Seattle took a big step towards creating a national model of PreK-3rd education this month when a powerful coalition of groups finalized a five-year plan to integrate pre-kindergarten and the first grades of Seattle public elementary school.
Now the harder work begins. Leaders of the effort must figure out how to implement and pay for the action plan, which includes everything from increasing the number of children in all-day kindergarten to aligning learning standards across pre-k and grade schools.
The New School Foundation, the City of Seattle and the Seattle Public School District are charged with developing these plans. And it will not be easy, given the current budget situation in Washington state and a warning that more cuts in state spending are on the way.
But, the public could begin seeing changes next year. For example, the Seattle School District plans to encourage preschools located at elementary schools to enroll more students from the reference area – currently preschools can take families from anywhere.
Overall, the school district is committed to investing in earlier education and that includes pre-k.
“I believe that the single most powerful change we’re going to make…the one that’s going to have the largest and most long lasting impact on our kids…is to switch us from a K-12 system to a PreK-12 system,” Seattle Public School Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson said in August.
There is also support for adding PreK-3rd to the Seattle Families and Education Levy, which will be on the ballot in Nov., 2011. The levy has never been rejected, according to Laura Kohn of the New School Foundation.
The final plan is also the latest effort to put Washington state closer to the forefront of early education and on the national stage. The PreK-3rd movement is based on the idea that education does not begin in kindergarten. Children are learning from birth and it’s particularly important to align curricula between pre-k and third grade.
Why? Children who attended a school system that was aligned from pre-k through third grade had improved test scores and attendance, as well as higher high school graduation and college attendance rates, according to the final plan. These students were also less likely to be referred to special education, the plan adds.
If you would like a copy of the final Seattle PreK to3rd Action Plan, send an email tonancy@newschoolfoundation.org.