Is Zero to Five Possible?
Pre-Kindergarten Research BlogArchive for February 7, 2009
2) My Turn Leave Fewer Children Behind with more Funding
My Turn Leave Fewer Children Behind with More Funding (Oregonian, September 23, 2004)
Summary: Author’s son struggled with language delays that were helped with expensive preschool programs.
Topic: zero to five
Category: Stakeholder, Citizen
What is it? Article found through Lexisnexis database from the Oregonian.
Publication Information: The Oregonian, September 23, 2004, Portland Oregon
Author: Kris Alman
Location: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/siteindex/
Accessed: Feb, 2, 2009
Support:
Kris Alman, mother
This source represents a typical concerned mother trying to provide the best for her family.
Audience and Agenda:
The Oregonian reaches readers throughout the state claiming 1.2 million readers. It is an unbiased publication.
Source Analysis:
Although this comes from the Oregonian, I found this to be a citizen source reflecting on policy. The author has experience with children from being a mother and thinks preschool funding would have helped her, when her child was young, as well as current and future mothers. The Oregonian reaches readers throughout Oregon and nationally.
Works Cited:
5) Benefits of Preschool Don’t Last
Summary: Benefits of preschool don’t last and is proven by the low achievement shown by students participating in headstart school programs.
Topic: zero to five
Category: non-profit institutional
What is it? article on website of cato.org
Title: Benefits of Preschool Don’t Last
Publication Information: cato.org 2000, plublished in Atlanta Journal, Aug. 10, 1999
Author: Darcy Ann Olsen
Location: http://cato.org/research/education/articles/prebenefits.html
Accessed: Feb. 2, 2009
Support:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Al Gore, former presidential candidate and vice president, politician
Edward Zigler, co-founder of Head Start and director of the Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy at Yale University
These sources represent claims and promises for universal preschool from the former presidential candidate, founder of the Head Start program that he claims to be a failure, and a government entity that also claimed it was a failure.
Source Analysis: CATO Institute advocates parent involvement in childhood education and competition in schools. The institute is funded by private donors, foundations, corporations, and by the sale of publications. CATO claims to be classic liberal because the conservative label gives the impression that they are unwilling to change. They work with policy makers on social issues.
Usefulness: This source is useful to show different perspective. It is my first source that offers no support for universal preschool. It shows that Head Start schools are not effective and that is why universal preschool will not be effective. It leaves out information from recent studies, reported by Pre-K Now, from preschool programs shown in other sources and only compares it to head start schools in place.
Works Cited
7 Source Notes: Economic benefits of quality preschool education for America’s 3- and 4-year olds
Summary: Studies showed that educating 3 and 4 year-olds benefits the economy because if students have a better early education, they are less likely to need government funded programs in the future.
Topic: zero to five program
Category: Non-profit institutional
What is it? Fast facts report from National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)
Title: Economic benefits of quality preschool education for America’s 3- and 4-year olds
Publication Information: 2009, nieer.org, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Author: unknown
Location: http://nieer.org/resources/facts/index.php?FastFactID=6
Accessed: Feb. 2, 2009
Support:
Chicago Parent Center, non-profit organization
The Perry Preschool Program, non-profit organization
These sources represent information from official studies done by corresponding organizations that show the long-term economic benefits of preschool.
Source Analysis:
NIEER supports early childhood education by providing non-partisan, research-based information. The organization informs the public in addition to working with state and national policy makers to improve early childhood education. It is funded privately, and started with a grant from the Pew foundation in conjunction with the Rutgers University Graduate school of Education.
Usefulness:
This report shows important statistics regarding economic benefits of early education. It shows policy makers how everyone would benefit from voluntary public preschool. Other studies, one included in an article from the futurist, have been done showing how the economy and America as a whole will benefit from this government funded program. The studies are long-term, being done from preschool to age 20 and cover overall benefits including less money needed for remedial education and welfare. The minor flaw int he information is that some statistics are only estimates, but the estimates are well supported.
Works Cited:
