ensure your preschooler gets the early education they need, you are stuck in a sellers market. Make no mistake about it, it IS a sellers market and I find it quite discouraging. From the cost to the curriculum these early learning centers want your business and they will sell themselves and their programs to get your child (and your money) in the door. It is their business, their livelihood and, despite being a “preschool,” the children’s education does not always come first.

There is something inherently wrong with this. We live in the wealthiest country in the world, we have the means to provide early learning for ALL preschool age children. Yet we don’t, despite the fact that much of the rest of the world does. A glaring illustration of one of the many things amiss with the education system in America. As well as social implications that are long lasting and far reaching. We should be embarrassed by our approach to early learning in this country.

All of that aside, I understand how important it is for my child to receive a quality preschool education. It’s a strong foundation for lifetime learning and success. It’s unfortunate that the quantity of preschools does not match the quality of the education needed. However, it is a priority and we will make the necessary sacrifices to ensure our son, Jordan, receives the early learning opportunity he deserves.

Edu-(Snow) – Bunnies,

It’s all snow-tastic up in here at blizzard-ma-geddon central. The land where no moisture goes unnamed, unnoticed or unhyped. Where bike lanes get plowed first. Where power lines snap like Madonna at an awards show. Where an emergency is anytime we can’t get dairy products.  Where there’s no “I” in innovation. … ooooh. But I digress. It was a tough news week unless your name was snow, sleet, ice, or Newt. But in there somewhere were the golden, delicious nuggets than can feed the crusty old ed reformer’s soul. (Yes, haters. I have one of those.)

News, darn it.

Transformers: Neither sleet, or snow, or jack-knifed semis could keep the Senate Ed committee from its hearing on Senate Bill 6202 (SB6202). Witnesses braved the cold and crud to provide testimony on the bill which would create “transformation zones” for failing schools and allow for the creation of charter schools in Washington. The House hears the companion bill today – Friday.  Even as the Senate heard testimony, many of the state’s papers have already given their side of the debate; allow charter schools. (With the Everett Herald holding out – not over merits, but timing) Business leaders and legislators also weighed in. Somehow Twinkies got involved. Trust me, this isn’t the last time you will hear Twinkies and charter schools in the same sentence.  Unfortunately, the PTA forum on charters was cancelled this week, due to weather. Once it’s back on the calendar, circle the date and get out there. The uninformed are misinformed. (If you do take a minute to watch the TVW version of this hearing – and why wouldn’t you – please know that names were changed to protect the innocent. Or guilty. In any case, names were changed. Why? Oh, no you didn’t. Well, because. Sometimes what’s in a name is actually a name and names get mangled. Just ask Team LEV member, Frank Ordway. Mangled.  Like in Fargo.)

Start Early-er: Lest you think that the K-12 is the only part of the education system testing transformation waters, new bipartisan bicameral bills would require universal access to pre-kindergarten. House Bill 2448 (HB2448) would create a free, public preschool system. (The Senate bill is set to be introduced shortly and doesn’t have a number. ) For those of us who believe the earlier you start, the better the results, this bill is good news. It’s also being heard today in the House Ed Committee.

Waiver Wire: OSPI has made public its intent to apply for federal waivers from elements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which many refer to as NCLB (no child left behind). They’re seeking public comment on their proposal – which they need by February 3^rd.   Here’s something to consider: not sure how we consider ourselves as getting kids college and “career” ready when our graduation requirements are in the bottom five of the country. And our graduation rates from these abysmally low expectations are themselves a travesty. But I do go on.

Elsewhere:

• Secretary Duncan wants to take Race to the Top to school districts.
• Teacher pay is the topic du jour in Tennessee and New York, where both are moving to performance-based systems.
• In very unsurprising news, poor kids are getting short changed – this time in Florida.
• While we’re on the topic of money, House GOP’ers introduced a version of ESEA reauthorization that eliminates “maintenance of effort” – a stipulation that prevents massive state and local cuts to education. In this economic environment, we don’t need more incentives for states to cut ed funding.

