Effects of Changing Demographics

Blog assignment

NEA National Education Association/ Great Public Schools for Everyone

www.nea.org

The organization sends a strong message towards advocating for free publically funded quality pre-k for all three and four year olds, and to call for a mandatory all-day kindergarten. The thought is that all day pre-k and kindergarten will aid in closing the achievement gap.

This organization addresses and focuses on the earliest educational start of young children.

NEA Policy Briefs covers,

• Early Childhood Education and School Readiness
• Full-Day Kindergarten Helps close the achievement gap
• Raising the Standards for Early Childhood Professionals leading to better outcomes of young children.

The food for thought from NEA organization page is from the President of NEA Dennis Van Roekel, he states that “High Quality Early Childhood Education are fundamental to students long term success and shouldn’t be determined on their parents income”, and “one of the best investments that our country can make, and we can’t afford to pass up”.

A learning tool is to see that someone who can advocate immediately for change such as Dennis Van Roekel, President of NEA, who “Gets It”, that young children’s education is among the most important. In order to see our world thrive, it’s always best to prepare our children educationally, and the younger the better.

Additional Information and Links:

• The pre-k Coalition: Building America’s Future
• Brain Development Resources
• NEA Resources on Early Childhood Education
• Resources on Early Childhood Education from other Organizations
• Research on Early Childhood Education
• State of Preschool 2010: An Annual report from the National Institute for Early Education Research.