On Thursday, June 4th, there will be a lively discussion regarding this question in Washington, D.C. at Fordham Institute. Participants include Chester Finn, Senior Fellow at Fordham, Steven Barnett from Rutgers, Sara Mead from the New America Foundation, Neal McCluskey from the Cato Institute and others. If you are not able to attend, not to worry, the video of the discussion will be posted on the Fordham Institute website on Friday, June 5th.

In the meantime, go to Early Ed Watch and view Christina Satkowski’s June 2nd posting of “So What Exactly is Pre-K-3rd?” There is a short video to view entitled “Fighting Fade-Out Through Pre-K-3rd Reform.” Go to www.newamerica.net/blog/early_ed_watch.

As I have mentioned in earlier blogs, Sara Mead and Lisa Guernsey who write for the Early Ed Watch blog for New American Foundation are providing outstanding information for the field. In her blog of May 20, 2009, Sara does not disappoint us. She poses outstanding questions for Dept. of Education’s Secretary Duncan. I paraphrase her five questions here:

1. How does the Zero-to-Five agenda fit into the education reform agenda?
2. How will the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Department of Education ensure coordination between early childhood programs such as CCDBG, Head Start and the Early Learning Challenge?
3. What assurances can be provided that the ARRA funding will encourage Pre-K in school districts when the funds are for two years? What communications have been given from Department of Education to school districts regarding this concern?
4. During his campaign, President Obama called for $10 billion increase for early childhood funding. Is that amount still attainable in the lights of the current economic climate?
5. What do you see as the future role of Dept. of Education regarding early childhood programs? Will it expand? If so, how?

I would add the following question:

6. To support the use of funds to create a quality early childhood program, please provide a detailed definition of what “quality” early childhood means?

Also, Lisa Guernsey has written an early childhood article in the June 1st issue of Newsweek. Check it out!