Recently, New America published an article suggesting that it is time to re-envision elementary education. Authors Lisa Guernsey and Laura Bornfreund argue that the current school structure, with preschool education ending at pre-kindergarten and elementary education starting at Kindergarten, no longer makes sense (if it ever did). They believe that the K – 5 model starts too late, leaving elementary school teachers disconnected from early care and education providers. In fac

A new research study published in Nature Neuroscience shows that children who live in poverty actually have smaller brains than their wealthier peers. Through scanning the brains of 1,100 Americans aged 3 – 20, scientists found that both the surface area and the thickness of the cerebral cortex were positively correlated with family income. Children raised in low-income homes had brains that were significantly smaller than those of affluent children. What does this mean for t

Last week, the 2015 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook was presented to a room filled with health care and education professionals, policy makers, and local and state leaders. While Rhode Island has made great gains in some areas, decreasing both the percentage of infants born at high risk and the teen birth rate, for example, there are other areas where we must make progress if we are committed to the health and wellbeing of every child in our state. Interestingly, while overa

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the many options parents have when choosing a school for their child. While I absolutely support parents’ rights to educate themselves about their options and to choose a school that matches their family’s philosophical and educational needs, I do not support school vouchers or similar programs. School voucher systems give parents subsidies that can be directed towards the school of their choice, whether that school is a public, parochial, or in