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“Keep going,” U.S. education secretary tells educators after hearing about West Virginia’s early learning success

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — “A model for the country” was how the U.S. secretary of education described West Virginia’s universal pre-kindergarten program during a Thursday visit to the Capital City focused on early learning.

“It’s inspiring,” Secretary John King, Jr. said of the Mountain State’s early learning efforts.

He used his visit to Charleston, in part, to announce the U.S. Department of Education’s release of new guidelines outlining ways states and schools districts can use federal funds to support young learners through the Every Student Succeeds Act.

U.S. Education Secretary John King (center) was flanked by Lloyd Jackson, state Board of Education vice president, and Dr. Michael Martirano, state superintendent, during a Thursday town hall focused on early learning.

President Barack Obama signed ESSA into law in Dec. 2015 as the replacement for No Child Left Behind and support for early education is found throughout it.

After the Nov. general election, King said the question would be whether members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, in a lame duck session, are willing to commit resources to “deliver on that promise.”

“We’re optimistic,” he said. “The president sees the period after the election as an opportunity to move forward on a budget agreement and to make investments that we know will pay off long-term and this is a bipartisan issue.”

Last year, more than 30 states increased investments in early learning, according to King.

“That’s red state governors, blue state governors, that’s Republican legislators, Democratic legislators, all committed to early learning because we know the return on investment is so high — eight to one, nine to one return on investment,” he said.

The ultimate goal of the Obama Administration is universal access to preschool for low income and moderate income families nationally and, King pledged, the push for that would continue through Jan. 20.

Within the Every Student Succeeds Act, early learning initiatives that can be paid for through federal funds include the following:

– Training for school administrators in the best ways to support educators who work with students through age eight

– Training for early learning teachers to support English-language learners in developing English proficiency and academic readiness

– Updating and aligning certification and licensing standards for early childhood educators, including administrators working with young children from preschool through 3rd grade

– Providing support and ongoing training to early learning teachers on the interactive use of technology for enhancing classroom instruction and reaching out to families

– Ensuring regular observations of early learning classrooms to improve teachers’ effectiveness in creating high-quality instructional, social, and emotional climates

Continually ranked near the top nationally for pre-k access, West Virginia is already investing in some of those areas.

In 2002, the West Virginia Legislature passed a law requiring the state to expand access to all four-year-olds in the Mountain State and, today, West Virginia Universal Pre-K is available in all 55 counties.

“The level of commitment to early learning is really inspiring and it’s across five governors, it’s leadership from the Legislature, it’s leadership from the state Board,” King said after a Thursday town hall on early learning at the West Virginia Department of Education.

“When you look across the country, many states are struggling to ensure access to quality pre-k. West Virginia is delivering on access to quality pre-k.”

“Consistency and commitment” made the difference, Dr. Michael Martirano, state superintendent of schools, told King. West Virginia is “primed for the long game” in education, he said.

Clayton Burch, chief academic officer for the state Department of Education, told King West Virginia has a preschool-12 education system, but, he continued, “we’re probably getting beyond that” as early learning programs stretch to birth.

“We are changing lives and reaching families,” Martirano said before noting he gets “absolutely emotional” when talking about improving student achievement in the Mountain State.

“Keep going,” was the advice from King.

His visit to Charleston Thursday included a stop at Piedmont Elementary School.

King has served as U.S. secretary of education since being confirmed in March. Prior to that, the former high school social studies teacher worked as a principal senior adviser within the U.S. Department of Education.

A New York native, King’s parents were career New York City public school educators. Both died before he was 12. His “life was saved by school,” King said. He credits his public school teachers with setting him on an educational path and giving him hope about his future.





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