Trung, 1

The New York Times Do We Invest in Preschools or Prisons? By NICH !"# D$ %&I#T ' C N(&)## is o*ten com+,re- to +re.%, which seems -e*,m,tory o* sm,ll chil-ren$ But the simil,rities ,lso o**er ho+e, /ec,use ,n initi,tive th,t shoul- /e on the to+ o* the n,tion,l ,gen-, h,s less to -o with the se0uester th,n with the "$B$C$1s ,n- Big Bir-$ 23 +,thos /ec,use the ,uthor com+,re congress to Pre. % , which me,ns th,t congress ,ct like chil-ren $ (rowing mount,ins o* rese,rch suggest th,t the /est w,y to ,--ress "meric,n economic ine0u,lity, +overty ,n- crime is 4 you guesse- it5 4 e,rly e-uc,tion +rogr,ms, inclu-ing co,ching o* +,rents who w,nt hel+$ It1s not , m,gic w,n-, /ut it1s the /est tool we h,ve to /re,k cycles o* +overty$ Presi-ent /,m, c,lle- in his #t,te o* the 6nion ,--ress *or such , n,tion,l initi,tive, /ut it h,sn1t g,ine- tr,ction$ /,m, himsel* h,sn1t c,m+,igne- enough *or it, yet there1s still , ree- o* ho+e$ ne re,son is th,t this is one o* those r,re initi,tives th,t +olls well ,cross the s+ectrum, with su++ort *rom 78 +ercent o* Democr,ts ,n- 9: +ercent o* &e+u/lic,ns in , recent n,tion,l survey$ "n- even i* the +rogr,m st,lls in W,shington, st,tes ,n- loc,lities ,re moving ,he,- 4 *rom #,n "ntonio to ;ichig,n$ Color,-o voters will -eci-e ne<t month on , much.w,tche- /,llot me,sure to /olster e-uc,tion s+en-ing, inclu-ing in +reschool, ,n- , /,llot me,sure in ;em+his woul- e<+,n- +reschool ,s well$ =There1s this m,gic,l o++ortunity> now to get , n,tion,l e,rly e-uc,tion +rogr,m in "meric,, )-uc,tion #ecret,ry "rne Dunc,n tol- me$ He s,ys he1s o+timistic th,t mem/ers o* Congress will intro-uce , /i+,rtis,n /ill *or such , +l,n this ye,r$ 1

Trung, ? =When you think how you m,ke ch,nge *or the ne<t @: ye,rs, this is ,rgu,/ly ,t the to+ o* my list,> Dunc,n s,i-$ =It c,n liter,lly tr,ns*orm the li*e ch,nces o* chil-ren, ,n- strengthen *,milies in im+ort,nt w,ys$> Whether it h,++ens through Congression,l ,ction or is loc,lly le-, this m,y /e the /est ch,nce "meric, h,s h,- to /ro,-en e,rly +rogr,ms since 1AB1, when Congress ,++rove- such , +rogr,m /ut Presi-ent Ni<on vetoe- it$ The m,ssive evi-ence /,se *or e,rly e-uc,tion grew , /it more with , m,Cor new stu-y *rom #t,n*or6niversity noting th,t ,chievement g,+s /egin ,s e,rly ,s 17 months$ Then ,t ? ye,rs ol-, there1s , si<. month ,chievement g,+$ By ,ge D, it c,n /e , two.ye,r g,+$ Poor ki-s st,rt so *,r /ehin- when school /egins th,t they never c,tch u+ 4 es+eci,lly /ec,use they regress e,ch summer$ ne +ro/lem is str,ight*orw,r-$ Poorer ki-s ,re more likely to h,ve , single teen,ge mom who is stresse- out, who w,s hersel* r,ise- in ,n ,uthorit,ri,n style th,t she mimics, ,n- who, ,s , result, -oesn1t ch,tter much with the chil-$ Yet hel+ these +,rents, ,n- they -o much /etter$ #ome o* the most ,stonishing rese,rch in +overty. *ighting metho-s comes *rom the success o* +rogr,ms to co,ch ,t.risk +,rents 4 ,n- these, too, ,re +,rt o* /,m,1s e,rly e-uc,tion +rogr,m$ =),rly e-uc,tion> -oesn1t Cust me,n +rekin-erg,rten *or 8. ye,r.ol-s, /ut em/r,ces , +l,n covering ,ges : to D$ The e,rliest interventions, ,n- m,y/e the most im+ort,nt, ,re home visit,tion +rogr,ms like Nurse. ',mily P,rtnershi+$ It /egins working with ,t.risk moms -uring +regn,ncy, with , nurse m,king regul,r visits to o**er /,sic su++ort ,n- gui-,nceE -on1t -rink or smoke while +regn,ntF -on1t t,ke heroin or coc,ine$ "*ter /irth, the co,ch o**ers hel+ with m,n,ging stress, /re,st.*ee-ing ,n- -i,+ers, while encour,ging ch,tting to the chil- ,n- re,-ing ,lou-$ These interventions ,re che,+ ,n- en- ,t ,ge ?$ Yet, in r,n-omiGe- controlle- tri,ls, the gol- st,n-,ro* ev,lu,tion, there w,s , DA +ercent re-uction in chil- ,rrests ,t ,ge 1D ,mong those who h,- gone through the +rogr,m$ #omething simil,r h,++ens with goo- +re.% +rogr,ms$ Critics h,ve note- th,t with +rogr,ms like He,#t,rt, there ,re e,rly e-uc,tion,l g,ins th,t then *,-e /y secon- or thir- gr,-e$ Th,t1s true, ,n- th,t1s -is,++ointing$ Yet, in recent ye,rs, long.term *ollow.u+s h,ve shown th,t while the e-uc,tion,l ,-v,nt,ges o* He,#t,rt might *,-e, there ,re =li*e skill> g,ins th,t -on1t$ " rigorous stu-y /y D,vi- Deming o* H,rv,r-, *or e<,m+le, *oun- th,t He,- #t,rt gr,-u,tes were less likely to re+e,t gr,-es or /e -i,gnose- with , le,rning -is,/ility, ,n- more likely to gr,-u,te *rom high school ,n- ,tten- college$ !ook, we1ll h,ve to con*ront the +,thologies o* +overty ,t some +oint$ We c,n -e,l with them che,+ly ,t the *ront en-, in in*,ncy$ r we c,n w,it ,n- C,il , trou/le- ,-olescent ,t the t,il en-$ To some e<tent, we *,ce , choice /etween investing in +reschools or in +risons$ We Cust might h,ve , r,re ch,nce in the ne<t cou+le o* months to t,ke ste+s tow,r- such , l,n-m,rk ?

