Is Zero to Five Possible?
Pre-Kindergarten Research BlogArchive for March 13, 2009
5) Examining Obama’s Education Numbers*
Examining Obama’s Education Numbers (National Public Radio, March 12, 2009)
President Barack Obama asserts that we need to improve our public school systems starting with early childhood education to get almost $10 back for every one dollar invested, but economists believe this and other statistics Obama used exaggerate our current education problems to persuade the people to approve of his investing $5 billion in education.
Topic: zero to five
Location: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101823886
Category: Mainstream Journalistic Multimedia
What is it? An NPR broadcast/radio program.
Publication Information:
National Public Radio
March 12, 2009
Author: Larry Abramson; Hosts: Robert Siegel and Michelle Norris
Location: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101823886
Accessed: March 12, 2009
Support:
Robert Siegel, host on NPR
Michele Norris, host on NPR
Larry Abramson, NPR employee
President Barack Obama
Rob Grunewald, Economist, Federal Reserve Bank, Minneapolis
Mr. Gerald Bracey, blogger
Mr. Jay Greene, Senior fellow at Manhattan Institute
Hosts of NPR introduce interviewer author who questions experts and comments on inconsistencies between facts and Obama’s claims.
Audience and Agenda:
NPR reaches approximately 26 million viewers weekly. This privately owned, not-for-profit, membership organization produces 130 hours of original content weekly. NPR, partnered with 860 private radio stations, has the potential to reach all Americans. A lot of Americans feel too busy to read and want information by listening instead. After they listen, if they feel strongly about a story, they can engage by writing on the NPR blog. Additionally, NPR adheres to a strict code of ethics claiming that their coverage is “fair, unbiased, accurate, complete and honest.”
Usefulness:
This document was created in response to a speech given by Obama to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. This source is useful because it put the speech previously mentioned in perspective and encourages you to take a second look at what the president says. Some Obama’s powerful claims can be clarified and verified in David Kirp’s book, The Sandbox Investment where based on research done for the Perry Preschool Program, in part preformed and presented by Larry Schweinhart, showed that when Obama claimed that the return on each dollar invested would be nearly $10, he actually meant $7.16.
Works cited:
5)How Our Schools Should Be
How Out Schools Should Be (Whitehouse.gov/blog,February 4, 2009)
Summary: This photograph depicts President Barack Obama spending time at a charter school.
Topic: zero to five
Category: Government Institutional Still Image
What is it? online photograph
Publication Information: (Whitehouse.gov, February 4, 2009)
Photographer: Boghosian, Joyce N.
Location: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/how_our_schools_should_be/
Accessed:
February 15, 2009
Support:
None
Audience and Agenda: This is a government publication that reaches American citizens. It was government funded and might show biased to the current administration.
Usefulness: This source is useful because it shows the enthusiasm that Obama has for the education efforts. The drive Obama has to improve education in this source is consistent throughout Obama’s campaign, as shown in his campaign plan and his recent address to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Works cited:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/
4) Major Findings from Perry Preschool Study
Major Findings from Perry Preschool Study (highscope.org, 2005)
Summary: This source illustrates that universal preschool will decrease crime rate and increase school performance
Topic: zero to five
Category: Academic Still Image
What is it? A graph printed on highscope.org
Publication Information: Highscope.org, 2005, Michigan
Author: unknown
Location:
http://highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=219
Accessed: 03/7/09
Support:
None
Audience and Agenda: Highscope.org has over 15 thousand visitors monthly. Its goal is to relay accurate information to policy makers to accomplish its mission to lift lives through education.
Usefulness: This source will be useful to easily show the difference that preschool makes long term difference. It shows that students who attended quality preschool will perform better in school, have higher IQs, commit fewer crimes, and earn have higher paying jobs than those who did not. It demonstrates the claims that Larry Schweinhart made based on his research in The Perry Preschool Program. This source shows the evidence of the claims made in the movie “Say Yes, Now!” It doesn’t go into detail on the methods used in the study, but the study supported in The Sandbox Investment, an academic source.
Works cited:
Thttp://www.quantcast.com/highscope.org
3) The State of Preschool
The State of Preschool (NIEER.org, n.d.)
Summary:
This source shows Oklahoma as the strongest state for funding universal preschool for 68% of 4-year-olds, and all the other states fall below 51%.
Topic: zero to five
Category: Non Profit Institutional Still Image
What is it? a choropleth map
Publication Information: NIEER.org, n.d. USA
Author: unknown
Location:
http://nieer.org/mediacenter/pressimages/PercentStatePreK.jpg
Accessed:
03/15/09
Support:
None
Audience and Agenda:
The audience who views this will include state policy makers who can see where their state falls among preschool availability. It shows how far we need to go to get a
Usefulness:
It shows how far we need to go to get a quality, accessible preschool. It also shows that it is possible and what states to look to for examples both good and bad.
Works cited:
http://nieer.org/about/
2) More Children, Less Money
Title:
More Children, Less Money
Summary:
The graph shows that as the percentage of children in state-financed prekindergarten programs has increased, the funding per-student has decreased.
Topic: zero to five
Category:
Non-profit Institutional Still Image
What is it?
Online graph
Publication Information:
National Institute for Early Education Research (New York Times, October 10, 2007.)
Author:
Charles M. Blow
Location:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/10/27/magazine/28wwln.350.664.jpg
Accessed:
February 21, 2009
Support:
None.
Audience and Agenda:
The New York Times‘ readers via nationwide circulation and online readership over 14 million yearly.
Usefulness:
This image is useful because it shows recent trends in state-financed prekindergarten programs. It can be used to argue against increasing availability for preschool in New York based on the article in TIME called “Preschool for Everyone,” because the quality decreases.
Works cited:
http://www.nytimes.whsites.net/mediakit/
