skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, April 26, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Louisiana teachers' union concerned about educators' future; Supreme Court hears arguments in Trump immunity case; court issues restraining order against fracking waste-storage facility; landmark NE agreement takes a proactive approach to CO2 pipeline risks.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Speaker Johnson accuses demonstrating students of getting support from Hamas. TikTok says it'll challenge the ban. And the Supreme Court dives into the gray area between abortion and pregnancy healthcare, and into former President Trump's broad immunity claims.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The urban-rural death divide is widening for working-age Americans, many home internet connections established for rural students during COVID have been broken, and a new federal rule aims to put the "public" back in public lands.

Report: Arizona Lags Behind in Early Childhood Education

play audio
Play

Wednesday, June 4, 2014   

PHOENIX - Arizona is near the bottom of states for enrollment in -- and funding of -- early childhood education, according to the latest "State of Preschool" report for 2013 from the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University.

Professor Steven Barnett, who directs NIEER, said Arizona ranks 38th in enrollment and 40th in funding pre-kindergarten programs, out of 40 states and the District of Columbia that have early-education programs. The Grand Canyon State's situation seems to be getting worse, he said.

"Arizona actually has very low funding and meets relatively few of the benchmarks for quality standards," Barnett said. "It's actually fallen from where it was in the prior year."

Barnett said Arizona spends slightly more than $2,000 per student and should be spending about $4,500 per student to achieve higher standards. The study showed that the District of Columbia, which ranks first in the nation for early education enrollment, spends nearly $17,000 per student.

Barnett said research shows that investing in early childhood education helps ensure that more children graduate from high school and go on to attend college and get good jobs - milestones that benefit the whole state.

"Reduce your crime rate. Increase your graduation rate," he said. "Attract employers, because you're going to have a workforce that knows how to work together, is more productive on the job, better educated."

According to the report, Florida, Oklahoma, Vermont and Wisconsin round out the top five states with the highest early childhood education enrollment numbers.

The report is online at nieer.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The United Nations experts also expressed concern over a Chemours application to expand PFAS production in North Carolina. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

United Nations experts are raising concerns about chemical giants DuPont and Chemours, saying they've violated human rights in North Carolina…


Social Issues

play sound

The long-delayed Farm Bill could benefit Virginia farmers by renewing funding for climate-smart investments, but it's been held up for months in …

Environment

play sound

Conservation groups say the Hawaiian Islands are on the leading edge of the fight to preserve endangered birds, since climate change and habitat loss …


Jane Kleeb is director and founder of Bold Alliance, an umbrella organization of Bold Nebraska, which was instrumental in stopping the Keystone Pipeline. Kleeb is also one of two 2023 Climate Breakthrough Awardees. (Bold Alliance)

Environment

play sound

CO2 pipelines are on the increase in the United States, and like all pipelines, they come with risks. Preparing for those risks is a major focus of …

Environment

play sound

April has been "Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month," but the pests don't know that. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it's the …

David Coon designs and evaluates interventions for families and caregivers of adults with chronic illnesses, including dementia, cancer and depression. (Arizona State University)

Health and Wellness

play sound

The 2024 Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium Public Conference kicks off Saturday, where industry experts and researchers will share the latest scientific …

Environment

play sound

Environmental groups say more should be done to protect people's health from what they call toxic, radioactive sludge. A court granted a temporary …

Social Issues

play sound

Orange County's Supreme Court reversed a decision letting the city of Newburgh implement state tenant protections. The city declared a housing …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021