Nicholas Kristof
As readers know, one of my hobby horses is the need for early childhood education as the most cost-effective way to break the cycles of poverty in America. But the issue never gets much traction, and one reason is the perception that it’s politically hopeless: Republicans would never go for such a program. My Sunday column tries to push back at the assumption that it’s hopeless and notes that one of the leaders in providing pre-K in America is-not Massachusetts, not New York, not some other blue state, but reliably red Oklahoma. It’s all the more surprising because Oklahoma spends less per pupil on education than almost any other state, and pays its teachers near the bottom. This is not a state that believes in lavish spending on schooling. Yet, quite remarkably, it provides universal high-quality pre-K, with a ratio of no more than 10 students per staff member, and all teachers have a college degree.
My own take is that even earlier interventions may get even more bang for the buck than pre-K for 4-year-olds, and sure enough Oklahoma also invests in those, including home visitation programs to coach parents on reading to toddlers and talking more to them. It also has some programs for kids 0 to 3 if they’re from disadvantaged families. These are no silver bullet to defeat poverty-there isn’t one-but there seems a recognition in Oklahoma that they work in improving school performance and life outcomes and reduce the risk that poverty will be transmitted from generation to generation. So if Oklahoma can do it, why not the rest of the country?
Bipartisan legislation is expected to be introduced this coming week in Congress to establish national support for pre-K programs, and polling shows the idea has broad support. It’ll be an uphill struggle, but I’m hoping that Congress will, like Oklahoma, see that this isn’t a social welfare program exactly, but an investment in our children and our future. Read the column and help spread the word about the need for this legislation!
The column: “Oklahoma! Where the Kids Learn Early”
“The aim is to break the cycle of poverty, which is about so much more than a lack of money.”