The Promise of Preschool

The past 45 years have seen the emergence of education for young children as a national issue, spurred by the initiation of the Head Start program in the 1960s, efforts to create a child care system in the 1970s, and the campaign to reform K-12 schooling in the 1980s. Today, the push to make preschool the beginning of public education for all children has gained support in many parts of the country and promises to put early education policy on the national agenda. Yet questions still remain about the best ways to shape policy that will fulfill the promise of preschool.

In The Promise of Preschool, Elizabeth Rose traces the history of decisions on early education made by presidents from Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush, by other lawmakers, and by experts, advocates, activists, and others. Using this historical context as a lens, the book shows how the past shapes today's preschool debate and provides meaningful perspective on the policy questions that need to be addressed as we move forward: Should we provide preschool to all children, or just to the neediest? Should it be run by public schools, or incorporate private child care providers? How do we most effectively ensure educational quality and success?

The Promise of Preschool is a balanced, in-depth investigation into these and other important questions and demonstrates how an understanding of the past can stimulate valuable debate about the care and education of young children today.

'This work illuminates the complexity of the issues, processes, and personages involved in early childhood policy in a way that is thoughtful, readable, and sensitive to the contradictory demands and competing concerns with which policy makers, educators, and parents have to contend. It greatly expands our understanding of early childhood policy over the last 45 years and should top reading lists for stakeholders and students alike.' - Kristen Nawrotski, History of Education Quarterly

'The Promise of Preschool is more important now than ever before. Local, state and federal policymakers are looking at the "promise" of early childhood to help close the achievement gap. The discussion is no longer whether early childhood matters, but how do we expand access and improve quality for all children? Elizabeth Rose's historical look at the field - and its patchwork of services - provides an invaluable resource for policymakers and academics. As a State Senator, I read the book with interest and recommend it to colleagues interested in understanding early childhood education.'- Beth Bye, Connecticut State Senator, 5th District

'The Promise of Preschool is the most complete history of the preschool education movement written to date. Plus, the author even-handedly discusses the remaining issues that must be resolved before the full potential of preschool can be realized.' -Edward Zigler, Sterling Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Yale University, and founder of Head Start

'It is rare to find in one volume acute historical analysis and good sense about current questions of public policy. The Promise of Preschool offers both, told in the form of a lively narrative. It's a book that should be read not only by scholars and advocates, but also by all who care about children and the futures they will create for all of us.'-Ellen Condliffe Lagemann, Levy Institute Research Professor, Bard College

'Beautifully and accessibly written, The Promise of Preschool is a spectacular piece of scholarship. A highly original analysis, the book is a goldmine for anyone who wants to understand one of the most important issues in America today. Rose provides a much needed voice of mediation in the battle over how to move forward in the rapidly growing world of preschool education. Anyone interested in the future of education should read this book. Our children and our country can't wait.'-Barbara Beatty, Professor of Education, Wellesley College, and author of Preschool Education in America

'The Promise of Preschool deftly employs stories about people, places, and reform movements to account for America's patchwork approach to preschool, and does so with an eye to broader theoretical questions about how history constrains and enables social change.'-Jeff Henig, Professor of Political Science and Education, Columbia University