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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 2011)
opinion lighting a ‘SPARk’ for Early Childhood Education “O n your mark, get set, ready, go!” In the lan- guage of childhood, these words are an exciting invita- tion—and a signal that it’s time to be at the starting line and prepared to take off in order to sprint to suc- cess. But what happens when children aren’t ready for the most important race of their lives? Every year, four million children in America enter kinder- garten, but as many as one in three won’t be ready for school—and many of them will never catch up. Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids, or SPARK, a national initiative of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, was designed to get children at the starting line and ready to go. Seeking “ready children,” “ready communities,” and “ready schools,” SPARK worked for over five years in seven states and Washington, D.C., to help communities unite resources to better prepare chil- dren for school and smooth the transition between pre-school and elementary school settings. The Children’s Defense Fund’s Southern Regional Office (CDF- SRO) was honored to be the grantee for SPARK Mississippi (SPARK-MS), a $5 million initia- tive that has improved school readiness for more than 800 Mississippi children ages three to C HIlD w AtCH Marian Wright Edelman eight—a concrete example of what’s working to improve chil- dren’s chances. In Mississippi, as in many states, the early care and education “fam- ily” is bound by the common belief that all children should be well prepared to enter kinder- school districts. At the core of every SPARK-MS site is the cre- ation of a Local Children’s Partnership. As Ellen Collins, Executive Director of SPARK- MS, explains, “These partnerships are made up of community mem- bers representing early education, local school districts, business leaders, parents, health providers, SPARK staff, and other stakehold- ers who realize that the success of their community and ultimately the state rests upon meaningful investments in its children… They understand their community’s livelihood is based on the children being ready for kindergarten, and they are working to address any Using the SPARK-MS model, work is being done to align early childhood education with the K-12 education system in 10 targeted school districts garten. But, too often child care providers, Head Start centers, and even public schools are preparing children for the race on their own without working together. Using the SPARK-MS model, work is being done to align early child- hood education with the K-12 edu- cation system in 10 targeted gap or service need in their com- munity and advocate for increased quality and access.” SPARK-MS’s interventions include professional development and technical assistance for early learning center staff, resource fairs and cultural awareness activities for children and families, home visitation, and coordinating transi- tion activities between early learn- ing settings and public schools. Every site employs Learning Advocates who work with fami- lies on a one-to-one basis, serving as case managers, tutors, and friends. This unique aspect of SPARK provides a parent training track, and the families whose chil- dren participate in SPARK consid- er their Learning Advocates part of their own family. “She’s like the preacher, the teacher, the mama, the counselor, the husband, the wife, all in one,” grandparent Tena McNair said of her grandson Tamarius’s Learning Advocate. “To me, she’s every- thing.” Tamarius started with SPARK at age three and is now a successful fifth grader. As she raises her grandson alone, Mrs. McNair is especially grateful for the assistance SPARK employees provide. “They are always just a phone call or a ride away. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what I would do sometimes.” Satoya Payne, whose son Ricky was one of the first SPARK partic- ipants in his school district, shares similar gratitude: “When he was in first grade, struggling with his speech, I didn’t know what to do. Then SPARK came in, and it was a big turnaround.” Learning Advocates petitioned the school district in order for Ricky to receive speech and language serv- ices and individualized tutoring, and equipped his parents with behavior management tools. Today, Ricky is a fifth grade honor roll student who wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. The first cohort of SPARK-MS students began taking statewide standardized tests in spring 2009, and the encouraging results echo the positive impact we’ve already seen in children like Tamarius and Ricky. SPARK students who took the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT2) outperformed non- SPARK students from a compara- ble school district in both Language Arts and Mathematics. We have also seen more parents involved in their children’s aca- demic process and more commu- nity members taking an active role in advocating for changes to strengthen the early childhood development and learning system. With a proven track record and measurable results, SPARK-MS is now moving into the next phase. “We know the model works; now we want to focus on improving the system,” says Ellen Collins. Read the rest online at www.theskanner.com Across America, labor Unions Fight for Survival T he showdown between public unions and the gov- ernor of Wisconsin is drama likely to be replayed in other budget-challenged states during the next few months and may determine whether American unions rebound or become a fad- ing fixture of the past. