Little Students, Big Issue
 

Stories That Work by Linda Perlstein, EWA’s Public Editor
You’re called a K-12 reporter, not a preK-12 reporter. Preschools may not be funded through the school systems you cover or held in its buildings. There are no clear accountability measures that help you evaluate them. So you may not think of pre-K education as part of your beat.
You’re in good company: It’s a topic that’s not very thoroughly covered in today’s media.
But preschool has a lot of momentum these days, in terms of policy attention and money. State funding for preschool rose 65 percent from 2002 to 2005, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research. It’s an increase that dwarfs growth in K-12 funding. As the debate progresses in our country about who should go to pre-K, who should pay for it, and what it should look like, try to visit some classrooms and see for yourself.  Some things to think about:
 
* Certainly the academics-vs-social skills debate is a compelling area to explore: whether four-year-olds should be receiving primarily cognitive and physical skills or primarily literacy and knowledge, or an equal balance of both. What’s being taught in the preschools you see? What are your state’s standards for pre-K, if any?
 
* Look at who’s going to preschool. Even in states and districts with “universal” access to preschool, not everybody chooses to send their children. See for yourself who is opting out, and why. Because they don’t know their options? Because they can’t find transportation? Because they want their kids at home? Just as important, look at how those children are spending their time while their peers are in school.
 
* What kind of access do new immigrants in your area have to preschool, and what do those schools look like? How about in rural areas? Is everyone who wants it really getting served, and how does the quality compare?
 
* Some states have moved to increase preschool access to three-year-olds. How do the needs and methods in those classes compare to what’s happening with four-year-olds?
 
* Pre-K today is a mishmash of programs run by public schools, private companies, private schools, churches (yes, sometimes even when state-funded), and Head Start. Visit different types of programs so you can compare the children’s experiences.
 
 * With funding at stake, competition has increased for enrollment. What are preschools doing to recruit and retain students?
 
* Visit kindergarten classes, where you can talk to teachers and witness the differences, if any, between the children who attended pre-K and those who didn’t.  Studies supporting pre-K emphasize the notion of “kindergarten readiness”; explain what that looks like.
           
* Pre-K expulsion rates have been shown in some cases to be higher than K-12. What do preschool behavior problems look like? Why are children getting expelled, and what is being done for them?
 
* Some states and schools require teachers to have bachelor’s degrees; others don’t. Can you discern differences in teacher quality among schools in your area?
 
* Where public schools offer pre-K, do those classes use the same methods and rules and structure as the rest of the building?
 
* Preschools in general are struggling to prove their effectiveness. How do schools in your area manage this, or not? Are there assessments for pre-K children, and what do they look like?
 
There are plenty of folks out there tracking the preschool issue. (Check the preschool link on EWA’s resources page make sure to check out the stories and links on the left of the page too!). As you report, keep in mind that nearly all organizations created around the preschool issue have a stance, pro or con (usually pro), though they can provide useful information. But the best information comes from stepping inside those rooms full of cute three- and four-year-olds, where you’ll walk into not only a growing national debate, but a whole lot of story ideas.