Universal Pre-K
Federal
How Schools Fare in Biden's Proposed Budget
President Joe Biden released his fiscal 2024 budget, which calls for more money for preschool, Title I, and special education.
Early Childhood
Which States Offer Universal Pre-K? It's More Complicated Than You Might Think
Universal pre-K is growing in popularity. Here are the states that have already established universal preschool programs or policies.
Early Childhood
Support for Universal Pre-K Grows as More States Jump on Board
New Mexico became the latest state to approve investments in pre-K programs.
Early Childhood
Opinion
The Not-So-Certain Science of Pre-K
Much of the support for universal preschool proceeds with a blind assurance that leaves difficult questions aside.
Early Childhood
What the Research Says
Early Education Pays Off. A New Study Shows How
Students from state-funded universal preschool, but not federal Head Start, took more-challenging courses in high school, a study finds.
Early Childhood
Opinion
The Problems With Biden’s Universal Pre-K Proposal
An early-childhood education leader expresses concerns that the universal pre-K plan risks separating pre-K from the wider child-care sector.
Federal
Biden Pitches Plan to Expand Universal Pre-K, Free School Meal Programs, Teacher Training
The president's $1.8 trillion American Families Plan faces strong headwinds as Congress considers other costly administration proposals.
Education
Sanders Details Pitch for Free, Universal Prekindergarten in New Plan
Calling access to early-childhood education and child care in the United States an "international embarrassment," Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders pledges to fund free, universal prekindergarten.
Federal
Bill de Blasio, Who's Expanded Pre-K, Sparred on Education, Seeks Presidency
The New York City mayor has pushed universal pre-K, championed a controversial school turnaound program, and picked a schools chief backing a divisive effort to diversify selective high schools.
Federal
Video
‘I Believe in the Work That Teachers Do’
Jahana Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year who was elected to U.S. Congress, discusses her stances on universal pre-K, college alternatives, and civics education.
Early Childhood
Report Roundup
Kindergarten
While more early-childhood education advocates call for universal pre-K, less than a third of all states even require full-day kindergarten, finds a study by the Education Commission of the States, a nonprofit and nonpartisan group of researchers who track policies related to education.
English-Language Learners
Congressional Democrats Make Case for Universal Prekindergarten
A group of Democratic leaders in Congress have released a report that outlines both the economic and academic benefits of high-quality early-childhood education programs.
Early Childhood
Study: High-Quality Pre-K for All Could Eliminate Reading Gaps
A National Institutes for Early Education Research study says high-quality preschool could help children of all backgrounds enter kindergarten on an even playing field.
Early Childhood
Opinion
A Constitutional Right to Pre-K?
All state constitutions guarantee a right to public education, but what constitutes a "public education" is increasingly up for debate.