The early learning debate has come in waves this year, rising over challenge funds, Head Start and the right age to start kindergarten.

Often U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan starts or fuels these debates, and this week President Barack Obama’s point man on learning struck again by placing early learning at the top of the education reform agenda, Delaware’s The News Journal reports.

“In education, we have to get out of the catch-up business," he (Duncan) said. "To get out of the catch-up game, to me, it goes to early education." – Education secretary calls for end to infighting, The News Journal, 10/28/09.

In the story, Duncan also had good news for Washington, which is developing a comprehensive early learning plan, and other states working on multiple fronts to improve the first years of education. When it comes to giving out federal dollars, the former head of Chicago Public Schools is looking for innovation at the local level, according to the newspaper. That means states such as Washington that are searching for new solutions could move into competitive positions to claim slices of the billions of dollars in federal economic stimulus earmarked for education.

The $4.35 billion stimulus is a great opportunity on the local level, and his education department is looking for states that are willing to raise the bar, he (Duncan) said. – The News Journal, 10/28/09.

While we are on the topic of inspiring quotes, one of my favorite Federal Reserve economists, Art Rolnick, offered another insight on the importance of quality early education:

"Well, it may not sound like 'economic development' in the traditional sense, but what economists have found is that probably the best investment economies can make to promote sustainable growth is investing in people, in human capital and education, training." – Public News Service. (Thanks to Pre-K Now’s daily news feed for finding these stories.)

Finally, I saw this quote from England’s former prime minister Tony Blair this week:

"The interesting thing about education reform is that we actually do know what works," Blair said at an event Wednesday, on the subject of his nation’s effort to convert public schools to community schools, reported by The Early Ed Watch Blog. "The difficulty is in implementing it."