the state of pre-k: realities and opportunities in texas mandi kimball, director of public policy...
TRANSCRIPT
The State of Pre-K: Realities and
Opportunities in Texas
Mandi Kimball, Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Background
$5.4 billion cut to education funding in 2011 Discretionary grant funds for
pre-k lost $200 million.
In response, C@R conducted a study on the impact of the
school budget cuts
School Budget Study
C@R sent survey to every district in Texas and conducted qualitative interviews in select districts Over 400 school districts participated, representing
65% of the student population in the state
Many survey respondents reported a decrease in pre-kindergarten program offerings
Current Study
With the support of the Meadows Foundation and TEGAC, C@R has begun The State of Pre-K: Realities and Opportunities in Texas A mixed-methods study to assess the current state of
public Texas pre-kindergarten programs and make recommendations for increasing pre-kindergarten programs statewide
Objective #1
Address the lack of data surrounding Texas Pre-K programs What do we know about Texas Pre-K programs?
Which districts offer at least a half-day program How many students in each district are enrolled in Pre-K
What isn’t tracked? How many and which districts offer a full-day program Which student populations are served by these programs Data on class sizes and student teacher ratios
Objective #2
Provide a better picture of the state of pre-kindergarten programs in Texas Access Funding Class sizes and teacher ratios
Objective #3
Provide practical policy recommendations for increasing access to pre-kindergarten across the state
Survey Research
Survey has been sent to every district in the state, addressing: Half-day vs. full-day programs Populations served Funding models Class sizes and ratios Challenges faced
Qualitative Research
Select sample of 5-10 districts to further evaluate Districts that are offering Pre-k above and beyond
mandates using innovative funding models that could be replicated
Qualitative research and interviews with district representatives on policies, strategies, funding sources, partnerships, etc. in these districts
Outline case studies for these model districts
Additional Policy Research
Research state-level Pre-k policy in Texas and other states
Policies in other states that promote Pre-k
In-depth summary of current Texas policies and statutes
Final Report
Using the information collected in each phase of this study, C@R will produce a report to disseminate to districts and policy makers Outline the current state of pre-kindergarten in Texas Serve as a toolkit for Texas districts to increase access
to pre-kindergarten Provide policy recommendations for Texas legislators
to promote pre-kindergarten access during the 84th Legislative Session
PROJECT UPDATE
Survey Update
Approximately 44% of 1,108 school districts have responded to date
Over 55% of the total student population in the state is represented by the responses
Follow up will continue for the next two weeks to increase response rate Our partners at TEA and the Texas Legislature will be
sending out emails to their district contacts
Preliminary Results
Roughly 50% of districts report providing a full-day pre-k program 38% provide half-day 4% provide both 4% don’t provide pre-k
Preliminary Results
55% of districts have a policy to cap pre-k class sizes
29% of districts report wanting to expand half-day to full-day with additional funding from the legislature
Policy Update
In contact with the Legislative Budget Board, Texas Education Agency, and other key stakeholders
Conducted in-depth research of Texas policies and statutes
Transitioning to the nationwide policy scan Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, West Virginia
Next Steps
Closing the survey and analyzing final set of responses
Selecting districts for case studies and conducting qualitative interviews
Capitol events: May and September
