If you are wondering where the PreK-3rd movement is headed, and what it is, check out yesterday’s story, “Attacking the Achievement Gap: Principals in Action.”

In less than 700 words, author Susan Ochshorn lays out the key role principals can play in better integrating pre-kindergarten and the first four grades of elementary school, an effort commonly known as PreK-3rd, and the challenges they face.

What's more, their (principals) own preparation fails to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective instructional leaders. They're especially lacking in knowledge of early childhood development and education, and woefully behind the curve on the social-emotional context of learning – challenges that Pre-K-3rd initiatives are confronting head on. – Huffington Post, 5/17/11.

Luckily this is changing. (Yesterday’s story mention’s Sara Mead’s excellent new policy brief, “PreK-3rd: Principals as Crucial Instructional Leaders.”)

But, expansion of PreK-3rd, will require more that principals. I was talking with a principal this morning, and she made the point that this buy in extends to the school district, and that one of the keys to gaining this leadership is something that unlocks success in so many endeavors: communication.

Still,PreK-3rd has taken big strides in recent years, as the story suggests. A big reason is the idea – creating a better continuum from pre-k through third grade – simply makes sense on a basic level.

“It is a perfectly reasonably idea,” the Foundation for Child Development’s president Ruby Takanishi told me yesterday.

But, in the crush of test scores, parent meetings, curriculum developments and the daily marathon that is running a public school it can be easy to lose sight of this reason, as the Huffington Post story reminds us.

Anyone have any new ideas about how to keep this idea on the front burner of principals and superintendents?