With my beloved Packers one and done in the playoffs you might think I’d have little or no reason to go on. That Fridays would simply mark the beginning of 48 hours of sad, dark times passed by eating fried foods and drinking light beer from a can. Fear not, followers. I lived through Lynn Dickey, the “MajikMan,” Don Majkowski and Brett Favre throwing the ball to the other team when it counted most for nearly 30 years. This too shall pass. Except the fried food part. Unfortunately. Have a great, safe, and moisture-filled weekend.

If you knew that you could receive anywhere from $7-$16 in return for every $1 you invested, wouldn’t you say, “Sign me up!”?

That’s the kind of dividend that investing in high-quality early learning could pay for Washington state.

Right now, more than 50 percent of our children enter kindergarten unprepared.

By establishing universal voluntary Pre-K for 3- and 4-year olds in Washington, we could see:

~ Increased K-12 achievement and decreased rates of special education placement and grade repetition.
~ Increased graduation rates.
~ Reduction in crime.
~ A savings of about $3,700 per child over the course of the K-12 years.

Tell your legislators to make the smart investment and to continue supporting our youngest students.

Marina is a mother of two from Elma, WA. She works for the Aberdeen School District. She is a graduate of Western Washington University.

My name is Marina Richardson, and my husband Rick and I have two children ages four (soon to be five) and two. My husband works for the state as a corrections officer, and I work for the local school district as a social worker, as well as a juvenile corrections officer as a second job.

I was very excited to start thinking about having my son Ryder start preschool this year. I started researching options within my community early and was shocked to find that we had very limited options. The local school district was only accepting special education students, due to budget cuts. This meant that if I wanted my son to have any preschool education, it meant looking at private options. Here too I was limited; my husband and I both work, but our income is spent every month maintaining our house hold and mortgage. This leaves no money left over at the end of the month for a preschool tuition, not to mention we both make two percent less a month per pay check due to budget cuts.

I continued to look at our options, and the bottom line was that we made too much money to qualify for any kind of reduced tuition or federal programs, yet we did not make enough to pay for a private preschool tuition. Like any good parent, I wanted my child to have the best start in their education, the first step being preschool. Yet the reality for us was that we could not afford it on our income. I cannot tell you how difficult it is as a parent to have to admit that my child’s education was going to be compromised because of money.

After serious contemplation Rick and I decided to rent out our garage to a friend and the money he paid in rent would go to pay preschool tuition. Though this seems to have solved the problem for the time being, having a roommate does not come without its own expenses on my family. Having someone live with us has compromised our family time at times, as well as added additional stress to my family. I know that this situation is not forever; however I will never understand why giving my child a good start to their education has to be so difficult. My husband and I work hard, own a house and pay taxes, and yet it’s not enough to fund my child’s education.

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would establish universal voluntary early learning for 3- and 4- year olds in Washington. HB 2448 would also focus on birth to three programs.

Despite the state’s tough economic situation, there have been highlights in early learning. Many people now recognize that investment in high-quality early learning pays great dividends. Studies show that for every $1 spent, there is anywhere from $7-16 in savings. Last year, the state Legislature passed WaKIDS, a kindergarten transition process that brings kindergarten teachers together with parents and early learning providers to get kids started out on the right foot. Then in December, we found out that Washington was a winner in the federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge.

And now early learning advocates are looking to enhance our state’s offerings once again, this time with HB 2448.

Some highlights:

• Tiered services – education and screening elements for all children with comprehensive services according to need
• Funding based on student population
• Mixed delivery system including  for/nonprofit child care,  tribal governments, and schools
• Parent cost-sharing kick in above 250% of federal poverty level (about $56,000 for a family of four)
• Professional development for provider/teachers
• Evaluation and accountability measures

From birth to age 5, children go through growth that profoundly influences the course of their lives. Long before they reach kindergarten, they build the fundamental brain architecture that will help them get along in the world.

Rigorous research finds that high-quality early education can equip young children with life skills everyone: the ability to pay attention, respond responsibly to stress, and interact successfully with others. It can also boost school achievement, lower enrollment in special education, increase college attendance rates, and build a more just and prosperous state.

We count on kids to grow into healthy, hardworking adults who can maintain Washington’s competitive edge in the global economy. Yet more than half of children entering kindergarten classrooms across our state aren’t getting all they can from their first year of K-12.