Trung, @ e,rly e-uc,tion +rogr,m in "meric,$ But chil-ren c,n1t vote, ,n- they h,ve no highly +,i- lo//yists 4 so it1ll h,++en only i* we the +u/lic s+e,k u+$

Not enough em+h,sis on ch,nging +,rentsH h,/its o* r,ising chil-ren$ This is , *ormi-,/le t,sk, not Cust ,n ,*terthought or o+tion$ T,lking ,n- re,soning with chil-ren is ,s *oreign to some ,s living with const,nt noise woul- /e to others$ No chil- c,n /e +re+,re- *or school i* sIhe isnHt s+oken to ,n- e<+eriences scre,ming ,n- hitting ,s the sole me,ns o* -isci+line$ But th,t is how lots o* +eo+le were r,ise-$ Without e**ective intervention, th,t is how they will r,ise their own chil-ren$ "n e**ective +rogr,m woul- m,n-,te +,rent,l +,rtici+,tion$ JP,rents will w,nt the -,y c,re com+onent$ This is the c,rrot$K It woul- ,lso *igure out how to -ocument ,n- rew,r- ch,nges in +,rent,l /eh,vior th,t ,re more likely to +ro-uce , more le,rning.re,-y chil-$ Without ch,nges in +,rents, +re.school -is,++oints ,ll, inclu-ing the +,rents who sen- their chil-ren, ,n- en-s u+ /eing nothing more th,n ,n e<+ensive Co/s +rogr,m$ I ,gree with your conclusion, th,t investment in e,rly.chil-hoo- e-uc,tion ,n- +,renting skills is the /est ,n- most cost.e**ective w,y to ,--ress the income g,+F com+,re- to +rison *or even , *ew ye,rs, itHs che,+$ But your comment seems not to ,cknowle-ge the sco+e o* the current tr,gic situ,tionE C,il *or , trou/le- ,-olescent is not Lthe t,il en-L o* th,t +ersonHs li*e .. itHs close to the /eginning, with D: or 9: ye,rs more o* +overty ,n- struggle ,he,-, while C) s ,re +,i- M1:: million -oll,rs$$$$, ye,r$ Your column is su++lemente- /y three things$ )-uc,tion involves e-uc,ting /oth the +,rent ,n- the chil-$ He,- st,rt -oesnHt work ne,rly ,s well without +,rent,l involvement$ #econ-, it will cost money ,n- how we +,y *or it is u+ to us$ I woul- ,rgue in *,vor o* *un-ing it *rom my t,<es even i* they r,ise them, ,s ,n investment in the *uture$ Thir-, the +ro/lem with *un-ing such +rogr,ms is the view+oint o* +olitici,ns ,t the st,te ,n- *e-er,l level$ Their view+oint o+er,tes *rom election to election, not ?: ye,rs into the *uture$ In summ,ry, we ,re +ennywise ,n- +oun- *oolish, -em,n-ing our t,< cuts now ,ns+en-ing cuts th,t cut +rogr,ms like He,- #t,rt? Will , -oll,r investe- now in , +re schooler s,ve the inevit,/le costs ?: ye,rs *rom now in lower w,ges, gre,ter -e+en-ence o* government +rogr,ms, or worst o* ,ll, the cost o* inc,rcer,tion? ;ost +eo+le ,n- +olitici,ns only see *rom +,ycheck to +,ycheck or election to election r,ther th,n *,ilure to ,ct now to re-uce +ro/lems ?: ye,rs *rom now$