NSBA's Letter to Secretary Duncan and Secretary Sebelius

April 23, 2010

The Honorable Arne Duncan
Secretary
U. S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20202

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
200 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20201

Dear Secretary Duncan and Secretary Sebelius:

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) representing over 95,000 local school board members across the nation through our state school boards associations is pleased to submit this statement regarding early learning and understanding P – 3 structures.

NSBA applauds the substantive and sustained support by the Obama
Administration for early childhood initiatives. Inter-agency collaboration between the departments of Education, Health & Human Services, and Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development sets the stage for seamless and comprehensive services and support for children, from birth through age 8. The inclusion of early learning in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act programs such as Race to the Top and Investing in
Innovation are tangible opportunities to increase the quality and availability of early learning opportunities. And finally, the ESEA reauthorization represents an emerging opportunity to enhance collaboration between early learning and K-12 systems.

Collaboration between early childhood and K-12 is becoming more imperative as the delivery systems for both become more complex. As innovations such as online learning create alternatives for instruction, teacher preparation and professional development, assessments and data-driven decision-making, the potential to increase success and also complexity in both systems is likely to increase.

At the same time that options for providing quality learning experiences for P – 3 are expanding, public support also is on the rise. The collaborative potential of public education and early learning was revealed in the 2009 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll on attitudes toward public education. The poll revealed strong support for early education – particularly in public schools. In fact, five out of ten Americans believe preschool programs should be housed in public schools, with parents even more supportive of the idea.

This is just one model for collaboration – there are many other options for establishing strong community partnerships and effective structures for P – 3 learning. Keys to enhance success regardless of structure include:


Funding and resources – Investments in early learning and K-12 education are vital to the success of children and our nation. The historical independence of early learning and K-12 structures is reflected in the structure of funding streams and decision-making that at times leads to tension over finite resources. We have an opportunity to overcome this tension by increasing the overall federal investment in children and creating incentives for collaboration to minimize competition and maximize effectiveness, by creating a new grant program, supported by a separate funding stream, to help states and communities develop, expand, coordinate and enhance the quality and availability of voluntary preschool programs.

Alignment – Aligning curriculum, professional development, etc. in an inclusive manner can provide a consistent framework of services for children and improve pre-K to K-12 transitions.

Standards – Learning guidelines developed and supported locally to articulate what pre-k children should know and be able to do can likewise improve services for children and improve pre-K to K-12 transitions.

Inter-agency collaboration – Federal inter-agency efforts can be a model for states and communities to reduce duplication, eliminate gaps in service and develop strong partnerships to meet the needs of children.

In conclusion, school boards recognize the critical role that quality early childhood education programs play in helping to set a positive trajectory for student success. Since 2006 NSBA and its Center for Public Education have collaborated with the Pew Center on the States/Pre-K Now to engage school boards in support of high quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten education. We work in close partnership with state school boards associations to promote greater access to voluntary, high-quality pre-kindergarten programs in the belief that such programs will propel schools’ efforts to raise student achievement and close achievement gaps.

This initiative to bridge P - 3 structures allows school districts to offer immense expertise and improve academic outcomes for young children while learning from early education providers and stakeholders how to meet the needs of children as they enter the system. The experience of school districts in establishing and implementing standards-based reforms and accountability systems can be invaluable as states develop standards for early learning programs, assess effectiveness, provide professional development and technical assistance in order to improve academic outcomes for young children.

Thank you once again for the opportunity to provide this statement. NSBA looks forward to an ongoing dialogue about early learning. Please call on us to assist in this vital work. Questions concerning our comments may be directed to Lucy Gettman, director, federal programs, at 703-838-6763; or by e-mail, lgettman@nsba.org.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Resnick
Associate Executive Director