Administrators from Lubbock ISD joined State Senator Charles Perry and State Representative John Frullo today [Friday] at Joan Y. Ervin Elementary to discuss the value of early childhood education, a priority of Governor Greg Abbott in the 84th Legislature. Deputy Superintendent for Academic Services Theresa Williams, Ed.D., compared low socio-economic children attending the Lubbock ISD Pre-Kindergarten program with children who did not attend Pre-K in LISD, outlining a significant difference in the district’s ability to close the gap in school readiness for children from low income families.
Research indicates that children from low-income families come to school having heard up to 30 million fewer words than their middle-class counterparts. The difference translates into a disparity in learning words and learning to read. Sixty-four percent of students attending Pre-K in LISD were on grade level in Kindergarten Reading, while only 44 percent were on grade level that did not attend LISD Pre-K. Students attending LISD Pre-K needed less academic intervention in Kindergarten than non-Pre-K students. Attending Pre-K in LISD means the child’s academic progress will be closely monitored and compared to recommended learning outcomes, and the district will provide meaningful opportunities for parental engagement.
Berhl Robertson, Jr., Ed.D., superintendent of Lubbock ISD, said, “We know that attending Pre-K in Lubbock ISD increases a student’s opportunity for academic success in Kindergarten. Lubbock ISD has made full-day Pre-K a priority in our budget and in our academic plan, and we appreciate the leadership shown by our legislative delegation in that partnership.”
HB 4 from the 84th Legislative Session provided about $118 million over the biennium for grants to school districts providing high quality Pre-Kindergarten programs. The Texas Education Agency is in the final stages of developing rules for the implementation of HB-4. To qualify for the grant, the legislation required that Pre-K programs provide a high quality curriculum, develop and implement a Parent Engagement Plan to help achieve and maintain high levels of parental engagement opportunities and that each student’s academic progress be measured.
Lubbock ISD will host a Pre-K Round-up for parents and children on Thursday, February 18 from 8 to 9 a.m. and again from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Parents are encouraged to bring their child and explore the opportunities available in Pre-K. Children must be four-years-old on or before September 1, 2016, to qualify for Pre-K. Lubbock ISD offers Pre-K to both qualifying and tuition-based students. For more information about Pre-K visit www.LubbockISD.org or call 806-219-0340.
(Press release from Lubbock ISD)