If we invest in their first years, we can do far more to prepare our young to be the solid citizens and skilled workers of tomorrow.

Tight budget times demand that we maximize our investments. Short term costs for early education are more than offset by immediate and long-term benefits. If high-quality early learning programs for the most at-risk children were implemented, budget gains in Washington would surpass costs in 10 years or less. (Special thanks to the Early Learning Action Alliance for the summary.)

For those of you who love all all of the details, here’s a pretty good summary of the bill:

High Quality Early Learning Act of 2012

• Amends current law, established by 2SHB 2731 in 2010, which created a preschool program for low-income and at-risk children, to establish a new preschool program with expanded eligibility and modified program components (based on the technical work group’s recommendations);

• Implements the new voluntary preschool program in phases;

• States the legislature’s intent to concurrently phase-in high-quality preschool readiness programs (targeted birth to three and high-quality child care programs);

• Establishes a subcommittee under the Early Learning Advisory Council to develop and report a preschool readiness implementation plan;

• States that upon full implementation in the 2024-25 school year, the new preschool program will be an entitlement for all three and four-year-old children in Washington;

Articulates the following program components:

• All 3 and 4 year-old children are eligible;
• Until implementation is complete, the DEL must implement guidelines for prioritizing eligible children;
• Families with incomes above 250% of the federal poverty-level are required to pay a co-pay (amount set by DEL);
• Allows, but does not require, providers to expend funds on transporting children;
• Requires a minimum of four-hundred and fifty classroom hours to be provided;
• Phases in the requirement for lead teachers to have a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent competencies;
• Limits class-size to 18 children per class;
• Limits the teacher:child ratio to 1:9;
• Provides child health coordination services; and
• Requires DEL to adopt program performance standards or rules for the new program.
• Public and private early learning providers may apply so long as the program is free from religious instruction, activities or symbolism, control or influence during the period covered by the program.
• Existing organizations that receive funding through ECEAP are eligible and encouraged to apply for contract under the new program.
• Requires DEL to award contracts beginning in elementary school enrollment areas [*as defined by school districts], providing all-day kindergarten and where there is lower than average access to head start or ECEAP.

From the Associated Press:

The expansion in public prekindergarten programs has slowed and even been reversed in some states as school districts cope with shrinking budgets. As a result, many 3- and 4-year-olds aren’t going to preschool.

Kids from low-income families who start kindergarten without first attending a quality education program enter school an estimated 18 months behind their peers. Many never catch up, and research shows they are more likely to need special education services and to drop out. Kids in families with higher incomes also can benefit from early education, research shows.

Yet, roughly a quarter of the nation’s 4-year-olds and more than half of 3-year-olds attend no preschool, either public or private. Families who earn about $40,000 to $50,000 annually face the greatest difficulties because they make too much to quality for many publicly funded programs, but can’t afford private ones, said Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University.

And as more students qualify for free or reduced lunch – often a qualifier to get into a state-funded prekindergarten program – many families are finding that slots simply aren’t available, he said.

Continue reading >>>

The news is out, Washington state is one of the winners of the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC). What does it mean, you ask? Washington state, along with California, Minnesota, Ohio, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island will share $500 million dollars to go towards early learning initiatives. That’s a cool $60 million dollars over the next four years for Washington state!

Straight from the Washington state Department of Early Learning, Washington will use the support from the RTT-ELC for several key purposes:

• Expanding the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS), our state’s kindergarten readiness assessment, to include all incoming kindergarteners by school year 2014-15.
• Taking to scale our state’s quality rating and improvement system (QRIS), which helps early learning programs improve the quality of care and education they provide to young children and provides information on quality to families.
• Enhancing the state professional development system by offering awards and incentives to those who work with and care for young children.

As we’ve mentioned many times before, early learning is an extremely important aspect of education. Countless studies continue to show the positive relationship between high quality early learning and closing the achievement gap.

“This incredible opportunity means that the more than 73,000 children who start kindergarten in Washington each year will hit the ground running,” said Department of Early Learning Director Bette Hyde. “We were bold and ambitious in writing our application, and we will be equally ambitious as we use these funds to build the early learning system our children deserve.”

For more information on Washington state’s RTT-ELC application head over to the Washington state Department of Early Learning website.

