There is a push to provide early education in our state and local communities.  You can also see that this is a priority for the U.S. Department of Education too.

“By the end of this decade, let’s enroll 6 million children in high-quality preschool.
That is an achievable goal that we know will make our workforce stronger.”  …..President Barack Obama

Workforce?  We are talking about toddlers who may not even be potty trained.  Unfortunately, government bureaucrats now view your children as, Human Capital.

Like most failures with big government programs, they are not yielding positive results.  And like most big government supporters, they don’t admit the failure or eliminate it.

Where are all of the INDEPENDENT studies on early education that yield long term academic gains?

In this video produced by John Stossel, he asks questions on one of the biggest early childhood education programs; Head Start.

Here are some of the damning statistics :
1) $180 BILLION was spent on Head Start (2010) but there was no advantage for the disadvantaged kids.
2) 114 indicators and not one positive outcome.
3) They couldn’t tell the difference between the child who went through Head Start and the one who didn’t.
4) There were positive impacts while the child was in Head Start but by kindergarten and 1st grade, those advantages were gone.
5) After the study was released, instead of eliminating Head Start, it gets a billion dollar increase. In 2012 it gets a $400 Million dollar increase. In Obama’s 2013 budget it gets a $100 MILLION increase.

After President Obama says programs that do not yield results need to be eliminated, this failed program was rewarded with additional funding.

In education there are always areas that need additional funding. Many of those requests are legitimate.  When you see crumbling buildings, over crowded classrooms, etc., it seems foolish to waste money on programs that are not needed and yield no positive long term outcomes.

When you hear the call for more money for universal preschool or full-day kindergarten, start asking questions.  Where is the proof this expenditure will improve the quality of education in your district?  When you hear candidates like Hillary Clinton or Governor Hassan call for more spending in education, you need to question why she would advocate for using limited resources in an area that doesn’t help our children.

Maybe these organizations should use their precious resources to help children and schools instead of wasting it lobbying for reforms that have been proven figures in the past.

Ann Marie Banfield currently volunteers as the Education Liaison for Cornerstone Action in New Hampshire. She has been researching education reform for over a decade and actively supports parental rights, literacy and academic excellence in k-12 schools. You can contact her at: abanfield@nhcornerstone.org