Comments on: Old Or New? http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/old-or-new.html Education News, Analysis, and Commentary Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:45:36 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Peter http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/old-or-new.html/comment-page-1#comment-2340 Peter Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:20:47 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3400#comment-2340 If parents want pre-K education, can someone explain why the Federal Government should pay for it? Larger more distant bureaucracies add layers of cost and "accountability" (aka filling in forms) and seem to be both the least efficient way to fund education, and the least likely to meat local needs. Parents who want pre-K education should fund it themselves, not rely on big state programs to reduce their child care payments. Then they can get what they want, and trade the value against the cost directly. If parents want pre-K education, can someone explain why the Federal Government should pay for it? Larger more distant bureaucracies add layers of cost and “accountability” (aka filling in forms) and seem to be both the least efficient way to fund education, and the least likely to meat local needs.

Parents who want pre-K education should fund it themselves, not rely on big state programs to reduce their child care payments. Then they can get what they want, and trade the value against the cost directly.

]]> By: amy.katzel http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/07/old-or-new.html/comment-page-1#comment-2181 amy.katzel Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:11:50 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/?p=3400#comment-2181 More of us “bummed” about no pre-k mention… Andrew, you’re right, McCain missed an opportunity by failing to include pre-k. The collaborative, public-private pre-k delivery system is just one aspect that should appeal to him. A candidate who wants proven reforms and efficient government can do no better than a program with decades of evidence on its benefits and conservatively estimated cost savings of $2 and up for each dollar invested. A pre-k proposal would have finally put some punch into McCain’s education message. And Pre-K Now’s national survey, which found that 7 out of 10 voters favor federal grants to enhance state-funded pre-k programs, indicates that it would be smart policy and smart politics. More details on the survey: http://www.preknow.org/advocate/opinion/nationalpoll.cfm More of us “bummed” about no pre-k mention…

Andrew, you’re right, McCain missed an opportunity by failing to include pre-k. The collaborative, public-private pre-k delivery system is just one aspect that should appeal to him. A candidate who wants proven reforms and efficient government can do no better than a program with decades of evidence on its benefits and conservatively estimated cost savings of $2 and up for each dollar invested. A pre-k proposal would have finally put some punch into McCain’s education message. And Pre-K Now’s national survey, which found that 7 out of 10 voters favor federal grants to enhance state-funded pre-k programs, indicates that it would be smart policy and smart politics.

More details on the survey:
http://www.preknow.org/advocate/opinion/nationalpoll.cfm

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