Washington’s Department of Early Learning has updated its website with legislative briefing documents to help give folks more information regarding early learning programs and services like WaKIDS, ECEAP, and child care costs.

At the site, you’ll find briefing documents ranging from “Why early learning matters?” to “Childcare licensing.” You can also find legislative presentations and highlights.

All of the updated information can be found at the Department of Early Learning’s Government Relations website.

Here’s a small sample:

Child Care Usage for Families that Receive Subsidies

Cost of Child Care

Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS)

Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program

From babbling to sentences, a child takes a fascinating journey as they begin to talk, read, and learn. At the December Queen Anne Science Café, join Gina Lebedeva, Ph.D., of the UW’s Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences to explore how our social interactions shape children’s brains and influence their capacity to learn

Science Cafés bring scientists face-to-face with the general public in the comfortable, lively atmosphere of a neighborhood café or pub. The evening begins with a brief presentation by a scientist, which kicks off an extended discussion session between the scientist and audience. Previous cafés have covered climate science, evolution and religion, robotics, and health care, just to name a few. All Science Cafés are free to the public, open to all ages and no science background is required!

Born to Learn: The Science Of Early Learning
Tuesday, December 6, 2011 – 7:30 p.m.
TS McHugh’s – 21 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA 98109 [map]

Yesterday, Gov. Chris Gregoire proposed $1.7 billion in cuts to state government, while suggesting a temporary sales tax increase to prevent some of the more severe reductions, which include shortening the school year. We wrote that cutting education is the wrong solution for our ailing economy. The Legislature will tackle the budget deficit in a special session beginning on Nov. 28th.

We know that all of these numbers can be difficult to visualize, so our policy team created these budget charts from the governor’s proposal.

You can also view them as higher-quality images: Early Learning | K-12 | Higher Ed

We’ve been talking a lot about the significant benefits of investing in early learning (here, here and here, for starters), and the research just keeps coming to support it. A study published this week clearly shows that better reading in third grade comes from students who have had a combination of pre-k and full-day kindergarten. Benefits of this early education combination can be seen in students from all backgrounds, but gains are the most significant for students of color and students from low-income families.

For instance, students who had attended preschool and half-day kindergarten were 18 percent more likely to show proficiency in extrapolating from what they read than those who had not attended preschool but had attended full-day kindergarten. That number rose to 20 percent for low-income students, 24 percent more likely for Hispanic students, and 25 percent for English-learners.

The study used data from National Center for Education Statistics with specially designed tests that followed more than 21,000 students from kindergarten through 8th grade. For pre-k information, the study relied on reports from parents that their students had attended a center-based day care, like preschool, nursery school or Head Start, the year before entering kindergarten. Because the data comes only from parent surveys, the study did not compare results from different quality pre-k programs. The authors suggest that if their report was able to isolate high-quality pre-k programs, it would likely show an even greater impact of pre-k on student achievement.

Other major findings from the study are:

• Mother’s education still has a major impact on children’s reading scores
• Early education works best as a partnership between providers, parents, schools, school boards and the community
• While full-day kindergarten and pre-k both make impacts individually, together they make the biggest difference in a child’s reading ability by third grade

Read the full study.

Well, it’s one of those Pacific Northwest days that has the makers of anti-depression medication doing a small-to-medium happy dance – with local baristas lacing up their shoes to join in. One of those days where you remind yourself that there are actually sunsets behind the mountains out there beyond the grey clouds and drizzle. Or just take up lunchtime drinking. In any case;

Deep Cuts in the Name of Balance: Washington Governor Christine Gregoire announced her plans this week for filling the new $2 billion budget gap. While her budget blueprint is just a straw man, it has many looking for pitchforks if not torches. She proposed cuts to all day kindergarten, the school year, school transportation, levy support for poorer districts, increases to class size and significant reductions to college funds. And that was just education. If you’re looking for good news, well. … um…. The governor did say she’s open to a revenue package. And, goodness…. Oh, heck. There wasn’t any. She expects – as do most folks – that we haven’t hit bottom yet. Between delays in federal assistance and the European markets there’s not a whole lot to be optimistic about.  Maybe this really is the opportunity for a grown up conversation about revenue in Washington. Maybe we will actually vote to pay for the things we say are important to us, like education and health care. If you’re a believer in Rahm Emmanuel’s creedo – never waste a crisis – there’s a bonanza in here somewhere.

