New paradigm on education: focus on infants
Business leaders across the North Bay and California have invested countless dollars and hours in education.
But with many important exceptions, the efforts have not moved the needle in a substantive way.
The state’s K-12 system is one of the poorest performing in the nation. More than 30 percent of Latino boys drop out of high school. The number of college entrants is falling behind an ever-expanding need. Trade and other career educational programs are under attack. The state’s school bureaucracy is broken and non-responsive.
The consequence: California’s status as a world-class economy, built on its educational achievement, diverse population and leading companies, is under serious and immediate threat.
Now a growing number of business and academic leaders, among them the president of AT&T California, Ken McNeely, believe the solution is to reach back to the years before children even enter school.
Mr. McNeely, speaking to a recent early childhood education forum organized by the North Bay Leadership Council and First 5 programs from Sonoma and Marin counties, said he, too, was skeptical at first. Could investing in preschoolers really have that great an impact, or was it just another program destined to fail?
Other business leaders’ skepticism is equally reasonable, as they are being asked to invest dollars for a return they would not see in their work force for up to 20 years. And it is hard to fathom young children not being read to or being parked in car seats in front of a TV for hours.
But, unfortunately, it is reality for too many low-income single parents and two-income households without the resources to purchase quality day-care and pre-school education, according to a study by the Bay Area Council released last May, “Key to Economic Success in the 21st Century, Investment in Early Childhood Programs.” AT&T’s Mr. McNeely is leading efforts to spread the word about the study, which is available on the council’s Web site.
Mr. McNeely said the evidence is compelling that investing dollars in children early pays off, up to 17-to-one, but no less than 2.5-to-1, in school performance, increased wages, lower crime and other measures of quality of life. And new research has found that 90 percent of brain growth occurs before age 3.
That is compelling evidence, indeed, and a terrible waste for everyone if not acted upon soon by both the public and private sectors in the Bay Area and across California.
I saw a wonderful video by Professor James Heckman on the Heckman equation. It discusses why investment in early childhood eduction matters. Here’s the link to Heckman Equation video, Why Early Investment Matters. In Video Playlists, click “In Depth”, then” Heckman Indepth” http://www.heckmanequation.org/videos
by Kerry Rego