About three weeks ago, I wrote about the JLARC report on pre-kindergarten programs in Virginia. At the time, I mentioned that Norfolk has nearly 1,500 students enrolled in the program, which accounts for about 12% of the students enrolled statewide. Monday’s PilotOnline carried an article which shows that results of pre-K in Norfolk on 3rd grade test scores:
In each of three years, those students passed English and math Standards of Learning exams at a rate between 3 and 5 percentage points higher than third-graders as a whole.
The improved test scores are pretty close to those that the JLARC study found. The pre-K program was instituted in the 2002-2003 school year, making longer comparisons impossible at this point.
Governor Kaine has made pre-K a priority for the upcoming session.
As I said earlier, the data indicates that pre-K has benefits and the state needs to figure out how to best pay for it. The JLARC draft report lays out some possibilities, including parent fees.
Virginia Beach, which, according to JLARC report had about half as many students enrolled as Norfolk, will be releasing its study in a few months.
Gloria Hagans, whose department oversees Norfolk’s prekindergarten program, said the numbers reflect what researchers say about young children’s ability to learn.
“At that age, kids’ brains are sponges,” Hagans said. “The critical stage of brain development is during those years.”
And perhaps this is a part of the solution.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
parent fees, no way! of course it will hit the poor hardiest, think outside the box get private funding maybe a adopt a school program.
The best idea for education is to get the government out of it. That said, if we are going to assume that the state should take responsibility for education (shudder), Pre-K may not be a bad idea.
Having attended both private and public schools at various stages of my life from preschool to graduate school (and a couple of schools overseas), I’m more than a little certain that the “best idea for education” isn’t to “get the government out of it.” It’s to involve parents more. A close second place is increasing an educator’s ability to focus on an individual student’s learning by reducing class sizes, but this alone yields diminishing returns from a cost-benefit perspective beyond a certain point. I’d also suggesting requiring participation in a team or group extracurricular activity at least one season every year (whether it’s football, cheerleading, debate, or yearbook) because my experience is that generally-speaking, students who participate in team activities develop better social skills. And that’s what education is supposed to be all about: helping our children and teenagers develop into responsible, thoughtful, capable adults and members of our community.
I think we should be more considered about the roads and how to finance them without holding up VIRGINIA citizens. Think of all the 18-25 year olds that are going to suffer when they try to get a start in life and get smacked with stiff penalties for driving that they cannot afford and they lose their licenses and utlimately their jobs. I am sick of hearing how teens should drive more carefully, anyway. Give me a break. We were all young once. Think of a better way to finance the road improvements, even if that means a three year old might have to stay home with their mother. Oh my! If anything they should worry more about middle school kids and the drug problem in VIRGINIA. Why take on more debt?
I think we should be more concerned about the roads and how to finance them without holding up VIRGINIA citizens. Think of all the 18-25 year olds that are going to suffer when they try to get a start in life and get smacked with stiff penalties for driving that they cannot afford and they lose their licenses and utlimately their jobs. I am sick of hearing how teens should drive more carefully, anyway. Give me a break. We were all young once. Think of a better way to finance the road improvements, even if that means a three year old might have to stay home with their mother. Oh my! If anything they should worry more about middle school kids and the drug problem in VIRGINIA. Why take on more debt?
Tina – I deleted the second posting because it looked like a duplicate. I hope that is OK.
Not sure what the abuser fees have to do with pre-K, though.
I would like to take this opportunity to declare that I am not in favor driver’s licenses for the pre-K set.
I don’t have time to discuss my earlier comment. I am just saying it is all part of one budget that apparently doesn’t get enough attention from the general public before being decided upon.