Facts In Action

The Center for Early Education Research at Rutgers University (CEER) has reviewed some of the early results of New Jersey's court-ordered mandate to provide early education to children in the state's 30 poorest school districts (dubbed the "Abbott Districts") beginning at age three. Three years after the mandate, researchers have identified minimal increases in enrollment and an overall level of quality that remains below national averages.

Citing data pointing to the long-term advantages of high-quality early childhood education for children growing up in poverty, in 1998 the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that poor school districts should improve teacher certification standards, class sizes and child-staff ratios, create developmentally appropriate curriculum, maintain adequate facilities, and provide health and transportation services. The court allowed existing community-based centers, school-based centers, and Head Start programs to be included in the plan providing they met new quality and availability requirements.

The study suggests that enrollment in preschool programs has not increased significantly for two main reasons. First, the state did not provide sufficient funding to create the number of new slots needed or to provide transportation for current and created slots. Second, the integration of Head Start programs has been hindered by the state's failure to fund upgrades that allow these classrooms to meet the quality standards required by the court, as well as to extend partial year, part time programs into full day, year round centers.

According to CEER, increased funding is also needed to improve quality. A survey of public school, Head Start and community based early education programs indicated that only 10% of children in the Abbott Districts receive care that can even be described as "good." CEER did not find the results surprising given the fact that these programs are expected to excel at funding levels lower than elementary education programs, despite the requirements of smaller class sizes, teaching assistants, and an extended school day and school year.

Source:
Fragile Lives, Shattered Dreams: A Report on Implementation of Preschool Education in New Jersey's Abbott Districts, W. Barnett, J. Tarr, C. Lamy, and E. Frede, Center for Early Education Research, Rutgers University, 2001.

For more information:
contact Center for Early Education Research, Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey, 10 Seminary Place, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, call (732) 932-7496 X8235, or go on-line at www.ceer.gse.rutgers.edu. Editor's note: See also:In January 2002, Rutgers’ Center for Early Education Research (CEER) was merged with NIEER

Facts in Action, October 2001