How to Get More Early Bloomers – Important to know what works best in early education

WHEN New York City’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, went to Albany earlier this week to talk about his program for universal preschool, the discussion reportedly focused on funding, not on whether or how preschool would actually help children. President Obama seemed equally confident when he introduced his plan for universal preschool last year, flatly stating, "We know this works." But the state of research is actually much murkier. And unless policy makers begin to design preschool programs in ways that can be evaluated later, the situation won’t get any clearer.

By DANIEL T. WILLINGHAM and DAVID W. GRISSMER

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/opinion/how-to-get-more-early-bloomers.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0