New research verifies findings of multiple studies that high-quality early care and education helps children prepare for school and narrow the achievement gap, with a strong impact for children from low-income families. A summary of the study, Early education narrows achievement gap, describes the findings of the University of North Carolina’s Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute research. The study indicates that it is advantageous for children to start younger and stay longer in early learning programs.
The study focuses on Educare programs across the country (including Milwaukee’s Educare program, I presume). It finds that high-quality early education boosts the language skills of children from low-income families, and children whose first language is not English benefit even more.
K-12 Education in the Fox Valley
Every student in the Fox Valley region deserves to receive the educational support and resources needed to help them achieve a bright future. Over the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant impacts on students in Wisconsin. These challenges were particularly acute for students who were more likely to be struggling prior to the pandemic, like students with lower incomes, students of color, and students who speak English as a second language. With federal pandemic relief funds drying up, state leaders must ensure schools have adequate resources and that students don’t fall even more behind.
