Evidence for the Abbotts
posted by Dyrnwyn on Jun.19.2007 at 12:59 pm
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Monday, June 18, 2007
The Star Ledger
The news is heartening: A study of 2,300 children from the state’s neediest school districts shows children who attended state-funded preschool programs in poor districts did substantially better than other kids in kindergarten.
The study comes at a critical time for those Abbott districts. They are named for the long-running court case in which the state Supreme Court ordered extra funding and special initiatives, including free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds.
The preschool study, by the National Institute for Early Education at Rutgers University, found some academic benefits for children who attended preschool for any time at all. Those who got two years of preschool showed the most benefit.
This information comes at a time when there is much grumbling about the Abbott program in the Legislature and around the state. There is the perception that the state has poured money into those districts without purchasing much academic progress.
The preschool study seems to vindicate the state’s $500 million-a-year investment in preschool for 41,000 toddlers in the Ab bott schools.
It must be noted that the report was written by a team of true believers, including academics who helped create the Abbott preschool program. The study’s good news, however, matches anecdotal reports from school officials who say they see higher standardized test scores among the former Abbott preschoolers, compared with other students, as those children move through the elementary grades.
That is the progress that the Legislature and Gov. Jon Corzine must take into account as they work to make the best use of limited state education funds.
There is no doubt that other school districts, although not as poor as the Abbotts, also have a legitimate, critical need for increased education aid. Somehow the state must find a way to supply that need without penalizing the Abbotts and undoing the progress they have made. Somehow the state must find way to expand preschool opportunities throughout New Jersey.
For their part, the Abbott schools must accept their responsibility to document progress and clearly demonstrate which initiatives and changes are making a difference for their students. They must also prove that if students come to kindergarten with an academic advantage, the schools can help maintain that edge as the students move through middle school and high school.
© 2007 The Star Ledger© 2007 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
Comments
June 19th, 2007
at 1:03pm
I love the way these guys are more than willing to stand on the backs of the private providers in the pre-k sector–taking all the credit for the gains that find their roots in a preschool program that, in practice, is the country’s largest voucher program.
Of course, this has not stopped them from trying at every turn to put these effective providers out of business. Success means nothing to DOE and the other players if it’s achieved by someone who is not “in the public square.”