Early Learning, the First, Best Dollar: In the dust-up over the Senate version of ESEA reauthorization, it was easy to miss the rational call for more flexibility in Title I dollars for increased investments to early learning.  Coupled with more accountability and better integrated into the K-12 system, early learning is likely the best dollar spent in education. By one blogger’s standard, by third grade, the academic ship has sailed and along with it opportunities to get kids to an even playing field where school is concerned.  Accountability and high quality are at the heart of the Fed’s new Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge. Is Washington up to the task? Check out the state’s proposal here.

Teacher Evaluation: If you’re a fan of federal regulations and guidelines – and who isn’t – you’ll remember that a core element to the first few rounds of Race to the Top were built on an expectation that states either were using or would start using a multi-tiered evaluation system for teachers and school leaders. States rushed to make changes to their evaluation systems, including how and whether to use student achievement as a part of the evaluation. A year or so into it, the learnings are many. One of the first out of the chute, Tennessee, is full-steam ahead on their new system that measures things large – students mastering content – and small – how handouts get delivered. The system gets knocks and props. Curious about the state of play on the teacher evaluation front? Good news, the National Council for Teacher Quality released a primer where geeks and non-geeks alike can dig in.

Cost Benefit: In this economy, the benefits of gaining a postsecondary degree or certificate are pretty clear. And the future holds more of the same – 2/3 of the new jobs in Washington will require a postsecondary certificate by 2018. But the cost to getting there is becoming more and more of a hurdle. For some students, it’s the need for remedial (developmental) education and for others it’s the financial burden that pose the challenge. Student debt outweighs credit card debt in this country. In an attempt to address the  cost burden, President Obama plans to change the way loans are repaid, basing payments on income.

Many – if not most – community colleges are struggling with the growing influx of students needing remedial education. For the City of New York community colleges nearly ¾ of the students need remedial education in one of math, reading or writing.  Those at greatest risk of dropping out need remedial courses in all three subjects. CUNY has started a program aimed at keeping these students in school with the strategy of getting them caught up quickly. Their intensive – five hours a day for five days a week for a semester – program called START has shown great promise. In addition to the intensity, the cost is right at $75.00.  At three years, the program is still relatively new, but on the surface, at least, it has great promise.

Nose for News: Some additional short bits for your amusement.

• The Tacoma News Tribune goes all charterlicious.
• How much the Tacoma strike cost?
• Who is Chris Eide and what does he want?
• Who is minding our opportunity gap(s)?

That’s it for this week. Get out there and enjoy the one time a year you get to dress up goofy and folks don’t judge you for it.

As you may have noticed, LEV has become a little obsessed with Halloween over the last couple of weeks. And given the really gory details of the Governor’s  state budget proposal yesterday, it seems our greatest fears for Washington’s children are coming to life before our eyes.

We’ve shown you a budget fright fest for the peeple. And we are asking you to send a Halloween card to Congress to urge them to protect early learning funding in the federal budget (It is pretty spooky when the majority of early learning funding in Washington comes from the feds and it is under threat by Congress at the same time the Governor is proposing making some pretty drastic cuts to the little the state does contribute to the pot.)

But enough of the Trick or Trick with our children’s futures. I heard about something recently that was a Treat or Treat for parents and kids. And I thought you might enjoy it.

Have you ever heard of the Switch Witch? One of my colleagues recently told me about this new Halloween tradition that is a scream of a good time. And in my unscientific study so far, everyone who I have shared it with LOVES the idea, especially those under age 7.

After a fabulous night of trick-or-treating, you come home with a bag overflowing with candy and a child or children who are bound to be hyped up for days or even weeks. (A few friends of mine have also moaned about getting into long, drawn-out tantrum battles with their young children over the fate of the candy). But instead of hyped up, tantrum-prone kids, you can introduce them to Mathilda, the Switch Witch.

