Federal preschools?
June 1, 2007| By Nathaniel Ward
No Child Left Behind set a bad precedent for increased federal intervention in school decisions that should properly be left to parents and local governments. Now, reports Heritage education expert Dan Lips, some liberals are calling for federal controls on preschool.
“Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) recently unveiled a proposal for a new $10 billion federal program to offer government-subsidized preschool for all children across the country,” he writes.
But while some may applaud this dramatically expanded role for Washington bureaucrats, Lips warns that “parents and taxpayers should read the fine print before embracing the latest federal initiative geared to help children.”
He notes that this proposal is “based on two flawed assumptions”:
- That preschool is an essential component of all children’s early education
- That it’s the federal government’s responsibility to promote and manage preschool
Politicians really need to consider whether their grandiose schemes for education really benefit those they seek to help: the children.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.