There is a quiet debate going on in Washington right now (in various venues) over the extent of the state’s fiscal responsibility for early learning.

This is a welcome shift in public dialogue, away from a debate over the merits of pre-k for improved academic outcomes, child health, and other benefits, and toward a discussion of how we’re going to fulfill our commitment to educational opportunity for our kids.

As reported by Early Ed Watch:

…participating in just the pre-k program had significant positive impacts on high school completion and also reduced special education placements and grade retention. In other words, the…pre-k intervention had some positive impacts even when children didn’t receive sustained elementary supports.

But the greatest benefits were for youngsters who participated in both the pre-k and the school-age interventions. Particularly important, students who participated in the full intervention had higher test scores at age 17–something that wasn’t true for the other groups.