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The Education Trust recently issued a new report, . Subtitled 鈥淓nsuring That Black and Latino Children Have Access to High-Quality State-Funded Preschool,鈥� it highlights ways that states are, by and large, failing to deliver on the potential for getting 3- and 4-year-olds of color ready for kindergarten. The report and its also offer specific ideas for advocates to promote access.

A nonprofit advocacy organization devoted to closing opportunity and achievement gaps, the organization is led by John B. King, Jr., who previously served as U.S. Secretary of Education. In addition to analyzing data, it shares tools, convenes advocates and builds partnerships to promote five priorities: quality, access, workforce diversity, programmatic coordination and better, more actionable data, especially with regard to race and ethnicity.

鈥淭he news is not good,鈥� summarized Carrie Gillispie, the author of the new report, whom I met just days before she went on maternity leave. How bad is it? In the 26 states where there was enough data on 3- and 4-year-olds to analyze, only 1% of Latino children and only 4% of Black children were enrolled in high-quality state-funded preschool programs.

What do they mean by 鈥渉igh-quality鈥�? The benchmarks used come from (NIEER) at Rutgers University, and they describe what Gillispie considers to be 鈥渁 bare minimum鈥攁 floor, actually.鈥�

1. Comprehensive Early Learning and Development Standards that are horizontally and vertically aligned, supported and culturally sensitive
2. Supports for Curriculum Implementation
3. Lead Teacher Degree (BA)
4. Lead Teacher Specialized Training in ECE/CD
5. Assistant Teacher Degree (CDA)
6. 15 hours/year of professional development, individualized plans professional development plans, and coaching for lead and assistant teachers
7. Maximum Class Size (20)
8. Staff-Child Ratio (1:10)
9. Screenings & Referrals
10. Continuous Quality Improvement System

The report describes the State of Georgia as a bright spot, though Gillispie hastens to add that this is only relative. More than 60% of the state鈥檚 substantial number of Black and Latino 4-year-olds are enrolled in state-funded pre-K, and its program meets 8 of 10 of NIEER鈥檚 quality benchmarks. She credits Georgia鈥檚 use of the , as developed by Vanderbilt University鈥檚 Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning. In addition, Georgia allows for a range of settings鈥攏ot just public and private elementary and secondary schools but also Department of Family and Children鈥檚 Services offices, Head Start sites, military bases and faith-based organizations鈥攙ersatility that allows for families鈥� varied needs.

The picture is mixed in the District of Columbia, which enrolls essentially all of its Black 3- and 4-year-olds and 61% of its Latino 3- and 4-year olds鈥攓uite high on the 鈥渁ccess鈥� scale, but the nation鈥檚 capital rated only 3 out of 10 for quality, a finding that Gillispie says might be due to poor reporting. 鈥淒ata counts,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ot knowing is not okay.鈥�

A key takeaway is the persistent gap between the research on what works and the political will鈥攏ationally and at the state level鈥攖o implement best practices. 鈥淲hen it comes to ECE funding,鈥� she says, 鈥渋t鈥檚 how much and how well.鈥� Sometimes, when you add up the federal, state and municipal budgets, it can seem like a lot of money, but it鈥檚 not deployed in a way that would most effectively close the education gaps that, research tells us, are likely to persist throughout a child鈥檚 education.

Gillispie emphasizes the value of policy makers listening to families and practitioners. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so valuable to have them tell their stories. They are the experts,鈥� she affirms. Failing to listen can result in policies that sound great but don鈥檛 work in practice. As an example, she mentions that, while it鈥檚 true that the bachelor鈥檚 degree correlates with effectiveness, mandating a BA is misguided without the supports needed to make higher education accessible. The Education Trust recently collaborated with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) on a focus group to discover the needs of educators of color.

Data sharing is another area that needs improvement. 鈥淭he data live in different places,鈥� Gillispie says, 鈥渨hich makes it hard to obtain all the relevant information on a child鈥檚 background and issues.鈥�

Naturally, having the birth of her first child come so soon after the release of her first paper for the Education Trust has brought home for her the disparities of her home state of Maryland and all over the country. 鈥淚 have a lot of advantages that other moms don鈥檛,鈥� she reflects, 鈥渂ut I still find the system frustrating.鈥�

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 社区黑料. Learn more here.