WASHINGTON (AP) — An Education Department commission is
recommending pre-kindergarten programs for every poor student
within 10 years. The recommendation, released Tuesday, adds a
timeframe to President Barack Obama's similar call to help the
least advantaged arrive for their first day of classes as
prepared as their counterparts from more affluent homes.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan says too many children "who need
the most help get the least." The report's recommendations
aren't binding but offer hints for how Obama might want to
implement his plan to expand early childhood education. The
administration has been short on details for the program he
first introduced during his State of the Union. The commission's
main charge is to address how to remove inequality in schools,
and officials says pre-kindergarten programs are a smart start.