Race to the Top for Tots?

Sent to the Christian Science Monitor (Feb. 14).

Obama’s Universal Preschool Proposal (Feb. 13) sounds great until you look at the details.

To be funded, states have to adhere to learning standards, which include a “rigorous” curriculum, and “effective evaluation,” in order to prepare students for the academic load of kindergarten (!!) (see “Fact Sheet President Obama’s Plan for Early Education for all Americans,” at www.whitehouse.gov).

Is the Preschool Initiative simply the Common Core extended to preschool? Race to the Top for Tots? There is no evidence showing that the “tough” academic standards and the increased testing of the Common Core for K-12 will help students, and there is no reason to impose it on three and four year olds.

Stephen Krashen