Should preschool teachers be college graduates? “Our most important teachers” — preschool teachers — are paid the least, writes Jeneen Interlandi in the New York Times Magazine. “Teaching preschoolers is every bit as complicated and important as teaching any of the K-12 grades, if not more so,” says Marcy Whitebook, a director of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California, Berkeley. “But we still treat preschool teachers like babysitters

“Inequality in America is apparent by age 3, writes writes Heather Long in the Washington Post. “Most rich kids are in school, while most poor kids are not,” according to a new book, Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat Inequality. At Manhattan preschools, wealthy parents pay $30,000 a year for their children to learn  “French, Chinese, violin, yoga and robotics — all before kindergarten,” writes Long. Is care by family members inferior to formal care? In the Bronx, w

Preschools where teachers teach about phonics, numbers and shapes  produce cognitive gains for students — especially blacks — concludes a Berkley study. “By the end of kindergarten, children who had attended one year of “academic-oriented preschool” outperformed peers who had attended less academic-focused preschools by, on average, the equivalent of two and a half months of learning in literacy and math, reports Dana Goldstein in the New York Times. Progressive educators — a

High school should be more like preschool, writes Sarah Garland in the Hechinger Report. That means more focus on relationships, play, projects and personalized learning. At City Neighbors High School in Baltimore, ninth graders discuss their favorite color and debate the merits of Cool Ranch vs. Nacho Cheese Doritos. It’s a “break” from academics and a chance to learn public speaking skills, writes Garland. Deborah Meier, the godmother of the progressive education movement,

By the first day of kindergarten, children with educated, affluent parents are far readier for school success than children from low-income families, writes Anne Kim in the Washington Monthly.  Instead of trying to get disadvantaged kids into preschool, a nonprofit called Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) brings early learning to low-income mothers. Adriana Fuentes, an Army wife in Virginia, is raising a four-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter

“Nature preschools” are catching on, reports Education Week. Children play outside, exploring natural environments. All Friends Nature School in San Diego has no building. “All of our days are spent outside, rain or shine,” Susan Seiguer said. “Some days we spend our afternoons building a shelter so we have a shady spot to eat our lunch or just to play in.” “One of the big things we say in the nature-based-education world is there’s no such thing as bad weather, only poor cho