You see  The Switch Witch and the Tooth Fairy are cousins. And they each have a great love in life. The Tooth Fairy loves to collect teeth. And her best friend and cousin Mathilda loves Halloween Candy. She loves candy way more than any little boy or girl and because she is magical she can never get a cavity. That means she can eat as much as she wants. But to get as much as she wants she has to trade for it. So on Halloween night, after they come home from gathering all their treats, little boys and girls take a couple of pieces of candy for themselves and then they hang their bag of candy on the outside of their bedroom doors. During the night, Mathilda the Switch Witch comes and switches out the bag of candy for a toy. The bigger the haul of candy she gets the bigger the toy she leaves.

*It is really important that you hang the candy on the outside of the door because witches can’t enter kids’ bedrooms. Only fairies can. So even though Mathilda is a good witch, she has to abide by the rules. (this was a rule insisted upon by my niece Roslyn who loved the idea but wanted to be sure that the witch did not come into her room).

Now the Switch Witch is a “real” thing. But I made up most of the stuff above when I first told the story to my niece and nephews earlier this week. My internet searches for the “Switch Witch” revealed very little about it and almost no cannon to draw from (there is not even a Wikipedia entry!). So feel free to make up your own, take from mine, or take from this one cute background story I did find on a random blog. You could even make the Witch steal candy without leaving a toy but that is just plain mean and I advise against it.

So if you are a parent who struggles with all the sugar involved in Halloween, or like another friend of mine, have a child who can’t eat a lot of the candy that is given out – the Switch Witch can be a win-win solution for both you and your children.

This might be the only win-win thing LEV will be able to offer Washington’s families for a while. At least the Switch Witch leaves a toy in exchange for things she takes from us. I have strong feeling there won’t be any toys for us at the end of this long budget nightmare.

Happy Halloween.

Today Governor Gregoire released her “draft” supplemental budget and proposed that the state make major cuts to schools, colleges and universities for the fifth year in a row. The Governor proposes cutting $378 million in state support for schools and $174 million from colleges and universities.

Cutting education jobs is the wrong solution for our ailing economy. This will only make the problem worse.

Already, thousands of good jobs go unfilled because we aren’t educating enough skilled workers. Larger class sizes, fewer courses, and ever-increasing tuition hikes will hurt our students’ chances to contribute to the economy for decades to come.

The Governor’s draft budget proposes increasing class sizes by two students in grades 4-12, and eliminating programs that help struggling students and programs that prepare students for college.

We as citizens must confront deep structural issues that are contributing to today’s economic problems and will slow Washington’s recovery. Our state relies too much on sales taxes. We voters pass conflicting ballot measures that require legislators to fund education, on the one hand, and then I-1053, which prevents lawmakers from fixing our broken tax code, on the other.

We’ll be paying attention and waiting for Gov. Gregoire’s Nov. 17^th proposal. In the meantime, you can learn more about what education cuts would mean to our kids and our state’s future by checking out our edCored series.

If you like five months of rain broken up by intermittent fog and drizzle, it’s your time. The Puget Sound condition known as fwing (fall, winter, spring) is upon us. Enjoy.

Have the Shrimp: If you’ve ever been to a party so bad that you wished for a tiny bit of food poisoning just to have a good excuse to jet, you have a sense for how legislators in Washington must feel. Called back for a post-Thanksgiving special session to remedy what is currently a $2 billion problem (this could get worse after the November 17^th revised budget forecast) their options are grim. They must find the money to bring the budget into balance – but they can’t raise taxes without 2/3 majority – thanks initiative 1053! You are the gift that keeps giving – so cuts are inevitable. Cuts means jobs. And in an economy largely built on sales tax, every lost job means fewer dollars of revenue.  So, to get back into balance, cuts will be made, and jobs will be lost, which means the hole won’t stay filled very long. And we’re out of balance. Admittedly, I’m not an economist, but Ray Charles could see that this is a bad set up.

Worse still is that roughly half the $2 billion hole will paved over with education funds. And by some estimates $350 million of that will come from higher education.  The community college system has already declared a state of emergency. Our major employers ought to consider something similar – with thousands of unfilled jobs and at least a few growth industries in town our higher ed system will be hard pressed to help prepare folks for these jobs without significant increases to tuition, major cuts to courses or radical transformation. Not that change wouldn’t do some institutions good. But flying the plane while you’re building it is usually not advised.  Meanwhile, here on terra firma,  yet another study finds that education is the one, true antidote to poverty.

