You Are Doing Fine, Oklahoma

12/20/2004

"No proof is required of what is before our eyes."- Hindustan Proverb

You're Doing Fine, Oklahoma

In a special feature on "The Case for Investing in America's Kids" (which includes articles by Helen Blank, Joan Lombardi, Ted Kennedy, Valora Washington and many others) in the November 2004 issue of The American Prospect magazine (1-888-687-8732), David L. Kirp writes...

"The Sooner State is better known for its oil billionaires, football dynasties, and religious fundamentalists than for its social conscience. Yet largely because of the behind-the-scenes efforts of passionate bureaucrats, savvy state politicians, and public-spirited business leaders, Oklahoma ranks first in the nation in the proportion of 4-year-olds enrolled in pre-kindergarten classes. What's more, those classes meet stringent national standards for quality.

"....A 2004 study by Georgetown University professors William Gormley Jr. and Deborah Phillips shows that Tulsa's pre-K program has strong positive effects on children's language and cognitive test scores. The researchers hail Oklahoma as 'an example of the success with which systematic, school-based initiatives can launch 4-year-olds on a promising trajectory.'"

"...'All great public policy comes out of passionate leaders,' says Nancy Von Bargen, who heads the human-services department's child care division and is herself one of those leaders. Without Ramona Paul and Joe Eddins, it's doubtful that universal preschool would have been widely adopted in Oklahoma. Governor Henry has made education the top priority of his administration, 'We're tired of being last in a lot of things in the nation,' says first lady Kim Henry, a former teacher who spends most of her time promoting children's causes. 'We want to do something big.'"

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