The Reason study says one factor behind preschools' failure to boost educational outcomes is "fade out." A 2006 UC Santa Barbara study found preschoolers were more prepared for kindergarten than non-preschoolers, but that those advantages faded away by the third grade and thus preschool had "limited use as a long-term strategy for improving the achievement gap."
"Our education system is failing on so many levels that people have started to grasp for magic bullets," said Darcy Olsen, co-author of the Reason study and president of the Goldwater Institute. "Whether it's Oklahoma, Georgia, or Quebec, universal preschool has proven time and time again that it's no magic bullet. Instead of pouring billions of dollars into preschool, we should focus on fixing our K-12 system."
But several ways to help fix the education system are continually shot down. One of which are vouchers. Just recently the Unions and Public School Administrators successfully strong-armed the State to drop the $500 tax credit from the budget. Their reasoning, "it would cost to much". Yet they're all for what seems to be a bad idea "public preschool". Is it about the kids or about power?
The School Administrators and the Leadership of Teachers Unions will never allow the education system to slip through their fingers. Once it does they loss their power and guaranteed job security. Unfortunately it is the children of New York that will pay the price. The $500 tax credit would not pay for all of private schools tuition but it would be enough to make it attainable for the working poor.
Reason Foundation is a nonprofit think tank dedicated to advancing free minds and free markets. Please visit www.reason.org
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