Racing: This week, Washington joined 36 other states in applying for round III of Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge funds. The state is seeking $60  million, mainly to support its quality rating system.  The Feds have said they’ll award between five and ten grants totaling roughly $500 million. Fingers crossed, prayers said, and just in case, there’s this little doll with pins who bears a small resemblance to the man we affectionately call Mr. Duncan. Wondering why all the fuss over early learning? Here’s why.

Charterlicious: Washington’s long, drawn-out and supremely complicated love affair with education innovation came full circle this week when the state’s PTA (Radicals! Liberals! Conservatives! Centrists! (I’ve secretly longed to be called a radical centrist. Instead, I get things you can’t print in this column) voted to support charter schools as one innovation to remedy struggling schools serving “at-risk” kids.  The issue is far from over  for the PTA, but good on ‘em for at least going there.

Most folks agree that one of the most important parts of ensuring high quality charter schools is accountability which begins and ends with the authorizers. They open the schools and should close the bad ones. A new playbook is emerging for effective authorizing – removing some of that mystical quality to the whole process.

In other places, Green Dot and New York’s UFT have come to agreement on a teacher contract that lacks tenure and seniority based layoffs. Green Dot teachers make more and receive performance bonuses. The contract of the future?

Speaking of differentiated pay, the ProComp system being used in Denver seems to be netting some student gains. A new study finds that the bonus system does correlate to higher student scores and, importantly, is driving changes to the systems of recruiting and data gathering. Interesting that teachers enrolled in the program didn’t always set rigorous student achievement goals, but  when they did, they were more likely to achieve them. Not sure what that says about teachers who didn’t set rigorous goals. But what it does say is there needs to be more consistency in how the goals get set among all teachers.

Last Word: The Harkin/Enzi bill to overhaul ESEA (NCLB) should be DOA. Accountability? Gone. Teacher evaluation? Gone. Transparency in student achievement? Gone. What’s that old phrase about painting lipstick on a pig? Never mind. No reauthorization is better than this reauthorization. Don’t take my word for it.

And with that, friends, get your weekend on. And, yes, say it with me, go Pack.

It’s that time of the week. You can smell the rush hour traffic. Your alarm clock is safely set in the off position in sweet anticipation of an extra fifteen minutes of Saturday morning sleep. And even your most annoying colleague looks ok to you today. The only thing better than Friday is a Friday that’s also your birthday. Am I right? I thought so.

Buy Local: In last week’s coverage of Education Nation, I somehow managed to forget to give a shout out to Renton schools. Their gap closing and achievement raising was the focus of a King 5 piece during edupalooza. Meanwhile, here in Seattle, Danny Westneat throws down over all the “self-loathing” of our schools and points to the successes of the district as proof positive that we’d rather take out our own spleen with a spork than give SPS its due. He’s right. Even your intrepid writer has made not-too-kind comments about district results (I reserve the right to carry on about achievement gaps). But some of the folks running for school board would have you think that SPS couldn’t organize a one car funeral or make change for a dollar if you gave them four quarters.  Lighten up. Give credit where it’s due. And let’s keep moving in the right direction. (p.s. Seattle better pay attention to those races. That’s all I’m gonna say about it today. Other than don’t make me quit you, Seattle. I’ll do it. Just ask Milwaukee.)

Show me the Dough: With a grim economic outlook, is education funding at its zenith? Can we sue our way to a better funded system? Is student debt the next subprime loan? Kind of looks like it.

Teacher Prep: Secretary Duncan is looking to transform teacher preparation, by having Ed schools report on their graduates’ performance – linking student achievement data to the teacher and tracking which schools produce the best and worst performers. A recent study shows how incredibly varied the results from Ed school to Ed school can be.  Speaking of Fran Tarkenton, and I wasn’t,  he opines on what the NFL would look like if players were treated like teachers. Makes me almost like the Vikings. Well. Not really.

Undisciplined Discipline: A new study on student discipline shows  some crazy disparities in how suspensions are handed out. African American students are three times more likely to be suspended than their white counterparts. Folks in the Puget Sound can learn more at our event October 18^th – Schools to Prison Pipeline; turning stories into solutions.

