President Bush signs off on five-year renewal of preschool program
President Bush has signed off on a five-year renewal of a federal preschool program for poor families—a move lauded by local education officials who say it has been a long time coming. The reauthorization of the 42-year-old Head Start program, stalled for the past several years, outlines plans to expand services to more families, strengthen oversight and improve qualifications of preschool teachers. The legislation signed by Bush allocates $7.35 billion for Head Start in fiscal year 2008. It also raises the income eligibility ceiling—from the current 100% of the poverty level for a family of four, or about $20,650 a year, to 130%, or $26,845—while giving priority to the neediest children. Despite the positives in the reauthorization, local officials said they were still waiting to see whether Head Start would get more funding to retain teachers with bachelor's degrees. Legislators have set a 2013 deadline for half of all Head Start classroom teachers to have a least a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. That's a step in the right direction, said Charles Weis, Ventura County's (Calif.) superintendent of schools. The legislation added "a little higher standard for the quality of programs" nationwide, including the education requirements, he said. "The achievement gap that we see in elementary schools actually exists before kids come to kindergarten," Weis said, but a quality preschool program can change that. The National Reporting System, an accountability system, was dropped in the reauthorization, a move Bush criticized.
Ventura County Star By Cheri Carlson, with Associated Press
[Editor’s Note: The side-by-side below from NSBA’s Office of Advocacy compares the current law to the new legislation and to NSBA’s recommendations.]
NSBA side-by-side