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Patrick pushes early ed plan
The Herald News, October 26, 2007

Somerset -
At an open public meeting at the high school Thursday night, Gov. Deval Patrick and key members of the state Readiness Project for early education and care described the program as a means of preparing young children for their academic and professional careers by providing universal education for preschoolers.

The Readiness Project was announced in August when Patrick named a council of education experts and business leaders across the state to develop a 10-year plan to improve public education by focusing on early education.

Massachusetts’ education system compares well with other states, Patrick said, but that doesn’t mean things don’t need to change.

“Like with a lot of things, if you simply stay with the status quo while the rest of the world is changing around you, you will be left behind,” he said.

Many details of the proposed early education plan aren’t yet determined. Last month, Patrick appointed more than 150 people to subcommittees of the Readiness Project Leadership Council to address issues that include education technology, private and public education and recruiting and retaining educators. The council will present its plan next spring.

Massachusetts is not only competing with Rhode Island, Connecticut for education but with China, South Korea and other nations, said state Rep. Patricia Haddad, D-Somerset, a member of the Readiness Project Leadership Council.

In a presentation Thursday, the council said more states are beginning to invest additional money in early education programs. Only Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma have universal pre-kindergarten, but 15 states, including Massachusetts, are moving toward those programs, the council said.

A high-quality early education often leads to fewer students needing special education later in life and a higher rate of college graduations, the council said. About 70 percent of children in the state are already enrolled in formal pre-kindergarten programs, typically community-based programs, and 81 percent of school districts offer full-day kindergarten, the council said.
Those that charge tuition in the state for full-day classes average $2,500 a year. “If it’s not affordable, it’s not universal,” Patrick said. Full-day kindergarten would also be a central component of Patrick’s early education plan, and the council said there are many proven benefits to a full school day.

Dorothy Cresswell, an elementary school teacher in the Berkshires town of Leverett, told Patrick she thinks the state may be “overmeasuring” children, making them feel pressured. “Children are carrying the stress of the income divide,” she said. “I’m concerned that we’re part of the problem.”

“I’ve heard testing described that way,” Patrick said, but he has heard from many parents in poor communities that say that measurements and standardized tests like MCAS make the school systems more accountable, he added.

Patrick’s early education plan is “outstanding,” Fall River Superintendent Nicholas Fischer said, because “so many things happen to children before they get to school. We need to address these needs from birth onward,” he said.

Discussion of a longer school year also “should be on the table,” Patrick said, adding that the current schedule was made long ago so children would be available for farming season. He has also proposed making community colleges free for all high school graduates.

Patrick — after apologizing for being late and mentioning he’d keep the meeting short enough so people could get home to watch the Red Sox game — told a story contrasting his upbringing with his daughter Katherine, who graduated from high school this year. Patrick grew up on Welfare on Chicago’s blue-collar South Side and was able to attend Milton Academy through the organization A Better Chance.

Katherine Patrick has traveled to three continents, can pronounce and knows how to use a concierge, and has been to the White House and shaken hands with the president, he said. In only one generation, the educational opportunities had made a striking difference on the family.
“That story is told more often in this country than any other,” Patrick said, “but not often enough.”

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