Jackson Jambalaya

Can we look for Ben and Leland to pay Kingfish to post their version in the upcoming week?

Will the check cashing/loan industry get another shot at their bill?

In response to “Worst bill of the session?” and
assertion “Finally, numerous studies indicate that
learning gains from pre-K fade out by third grade.”

A 2007 study: “A Benefit Cost Analysis of the Abecedarian Early Childhood Education Intervention” prepared for National Institute for Early Education Research (nieer.org).

Background:
“The Carolina Abecedarian Study is an experiment in the provision of intensive pre-school services to children in low-income families from infancy to five years of age.”

Prior research findings:
“The program began in 1972, and research on program effects found that experimental group children experienced durable gains in IQ, and achievement in mathematics and reading (Campbell and Ramey 1995).”

“Comparison of the findings for the Abecedarian preschool project to other interventions suggested that effects may be more persistent if a program is preventative, intensive, and starts very early in life (Ramey and Ramey 1998).”

“The increment to academic achievement and cognitive development experienced by the Abecedarian children has been fairly well documented.”

This study assesses the cost-benefit of the Abecedarian preschool program.

Cost-benefit findings:
“… the Abecedarian program does ‘pay for itself’ at healthy rates of discount when all benefits and costs are included in the analysis.”
“If we included all measured benefits, then the internal rate of return for the Abecedarian intervention appears to be slightly greater than 7%.”
“Overall, the rate of return to the Abecedarian project is no less than 3 percent and is likely higher than 7 percent.”
“The Abecedarian program results in healthy returns for the investment of public resources targeted at a disadvantaged group. This occurs even when viewed in the light of significant unmeasured benefits from improved education, such as the personal consumption value of learning and educational experiences, increases in civic and pro-social behavior, increases in the overall quality of life, and improvements in personal decision-making and household management (Haveman and Wolfe 1984).”
“We would, therefore, not be surprised if the Abecedarian intervention resulted in greater program effects and returns than estimated above if replicated on a large scale for at-risk children in areas where the quality of care currently being received was relatively low.”

The study: http://nieer.org/resources/research/AbecedarianStudy.pdf

Until now, Mississippi is the lone southeastern state that provides no state-funded pre-K program. This fact alone indicates strong stakeholder support for pre-K investment.

Facts are “an inconvenient truth,” and your claim simply does not comport with the research and action of neighboring states.

they had to buy an ad, otherwise nobody would even know the MCPP even exists. Seems like they meet the definition of community organizer.

Well said John.

What is the purpose of MCPP? Sounds like their platform is everything under the sun.

Thanks KaptKangaroo.

Following-up to my initial post here for the intellectually-curious and open-minded, please read:

http://www.nieer.org/sites/nieer/files/Getting%20the%20Facts%20Right%20on%20Pre-K%20Fast%20Facts%20Summary.pdf

"Fair-and-balanced. You decide."