Early Education: The Great Uniter

Two very different op-eds in the New York Times last week illustrate the emerging bipartisan consensus on the importance of high-quality early education. Writing just two days apart, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, a liberal, and conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks lay out very different policy agendas in response to our increasingly troubled economy. Yet, amidst substantial disagreement, Reich and Brooks sounded one common theme:

Here’s Reich:

Over the longer term, inequality can be reversed only through better schools for children in lower- and moderate-income communities. This will require, at the least, good preschools, fewer students per classroom and better pay for teachers in such schools, in order to attract the teaching talent these students need.

And here’s Brooks:

The second group of policies [the federal government should adopt to support human capital development] would involve early-childhood education. There could be nurse-home visits for children in chaotic homes so that they have some authority in their lives. Preschool should be radically expanded and accountability programs put in place.

These are not people who agree on a lot of things. Where Reich calls for strong unions, Brooks wants more two-parent families. Where Reich wants higher taxes on top earners, Brooks warns current income tax rates musn’t rise. Where Reich adopts a tone of pessimism about the American economy, Brooks is almost irritatingly upbeat.

Yet these representative of opposing political poles agree on at least two things: 1) The only way to ensure America’s continued economic prosperity is to ensure all our children get a good education, and 2) High-quality preschool and early education programs are a critical element of that high-quality education.

And they’re right: Decades of research demonstrate that high-quality early education works, and that it has long-lasting benefits for both children who participate and the taxpaying public at large.

All too often, education policy debates seem hopelessly polarized between a left that wants more spending but no real change, and a right that sees vouchers as a solution to everything. Early education is increasingly an exception. Sure, there’s plenty of disagreement within and across party lines on early education issues–but there’s a lot more room for common ground than we see on many education issues.

This election year, Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama has tapped into what appears to be a real hunger among American voters for change and leadership that transcends established partisan divisions in Washington, D.C. Whatever candidate wins the presidency this November will have a real opportunity–and responsibility–to address that hunger. Building bipartisan support for innovative proposals to strengthen early education–not just in pre-k, but in early elementary school and for infants and toddlers–is one way to start doing that.