Weekend Reading:

• Are our more academically advanced kids getting the short end of the stick?
• Pew makes some policy recommendations on early learning. Can we make legislators listen?
• Local control, what is it good for?

Alright kids, go have a weekend. It ends with Packers at Atlanta – I usually don’t wish for Sunday night, but I may have to make an exception.

If you were a tree, would you be one of those really annoying trees that dropped nuts that attracted squirrels who dug up the bulbs in my yard? Oh. Goodness. Where was I?

Show Me the Money: With a looming $2 billion shortfall, state legislators are gearing up for a post-Thanksgiving special session sure to make dried turkey and crazy uncle Larry look like an oasis. The governor has asked agency chiefs to send her their initial thoughts about where they could find between 5-10% in their budgets. State schools chief, Randy Dorn, took a pass on the assignment. Submitting budget cuts “would be a violation of my constitutional responsibilities and inconsistent with my oath of office,” he said in a letter to Governor Gregoire. Dorn opposed cuts to education last session and sees the distinct possibility of a train wreck for the education budget in the special session. The governor has said that cuts to education are not off the table. Meanwhile, the two men vying to replace Gregoire answered questions about how to resolve the budget crisis this way; don’t cut education, punt, don’t answer the question, it’s complicated.  It’s not so complicated that a couple of activists can’t start a website devoted to the Washington education budget, though.

College Completion Elusive: This past week, President Obama urged high school kids in Washington, DC to climb the mountain to college. “I want all of you to set a goal to continue your education after you graduate,” he implored. It got a little weird when he said “And if that means college for you…” IF? Seriously? “… just getting into college isn’t enough. You also have to graduate.”  Maybe the POTUS hedged because he’d received an advance copy of the new Complete College America report. College completion rates in this country are about as anemic as the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense. Take Texas. Please. For every 100 kids who enroll in college, 79 will start out in community college and of those a whopping two will graduate on time. Even with extra time, only seven will complete. Think Washington is kicking some Texas booty? According to the report none of the students entering community college, attending part time finished on time. And only two did so with extended time.  Four year schools don’t do much better.(Of the 100 students enrolled in public two and four year schools, 43 start out in 4-year schools. Of the four who were part time, only one graduated) The lesson here is part time college generally means a slow train to nowhere. One could surmise that part time students are those most likely to need to work – low income, middle class and those without a lot of financial support for college going. Take a look at this new report on how admissions officers find the right “fit” for their schools and you might see an even bigger problem on the horizon.  Among the findings, the top priority for admissions directors is recruiting more students who can pay more.

Folks in San Francisco are tackling these issues head on, initiating a Kindergarten to College (K2C) campaign where every kindergartner is automatically enrolled in a college savings program seeded with $50.00. A pretty bold – and positive – step forward for the next generation of global citizens.

Early and Often: With budget belts tightening and short term “solutions” trumping long term transformation, here’s a tidbit that could go unnoticed. Investments in early learning yield huge gains later; for every dollar invested in early learning in the U.S., we save eleven. In addition, no credible strategy for eliminating the opportunity gap can ignore early learning. Not convinced about the importance of early learning and its connection to brain development?  Be persuaded.  Congress has introduced a number of early learning bills, though right now, it’s not clear any will cross the finish line this session.

Odds and Ends:

• Local school closes (opportunity) achievement gap. People notice.
• NBC holds second annual education forum, Education Nation. I must have missed my invite, because everybody else was there. What’s up with that?
• Secretary Duncan releases guidelines for the NCLB waiver process. Judges, death panels, Russian ice skating pairs! Oh my.
• GOP POTUS candidates take aim at NCLB and federal ed policy. (Romney misses and hits Perry’s hair. Film at eleven.)
• To recertify or not. That is the question in this new-normal for Wisconsin unions.
• The Christian Science Monitor weighs in on the Tacoma strike. The title is rather telling.
• Sesame Street goes all STEM.

That’s all for now newshounds. Say a small prayer that Kyle Orton gets out of Lambeau alive. If you have to ask…. I’ll have to show you my cheesehead. Have a fantastic weekend all!