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 44 states and Puerto Rico have introduced legislation governing labor unions and collective bar- gaining. Because so much is at stake, both pro- and anti-labor groups around the nation have sent pro- testers to Wisconsin during the past week to support their cause. Thousands of protesters, including teachers, rallied in Madison, the state capital, to voice their con- cerns. Anti-labor protesters have also marched in the streets to express their support for a pro- posed measure to strip public unions of much of their power. At the center of the debate is Governor Scott Walker’s proposal to save $330 mil- lion through mid-2013. Under the plan, govern- ment workers will have to pay more than half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their healthcare premiums. Unions would still be allowed to represent work- ers, but could not seek pay increases above the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public refer en dum. Fire fighters, police officers, and state troopers would be exempted under the new t He C urry r ePort George E. Curry plan. Labor officials say they are will- ing to compromise on pension and healthcare benefits, but not their ability to freely negotiate on behalf of government workers. At the national level, the budget bat- tles feature organize labor, a key base of Democrats, and fiscally conservative Republicans, the key to GOP election gains last November. Although public unions are being blamed for many of Wisconsin’s woes, they are not the real culprits. The Associated Press reported on Feb. 1, that a “new analysis to a fund that was raided four years ago.” Wisconsin is obligated to pay Minnesota $58.7 million after the end of a tax-reciprocity agreement between the two neighboring states. The state is under court order to pay $200 million that was illegally transferred in 2007 from a state medical malpractice fund, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Further complicating matters, Governor Walker pushed through tax cuts in his first month in office that are estimated to bring in $117 million less in pro- jected state taxes during the next two year. Another $72 million drop is a result of lower than expected tax rev- enues. Like his federal counterparts, Walker argued that the lower tax cuts will create economic growth. This is the same argument that President George W. Bush used in getting two federal tax reductions through Congress. But, the prom- ised economic growth never materialized. In Wisconsin, organized labor is losing the public relations battle as anti- labor Republicans enjoy a larger share of state houses and governors’ mansions. According to a survey conducted earlier this month by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, “The favora- bility ratings for labor unions remain at nearly their lowest level Although public unions are being blamed for many of Wisconsin’s woes, they are not the real culprits released Monday showed that Wisconsin’s budget could be between $79 and $340 million short by June 30, 2013, due large- ly to anticipated Medicaid expens- es and a court-ordered repayment in a quarter century with 45 per- cent expressing a positive view. Yet the public expresses similar opinions about business corporations – 47 percent have a favorable impression – and this rating is also near a historic low.” The Pew report observes: “Americans express mixed views workers (36.2 percent) is more than five times the private rate of 6.9 percent. Within the public sec- tor, union membership was high- est among local government work- ers such as police officers, fire fighters, and teachers. A Labor Department survey in 2010 showed that African- Americans were more likely to be union mem- bers (13.7 percent) than Whites (11.7 percent)), Asians (10.9 percent) or Hispanics (10 percent). Unionized full-time wage and salary work- ers had a median week- ly income of $917 in 2010. Workers not rep- resented by unions earned $717 — $200 less than union wages. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 11.9 per- cent of all wage and salary work- ers in the U.S. belonged to unions in 2010, down from 20.1 percent in 1983. By all accounts, labor unions were primarily responsible for cre- ating the American middle class in the bygone era when manufactur- ing was king. In an era of eco- nomic belt-tightening and rising Republican influence in politics, however, they are serving as con- venient scapegoats for pro-busi- ness voices that wanted to get rid of them all along. A Labor Department survey in 2010 showed that African- Americans were more likely to be union members than Whites, Asians, or Hispanics of the impact of labor unions on salaries and working conditions, international competitiveness, job availability and productivity. About half (53 percent) say unions have had a positive effect on the salaries and benefits of union workers, while just 17 percent say they have had a negative effect. Views are similar about the impact of unions on working conditions for all workers (51 percent posi- tive, 17 percent negative).” It is ironic that the debate over the role of unions is being played out in Wisconsin, the first state to enact of major collective bargain- ing law in 1959. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees was found- ed in 1936 in Madison. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the union membership rate of public sector george e. Curry, former editor- in-chief of emerge magazine and the nnPa news Service, is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. February 23, 2011 The Portland Skanner Page 5
