Story Published:
Jan 30, 2011 at 10:00 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Jan 31, 2011 at 8:18 PM CDT
The key word is " voluntary ".
In all 95 Tennessee counties children ages 3 or 4 can enroll in Pre-K classes. Educators and many politicians would have you believe that Pre-k education is absolutely vital to the total education package. Thank goodness the program is voluntary.
You can bet that working parents have bought into Pre-K- lock, stock, and barrel. After all, it provides state funded babysitting for these parents. Think about it: free babysitting for parents. In this age of entitlements, parents are chomping at the bit to enroll their child. Governor Bredesen vowed a couple of years ago that pre-k would be fully funded in the fiscal years that he was in office. It looks like Governor Haslam will keep the ship afloat.
Is Pre-K worth the money that the state throws at it?
The teachers' union is adamant that the program keep expanding . After all, it's a job creation for many teachers.
But studies have shown that there is very little academic advantage to students beyond the 2nd grade. Some economically disadvantaged students may show some gains in kindergarten and 1st grade. The comptroller's office of research and education accountability released this fact. Of course, the pro Pre-K people dispute this, but facts are facts.
Just think, there are no appreciable advantages to students who were in Pre-K when compared to those who were not in Pre-K. And look at this: a 2007 study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Dev elopement found that Pre-K children were more likely to engage in bullying and aggressive behavior through the 6th grade than children who were not in Pre-K.
It's voluntary for now. It cost more than $83 million and figures to cost more each year as the cost of government escalate. Instead we should fix the broken K-12 public schools. America feels that the way to fix the system will be to throw more money at it.
Pre-K students will be dumped into a failing government system. They will be a further anchor for failure.
