Dive Brief:
- Minnesota state legislators are prioritizing education, debating policies that deal with everything from teacher seniority to universal pre-K.
- Last Thursday, House Republicans in the state passed a bill that forces districts to look beyond how long an educator has been teaching when considering how to fill positions.
- Gov. Mark Dayton also recently suggested using $200 million for a pre-K initiative, but the proposal has received backlash from those fearful that schools do not have the funds or capacity to accommodate their state's earliest learners.
Dive Insight:
While the Austin Daily Herald reports pushback to Dayton's pre-K plan, there is at least one group behind the initiative. In December, MinneMinds — a consortium of Minnesota foundations, nonprofits, and education institutions — announced plans to appeal to legislators and ask them to set aside $150 million for an early-learning scholarship program for low-income families in the state. A big part of their request was inspired by Dayton's commitment to the early-ed sphere. One issue with the state's current early education system: Only 10% of students qualified for its early-learning scholarship are taking advantage of the program.
A push for pre-K opportunities makes sense if states are serious about education. According to Georgetown University professor and developmental psychologist Deborah Phillip, one of the ultimate benefits of a stellar pre-K program is that it mimics many of the relationship needs a child desires from its family. Phillips and her team spent seven months reviewing Tulsa, OK, pre-K programs and found quality early education must have four pillars in place: strong curriculum, ample funds, balanced teacher-student ratios, and highly qualified teachers. With these in place, Phillips says, pre-K programs can giving emotional and social support, allowing children to feel “safe, protected, loved, valued” — all necessities to make students love school and want to succeed.