Former Treasury Secretary and Harvard President Larry Summers has called for many horrific government interventionist measures over the years, but he is nothing compared to his mother.
Great piece by my mom, Pre-K is a public responsibility, in today's Philadelphia Inquirer: https://t.co/SSppVbwETT via phillydotcom
— Lawrence H. Summers (@LHSummers) December 20, 2015
In a letter to the editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Anita A. Summers, professor emeritus, Wharton School, Gladwyne, promotes the idea of government indoctrination of students pre-kindergarten:
Pre-K is a public responsibility
It is a sad day when Mayor-elect Jim Kenney and former Mayor Ed Rendell advocate the demise of public education for a form of education that we know is desirable for all youngsters, but essential for youngsters from the poorest homes...
Why is it that most European countries have supported pre-K education and we can't? Research shows how vital the early years are in training the brain and generating the quest for learning. The results are definitive. Why would we leave that benefit to the randomness of private donations?
For the problems with public school education, at any age, see: Education: Free and Compulsory by Murray Rothbard
-RW
Anita Summers doesn't provide any of the data from the research that she claims shows the benefits of Pre-K. There's a good reason for this. Although some studies have shown a temporary benefit for students in Pre-K, it quickly disappears (after a year or two). Students with preschool do not outperform those without it.
ReplyDeleteMises might say that since the Pre-K system doesn't achieve the objectives that its advocates desire, it shouldn't be implemented. Rothbard, as usual, would be more blunt.
All the Pre-K actually would amount to is taxpayer funded babysitting (with unionized government babysitters). It provides no benefit to the children, and with the government running it, would likely retard the kids intellectually. From a statist perspective, what's not to like?