University of Wisconsin–Madison

Education

Written by Walker Kahn, Griffin Beronio, Gianmarco Katz

What's the Problem? 

Strong public schools are key to creating thriving communities. They attract new residents, develop skilled workforces, reduce expenditures related to social service and criminal justice, reduce inequality, and improve social mobility. Conversely, poor public schools entrench inequality, undermine students’ performance, and impair property values. However, public schools are usually managed by independent school districts, and non-school board elected officials must rely on partnerships with school district officials, teachers, and community leaders to achieve policy goals.

Public school stakeholders can support children and communities by pursuing progressive policies like universal Pre-K, before and after-school programming, free school meals, ending the school-to-prison pipeline, and creating safe routes to school.

What are People Currently Doing?

One of the most important programs for any public school system is universal Pre-K. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often enter kindergarten under-prepared compared to their peers, which has long-term impacts on academic and employment outcomes. Pre-K programs help shrink these gaps: compared to those who did not participate in Pre-K, those who attended high-quality programs had higher academic achievement, were more likely to graduate high school, and were not only more likely to be employed as adults but also had significantly higher wages. However, only about 60 percent of eligible children attend Pre-K, and different states and communities differ greatly in the resources they provide. Further, Pre-K acts as a high-quality daycare alternative, making it incredibly important for families where caretakers also work (see ProGov21’s Affordable Child Care Roadmap for more information).

Early education is often left up to state governments, but school districts and local governments can identify state-specific data to create more effective “asks” from state policymakers, such as increased funding, expanded access, or better training for Pre-K teachers. For communities seeking to offer or expand their Pre-K programs a diversity of funding strategies exist, including using the expiration of Pay in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements, parcel taxes, or increasing the marginal tax rate on high-earners in jurisdictions that allow municipal income taxes. For more on revenue strategies available to local governments, see ProGov21’s Public Finance Roadmap, and for information about how local communities can navigate state and federal preemption, see ProGov21’s Home Rule Roadmap.

Policymakers developing Pre-K programs at either the state or local level should establish comprehensive learning standards and culturally appropriate curricula that emphasize social-emotional learning as well as academic progress. This guide from the National Institute for Early Education Research provides evidence-based best practices for designing and implementing Pre-K programs, covering everything from stakeholder engagement to data-driven evaluation strategies. An overview resource summarizing the basics of early education is available through the Learning Policy Institute, addressing issues like program assessment and support for English learners. Another important component is active support for teachers through coaching and mentorship to help them meet student’s diverse needs. Cities looking to create local Pre-K programs can from learn from existing programs. Boston’s Universal Pre-K program emphasizes small class sizes, play-centered learning, and social and emotional skills development. The Seattle Preschool Program improved Pre-K access, and children who participated had greater academic success compared to children who remained with caregivers at home. For cities looking to take advantage of federally-funded Head Start and Early Head Start, the ProGov21 library has a series of resources examining research-based best practices, state-by-state analysis, and partnership strategies between local, state, and federal programs

School programs, including Pre-K, should be “seamless,” meaning that standards, curriculum, assessment, and instruction are coordinated together across the entire education system. Researchers and practitioners believe that a more seamless educational pipeline serves young children more effectively and helps address a range of academic, behavioral, health, and family issues. Illinois State University has made public resources and data sets demonstrating the importance of seamless education from Pre-K through grade 12. 

Schools should develop nurturing and supportive learning environments and avoid criminalizing subjective student offenses such as disorderly conduct or disruptive classroom behavior. Zero tolerance policies for offenses such as willful defiance, vulgarity, or dress code violations should also be eliminated, as they recast struggling children—especially black and brown children—as dangerous and criminal, and create a pipeline from schools into the criminal justice system. Truancy, especially, must no longer be a gateway to incarceration. Chronically truant students are already disadvantaged by missing time in the classroom; punitive consequences create a hostile environment that makes it more difficult for them to get back on the right track. The State of New Jersey’s Department of Education adopted a tiered approach to attendance that prioritizes establishing positive relationships with students and their parents to address issues in the home that are frequently the root of the problem. 

School boards should implement restorative and equity-oriented approaches and reduce the over-policing of school activities. The city of Madison prioritized restorative and rehabilitative behavior response practices by prohibiting the use of corporal punishment and unreasonable use of physical force against students. The National Women’s Law Center has developed guides to help stop pushout for girls of colorLGBTQ girlsgirls who are pregnant or parentinggirls in foster care, girls who have survived sexual violencehomeless girls, and girls who have spent time in the juvenile justice system. While these guides are specifically targeted towards young women, the policies they recommend will benefit all students.

Student success is improved by wrap-around services such as meals, social services, mentorship programs, and before-and after-school learning programs. Participation in after-school programming reduces juvenile crime, improves attendance, and provides greater educational, recreational, and community-building opportunities for marginalized and at-risk youth. For many students, school is where they receive their healthiest and most consistent meals. Vermont created a policy guide that established evidence-based best practices for quality school meals and includes information for improving on federally mandated policy floors. To prevent any student from going hungry, schools should offer free breakfast and lunch to students year-round, and practices that penalize children for things like “school lunch debt” must be eliminated. Wrap-around services are in some cases provided through partnerships with non-profit organizations to help secure as many resources as possible for struggling children. In Madison, local school districts have expanded services by partnering with the local YMCA.

Taking it to the Next Level

To ensure that students have safe ways to get to school, local officials must address traffic safety hazards identified in school areas and along routes to school. Local officials can utilize the Safe Routes Partnership’s guide, which emphasizes reducing vehicle speeds while improving pedestrian crossings, bicycle connectivity, and intersection safety. The Safe Routes Partnership website offers a roster of state-based experts ready to advise local communities on their programs. Community groups can use these and other resources in the ProGov21 Library to improve school route safety. Community members in Muscoy, CA came together to address air quality and transportation infrastructure issues that were creating unsafe conditions for students trying to get to school: working with local elected officials, volunteers focused on creating and expanding sidewalks, creating curb extensions, adding bus shelters, and holding public workshops on bike and pedestrian transportation improvements.

Community schools are public schools that reflect local priorities and assets through collaboration with families and local agencies. Community schools utilize the broader resources available in the community resources by developing strategic partnerships to provide health and social services. A comprehensive community school strategy is central to improving equity and reducing barriers to learning, for it provides underfunded schools with increased resources that are tailored to the needs of the community; these may include providing classes that are not taught in English, legal representation for students facing deportation, mental health services, and more.

Helpers, Allies, and Other Useful Organizations

  • LAANE is an organizing and advocacy institution committed to economic, environmental, and racial justice. They work to improve access and advance opportunities in public education for all students so that they thrive in the classroom, in their communities, and beyond.
  • The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) works to improve the learning and development of young children by creating and disseminating research and policy analysis.
  • Safe Routes Partnership is a national nonprofit organization advancing safe walking to and from schools and building healthy, thriving communities for everyone.
  • Learning Policy Institute conducts and communicates independent, high-quality research advancing evidence-based education policies at the local, state, and federal levels that support empowering and equitable learning for every child.

 

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