For most 4-year-olds, early childhood education means any one of a number of nurturing preschool experiences: a small neighborhood program, a church-based day care, a private preschool or early education at home. Parents have many options. At the same time, more parents work from home and take care of their children. Many mothers want the most time possible at home in…

During his State of the Union address, President Obama proclaimed that "every dollar we invest in high-quality early childhood education can save more than seven dollars later on, by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime." Sounds impressive, but that "return on investment" figure reflects a lot of wishful thinking. It appears to…

No doubt about it, President Obama wants to spend even more on government preschool programs, including a "significant expansion" of the federal Early Head Start program. He called for it in his State of the Union Address, then traveled to Atlanta two days later to second his own motion. Specifically, the president wants Early Head Start to enroll a greater number of…

"Outside of its legitimate functions, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector of the economy," Ronald Reagan once said. Given the fact that markets outperform monopolies in every aspect of our lives, why do we consign something as important as education to government-run institutions? The results of our assignment-by-ZIP code…

Detroit Public Schools has some of the lowest graduation rates in the country. Single-digit literacy levels plague the city's schools. On the Trial Urban School District assessment, an evaluation of the nation's largest school districts by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, the problems facing the district's school system become…

Pennsylvania parents can expect to shell out $10,500 per year on private-sector preschool. In Philadelphia, the price can range from the $4,500 per year for full-day preschool at St. Francis Xavier School to more than $12,000 at the elite Gladwyne Montessori School. Head Start, the government-run preschool program, costs federal taxpayers $8,000 per child annually.…

‘Twas the Friday before Christmas, and while most Americans were enjoying time with family and friends, the bureaucrats at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were stirring quietly about, preparing to release its long-overdue evaluation of the Head Start program. Head Start is an $8 billion per year federal preschool program, designed to improve the…