by AFT President Sandra Feldman
December 2000

Let's give all
of our children
the gift of learning.

As I write this, the holiday spirit reigns. The streets are filled with festive lights and evergreens; bell-ringing Santas are collecting money for charity; and the toys donated for poor children are being wrapped and distributed.

In the spirit of the holiday season, I suggest our elected officials and holders of the purse strings enact some concete measures to improve the education of our poorest children, an accomplishment that will benefit all of America's youngsters.

Across the country this past November, the people voted to support public education, to invest in smaller classes, higher standards, and better pay for teachers. While politicians may disagree on how to achieve these goals, there is broad consensus on some things that could and should be done.

Here's my short holiday season wish list:

First: high-quality, affordable preschool. This is available in every other advanced nation.Why? Because research makes it clear that children are eager learners from the first moments of their lives. They flourish when adults teach them and read to them, so preschool can make a big difference. In some families, parents can do it all. But today many children are in daycare starting in infancy, and it's important that high-quality preschool programs be widely available.

This is especially true for poor children, who often enter kindergarten far behind advantaged youngsters. In vocabulary acquisition alone, poor children are likely to start school knowing many fewer words than their more advantaged peers. We know that if poor children are able to attend quality preschools, that gap is much narrower when they enter kindergarten. But they need preschool learning environments suitable for young children and teachers who are qualified early childhood specialists.

If other countries can do this--and do it successfully--why can't we?

Second: smaller classes. We also know--not just from common wisdom but from hard research--that all children benefit from being in smaller classes. This is especially true for poor children. Indeed, the evidence is crystal clear that the effects of small classes show up in higher achievement all the way to high school graduation. This is an investment we should make, starting with the early grades, where the payoff is greatest.

Third: a qualified teacher for every child. With over two million teachers needed in the next decade, that means ensuring competitive salaries, professional working conditions, and other incentives to attract and retain teachers and keep high standards for the profession. Schools and districts that serve poor children face a special challenge: They need the best-prepared teachers, and they are already experiencing severe shortages.

Teachers who are now in the classroom should need to get ongoing support---not be threatened with punitive measures. Summer institutes to upgrade skills and content knowledge and advanced courses in subject-matter fields-- especially teaching reading, math, and science--should be provided. And new teachers should be well educated, with a major in a subject area--not just "education"--and should pass high-level entry examinations.

Fourth: more learning time for children who need it. There is accumulating research that after-school programs, summer school, and extended days and years enable children who are behind to catch up. And added academics are not enough. Poor children need the kinds of extras that advantaged children take for granted but that too many poor children don't get: sports and cultural activities--like singing in choirs, dancing, visiting museums--and going on organized excursions.

There is much more that could and should be done: upgrading the deplorable school buildings too many poor children attend; closing the digital divide; providing quality health care for children and families. But quality childcare and preschool, smaller classes, better prepared teachers, and extra learning time for children who need it are a good place to start--all in the context of holding schools and educators and elected officials accountable for spending wisely and meeting standards.

As we celebrate this holiday season, let's take to heart the words of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that are engraved on his memorial in Washington, D.C.: "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much. It is whether we provide enough for those who have little."