Over the last decade, universal preschool education has become a popular topic of conversation among educator policy wonks in the California k-12 education industrial complex. It was the subject of a 2020 CA Senate candidates forum in the SF Bay Area last week. Clearly momentum is building in the Democratic Party to try to expand public California preschool. The forum audience  – composed mostly of voters working in the public education sector – warmed the most to the candidates who told them what they wanted to hear and were also the most experienced with early childhood education. That meant they seemed to warm to Sally Lieber (D)  and Shelly Masur (D).

Analytical Summary from a Conservative POV – More public preschool could lower the incidence of criminality and pay for itself. However, the societal downsides could include a reduction in the diversity of private pre-school curriculums as well as a negative impact on the growth of the public charter movement. Continue Reading →